Find out here how you can make your saw do its job like it did on the first day. Never bother with a dull chainsaw chain again!
If smoke develops while cutting despite a sufficiently lubricated chain, does the chainsaw have to be pressed into the wood with pressure? Is it shooting only fine sawdust? These signs tell you that your chain is worn out and should be sharpened.
But don’t worry – you don’t need to go to the nearest dealer to have your chain sharpened! In this blog post, we will make you an expert step by step so that you can sharpen your chain yourself next time. You can also find out what is the best top-handle chainsaw.
Before you start sharpening
To get a sharp result without any problems, you need a file gauge, a flat and round file, and gloves. Before you start sanding, there are a few more preparations that will make your work easier. When sharpening your chainsaw chain, the names of each part of the chain become important.
The roof edge, the face edge, and the depth gauge are especially important for sharpening. The red markings show the notches incorporated by the manufacturer. These must be sanded parallel to.
- First, clean the chain. Remnants from work, such as wood shavings, only hinder you later when sharpening. Better to remove it now.
- Tip: After cleaning, it is worth taking a closer look at the chain to see if there is any damage and whether the wear marks have been reached. If the longest part of the sawtooth is 4 mm long (see the red marking on the left in the picture), or if cracks can even be seen, then it is no longer worthwhile to sharpen the chain. Put on a new chain.
- Tension the chain tighter than during operation. This will prevent the incisors from tilting and grinding them at the correct angle.
- Identify a straightening tooth (usually the most worn tooth) and clamp the chainsaw in a vice. If the straightening tooth’s tip is on the left, clamp your chainsaw so that the guide bar points to the left. If the straightening tooth’s tip is on the right-hand side, the chainsaw is clamped with the guide bar to the right.
- Your saw is now prepared, and you can start sharpening the chainsaw chain.
Sharpen the chainsaw with the file guide
In the following points, we will show you how to sharpen your chainsaw clean step by step, this will work on the best chainsaw under $200 too. You must pay attention to the diameter of the file. If your file is too small, a curtain will appear when you sharpen it. The roof cutting edge is too thin, and the cutting edge becomes blunt again after a short time. If the file is too large, a back slope will result. This means that the roof cutting edge becomes more stable, but the cutting performance decreases. The required size of the file can be found on the chain packaging.
- Activate the chain brake when the straightening tooth is on top of the guide bar
- Place the filing gauge on the guide rail so that the engraved arrow points in the sprocket direction.
- Place the round file straight on the two rollers of the file gauge.
- Grab the round file at the front and back for a firm grip. Only file away from your body at the edge of the breast. Tip: Count your file strokes each time you file. In this way, you prevent the incisors from becoming different lengths, and the incisors are processed evenly.
- When there are no more light effects on the cutting edge, the chain tooth is optimally sharpened again.
- Then use a felt pen to mark the incisor you started with, release the chain brake and place the file gauge on the next incisor.
- Repeat this step until you have completely sanded the left or right side once
- Then clamp your chainsaw the other way around in your vice and start working on the other side as well.
Recheck the ground teeth and correct them if necessary. Are you satisfied with the result?
If you’ve followed the steps, your chainsaw chain will be sharp enough to do a clean job.
Finally, check the depth limiter.
With the depth gauge’s help, you can still check whether the depth gauge distance needs to be adjusted. This is reduced when sharpening the saw tooth.
If this is the case, swap the round file for the flat file and place the depth gauge on your saw chain. If the depth gauge looks beyond the gauge, it must be filed down.
If the depth gauge is too low, the probability of kickback while working is higher!
Now that you are an expert at sharpening your chainsaw, you will never have to work with a saw that is too blunt again. A little tip at the end: Don’t wait until your chain is dull again before grinding. A few strokes of the file during your breaks are enough to keep your chainsaw permanently sharp.
