How to Measure Your Chainsaw Blade and Chain

 
 

May 27, 2009 by  

Every chainsaw owner needs to know how to perform some important routine maintenance tasks; one of these is replacing the chain as needed. Knowing how to properly replace your chain is essential to using your chainsaw safely and keeping it running efficiently. To learn more about replacing a chainsaw chain, have a look at the following tips.

How Do You Measure Your Chainsaw Chain And Blade?

From time to time, you'll need to replace your chain, so you'll have to know how long your chainsaw blade is and what kind of chain your chainsaw takes. There are charts you can look at, but there's an easier way to figure out the length of your chainsaw blade and chain.

Start with the length of your chainsaw bar - in many cases, the bar size is actually part of the model number of the chainsaw. For example, Oregon chainsaws include the length of the chainsaw bar in the 10-digit model number stamped on the blade near the motor end (the length is the first two digits).

However, if you have a model of chainsaw which doesn't have the length of the blade in such an obvious place, you can measure it yourself.

What's The Best Way To Measure A Chain Saw Blade?

It's easier to measure a chainsaw blade than you may have thought. All you have to do is to measure from the end of the blade to where it emerges from the casing. This is the only measurement you'll need; the perimeter measurement won't matter for your purposes here.

You may have noticed that we're using the terms blade and bar interchangeable; they both denote the same part of the chainsaw, so either term is accurate.

Chainsaw blades are sized in increments of two inches, with the most common sizes being 16, 18 or 20 inches. However, you can find chainsaws with sizes as small as 10 inches and as large as 42 inches. If your measurement yields an uneven number, just round up to the next even number.

Drive Links

To measure the length of your chainsaw chain, you'll need to find two things: the number of drive links and the pitch of the chain. A drive link is one tooth on the chain – the length is measured in the number of drive links.

The pitch of the chain refers to the size of the drive links (and thus the chain itself). You can determine the pitch of your chainsaw chain by measuring the distance between any three rivets on the chain and dividing this number by two. Your chain pitch is an important figure; the pitch has to match the size of your drive sprocket and usually the size of the bar nose sprocket as well. Usually, you won't have to measure the pitch yourself; it is generally stamped on the drive link.

For instance, say you have a chain with a pitch of ¼" with 52 drive links, the overall length should be 2.17'. If your chain has a 3/8 " pitch with the same number of drive links, your chain will be 3.18' long. The pitch size affects the total length of the chain.

If you have any further questions about measuring your chainsaw chain, then you can get more information from the manufacturer of your chainsaw or from a chain manufacturer.

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