How do you sharpen a Chainsaw?

If you use your chainsaw on a regular basis you know how important it is to keep it sharp and if you do use it often, maybe it's a good idea to learn to sharpen it yourself. Although they only charge $10-20 to sharpen a chainsaw professionally, if you need to do it often, it would be wise to learn to sharpen it yourself. Here are the steps required to sharpen a chainsaw on yourself.

Find Out What Size of Chain Your Chainsaw Has
Each chainsaw has a different type of chain with different sized blades. Once you find that out, purchase a chainsaw file otherwise known as a rattail file that is sized specifically for your chainsaw.

Clean the Chain
Before you begin to sharpen the chainsaw, make sure that you have cleaned the chain and it's free from dirt, sawdust, oil and debris. You should purchase a degreasing cleaner to clean the chain.

Look For Damage
Before you starting sharpening, look for damaged teeth or teeth that look overly worn. Over time and with use these teeth will wear out and instead of sharpening, you should just buy a new chain.

Place the Chainsaw Bar in a Vise or Clamp
Make sure the chainsaw is securely fastened to a vise or clamp and will not move.

Find the Shortest Cutter
Once you have found the shortest cutter tooth, start by filing the angled tooth. If you have purchased the right file, it will fit the curve of the blade perfectly. The file should end up being flush with the tooth. Make sure to make a mark to indicate where you have started so that you don't end up doing it two times.

File At The Same Angle
Once you figure out where you should be filing (it will be quite obvious since that's where the file will fit), make sure to file on the same angle, which is about 25 degrees. When filing, file across the face and twist the file slightly. You can either push the file or pull it toward yourself.

Work Your Way Around the Chain
Sharpen each tooth the same way and if you made a mark, you will know exactly where to stop.

Once Done, Turn Around
If you notice, you have been sharpening only the cutter that is facing you, there are cutting teeth on the other side as well. Turn the chainsaw around and secure it again and file the teeth that go in the opposite direction, making sure to mark were you started once again.

Oil The Chain
When finished sharpening, make sure to oil the chain thoroughly as this newly exposed steel will rust. Also, check the tension once again and adjust if necessary.

Now that you know how to sharpen your own chainsaw, give it a try. With a little practice and patience you will be able to sharpen a chainsaw just like a pro. This can be a handy skill to learn so that you don't have to rely on someone else when you need your saw sharpened.

Are you shopping for a chainsaw sharpener? Here is a selection for your consideration.
[phpzon]chainsaw sharpener, 4[/phpzon]

Related Posts

• How to Maintain Your Chainsaw When you first purchase a new chainsaw and get it home, it works so well. Unfortunately though, over time chainsaws can start to cause problems for their users, mostly because of improper maintenance. It's not difficult to maintain a chainsaw properly, but it does require that you do certain things.......
• Residential Solar Power - Green Energy Idea In order to make the best decision about residential solar power, several important points need to be considered. Some homeowners may discard the idea of using solar power in their homes just because of the perceived costs associated with purchasing and installing a residential solar power system. Some believe......
• History Of The Chainsaw Chain It might actually surprise you to learn that there actually is an interesting history to the chainsaw chain. The chainsaw chain was important to developing an efficient tool that could saw through objects quickly. The chainsaw chain became a mechanical part of the osteotome, an early chainsaw device. The osteotome......
• Characteristics to Look For in Chainsaws I will briefly tally a few things that you ought to try to find when seeking to get a chainsaw. Chainsaw Reviews: Types of Chainsaw Electric If you are heading for making use of your chainsaw in the house, for instance in a garage or a workplace environment, then,......
• The Reliability Of Poulan Chainsaws Poulan is a brand name chainsaw; Claude Poulan began making chainsaws back in 1946. He established his company in Shreveport, Louisiana. Since then, Poulan chainsaws have gained a reputation of being reliable. Poulan chainsaws are available in various sizes including sizes that are just right for any job a homeowner......

Related Websites

• Learn More About Second Income Second Income Opportunities There are many second income opportunities available online, but that doesn’t mean that all of them will work for you. Different avenues will come with different demands, and it is important that you understand and can meet the requirements of the path you choose. Below are a......
• Linux Permissions Headache Yikes, what an evening..... it started innocently enough in the afternoon. I have an old Mandrake 10.0 server that I was upgrading clamav on (recent security update). While I was at it, I was reviewing the anti-spam setup to see if I could get any better success with filtering junk......
• What is Bankruptcy? Understand the process of bankruptcy before you file the forms by yourself or with an attorney. To start the process of bankruptcy, a person with an unwieldy amount of debt files for bankruptcy in the nearest court. This process is normally done with the help of attorney, a person is......
• Caring for your Skis Ski equipment can really add up in costs and can become quite expensive over time. By systematically maintaining your ski gear, you can actually save a lot of money in the long run. Your skis will be kept durable over time, providing you with a much better conduct on the......
• Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more than 80 top products is just what you need. Everyone's got saving money on their minds these days- whether your at the grocery store, or......

Tags: Chainsaw Maintenance, Chainsaw Safety, Chainsaw Sharpening, Chainsaws