How To Sharpen A Chainsaw

Find How To Sharpen A Chainsaw

Is your dull and blunt chain saw blade burning and struggling to makes it's way through the wood? If it is, this is not a perfect way to cut. It's also a dangerous way to cut through logs and general sections of timber. 

Here's how to sharpen your chain saw blade, and use your saw to cut more quickly, and at the same time avoiding any chain saw accidents or incidents as you go about your work. 

The Best Way To Sharpen A Chainsaw

A blunt and worn chainsaw blade can cause the wood you are cutting to start burning as well as buckling and kicking-back whilst you are trying to saw through wood and logs. Using a blunt loop chain blade on your chainsaw (regardless of its brand whether you own a Bosch, Black and Decker, Husqvarna, Stihl, Ryobi, or any other make of chainsaw) is also a slow and possibly dangerous way to cut. 

Here are some hints and tips on how to use a chainsaw sharpener from to carry this task out in the best way:

1. Things you’ll need to carry this out: A pair of protective safety gloves and a filing kit made specifically for chainsaws, which are available to buy from outdoor power equipment stores, power tool retailers, and also online sellers. This should include at least one round file, a flat file, and a profile gauge. Most kits come in a storage wallet too for safe and protective storage. 
2. With your chain saw switched off (and unplugged if it is an electric powered one, or battery removed if it is one of the cordless models) engage the chain brake on your saw (this could be dome automatically depending on the make and model of tool that you own) and lightly clamp the bar of the tool in a vice. Make sure it is held securely whilst carrying out the sharpening process. 
3. Place the chainsaw sharpening kit profile guide plate between the rivets on the chain, with the arrows on the (profile) guide pointing toward the nose (front roller end) of the bar.
4. Follow the angle of the top plate of the cutter on each tooth of the blade; the rollers or support area on the profile guide will keep you from going too deep into the side plate of the cutter.
5. Using steady, even strokes with the supplied file, make 2 or 3 strokes until the face of the cutter is shiny silver and is free from debris, rust, or any pitting on the cutting surface.
6. After sharpening a couple of the teeth on the loop blade, release the chain brake and rotate the chain forward to expose more cutting teeth to sharpen. Then reset the brake on the saw. Repeat this process, carrying on sharpening every tooth that is on the blade. 
7. When you’re done sharpening the cutters / teeth on one side of the chain, flip the chainsaw around so you can sharpen the teeth on the other (opposite) side of the chain.
8. Use the depth gauge tool (which is usually part of the same profile tool) and file (using the flat file supplied in the chainsaw sharpening kit) to adjust the height of the depth gauges on the chain. It is important not to skip this step as if the depth gauges are too high, the cutters can’t reach the wood and it will cause burning of the timber.
9. After you have gone totally around the blade and sharpened each tooth, as well as checking the height of the depth gauge as well, ensure that each tooth is sharp and the metal on the cutting edge of each tooth looks clean and shiny. If any are not, repeat the process of drawing the round chainsaw file across it until you are happy with the result.   
10. Now it is time to clean and lubricate the blade on your chain saw. You can use a propriety cleaning spray or a good tip is to use a can of car brake cleaner spray. Some user also opt to use chain cleaning spray that is sold for use with cleaning bicycle and motorcycle chains. 
11. Lubricating your chain - we recommend you use a dedicated chain oil, initially you can brush this on with a small sized paint brush or artists brush. 
12. Afterwords - We recommend that you re-sharpen your chain every so often, checking over it every time you refill your chainsaw with fuel. This will help maximise it's cutting performance and ultimately it's life. 
13. Cutting near to the ground - Try to keep your chain out of the dirt and soil when cutting or it will dull quickly. If this happens you will soon see how fast you can wear a new chain loop blade out! Often in most cases you may need to then replace the chainsaw blade with a new one as opposed to being able to sharpen it. 

Sharpening A Chainsaw Isn't Too Hard

When looking at a chainsaw’s sharp looking teeth it can scare you into thinking you can’t easily sharpen the saw yourself. But in about 10 to 15 minutes of time, and with the help of a chainsaw sharpening kit (or a couple of inexpensive files and a chainsaw guide) you can transform your slow-cutting chainsaw into a log-cutting monster.

You can sharpen the chain right on the saw itself and right by the wood or logs that you’re cutting. Do it often, and you’ll get lots of sharp cutting life out of your chain. Here, we’ll show you how to use chain saw sharpeners.

You can check out a suitable chainsaw sharpening kit here that can be ordered online

Deciding When To Sharpen A Chainsaw Blade

Check the waste material from your saw cuts. If there is a lot of dust present, this means it’s time to sharpen. Wood chips indicate that the cutters / teeth are still sharp.

A sharp chain cuts well with and with very little force on the tools bar, while a dull (blunt) chain tends to ride in the cut without deepening it. If you’re forcing the chainsaw to persuade it to cut, the chain is blunt and needs sharpening. 

Also, when the chain creates dust instead of chips it’s the time to get hold of or buy a round file and sharpen the teeth on the loop blades. A dull chain is also unsafe, it greatly increases the chances of kickback which is a well known hazard with this type of power tool. 

Kickback is when the chain catches in the material and propels the bar up toward the operator. 

The Areas To File When Sharpening A Chainsaw Blade

There are 2 main areas that will need attention when you sharpen the blade on your chain saw. 

1 - The individual saw teeth on your chain loop. These cutting edges can be quickly sharpened and reshaped with a round file (as supplied in a suitable sharpening set). 2 - The depth-gauge (which looks like a shark's fin in front of each cutter) that controls how deep the cutting tooth bites into the wood. 

The angles that are ground on the teeth alternate between left and right to keep the saw cutting straight and true.

The teeth on a chainsaws loop blade have semicircular cutting edges in specific diameters. To sharpen these you would use a round chainsaw file of the same diameter. In front of each cutter tooth is a “depth gauge”. This is a piece of metal shaped just like a shark fin. The depth gauge’s tip is shorter in height than the tip of the cutter and controls how deep the tooth can bite into the wood. After repeated sharpenings, the teeth on the blade can become level with the depth gauges, and prevent the saw from cutting. 

It’s straight forward to lower the depth gauges to the right height with a flat file and dedicated profile file guide.

Sharpening is really easy if the cutters have just become blunt from normal use. If the teeth on the blade are nicked badly from accidental contact with rocks, dirt, sand, or objects embedded in trees, you may need to have the chain professionally sharpened or alternatively buy a new one.

Chainsaw Sharpening Tools

You will need several tools to carry the job out correctly. You will need a suitable round file with file guide to sharpen the teeth on the blade, a flat file, and a depth-gauge guide for lowering the depth gauges on the blade as well. All of these are usually supplied in a chainsaw sharpening kit set such as the one that can be viewed here. 

How To Sharpen A Chainsaw Loop Blade

What is the best way to sharpen a chainsaw?

In a lot of tool hire shops this is a question that is asked time after time, and especially during the peak chainsaw user time of Autumn (or the fall for our US readers) in the UK.

All chain saws utilise a "loop" type cutting blade that rotates around the saws drive sprocket and chain bar. When pressure is applied to timber this blade cuts through the wood with repeat cuts from each tooth on the saws blade. With natural wear and tear the loop blade will become blunt resulting in reduced cutting performance, to the extent that the saw will not cut at all if it is left in an unsharpened condition.

Oil lubrication goes a long way to preserving the useful life of a chainsaws blade, but it will not stop the blade becoming blunt during normal usage.

If you have ever used a chain saw and struck a nail or hard object with the bar you will also know that this will blunt a saws blade - and in a rapid time. The same goes if the end of the chain bar makes contact with soil, or the ground around a trees base or stump.

When the blade on a chainsaw becomes blunt you have two options, one is to replace the blade for a new one, the second option is to sharpen the blade.

Before you do either of these it is recommended that you check the whole loop of the blade to determine the overall condition with regards to wear, tooth damage, and also to see if the loop blade has stretched. If the latter has occurred then the only option is to replace with new, but otherwise you may be able to salvage the chain depending on the other factors.

Damaged teeth on a chainsaws blade can usually be fettled back into a serviceable order by way of using a metal file of the correct shape, size, and profile. Small nicks can be trued up as well as light scoring, but if you have any bent or twisted tooth's then again - a new replacement blade will need to be purchased and fitted.

After you have carried out a good inspection for wear, damage, and the overall condition of the blade, you can make the choice as to whether it is ok to have the blade sharpened or instead change it.

How to sharpen a chainsaw blade: 

A garden machinery repair shop will usually be able to offer you a sharpening service where you can leave your blade for sharpening - with a cost to pay at the going rate. Depending on the length and condition of the blade this usually costs in the region of 40 to 50% of the new cost of a replacement loop blade.

Two other options are open to you: 1) you could invest in a manual chainsaw sharpening kit that comprises of a suitable file(s) and profile gauge or 2) invest in the purchase of an electric driven dedicated sharpening machine.

For most chain saw owners the first option is normally their preferred method, being the most affordable option especially when compared to the higher price of a dedicated sharpening machine.

View details on chainsaw sharpening kits

How to sharpen a chainsaw blade:

To file and sharpen-up a chain saw's loop blade there is three (3) steps that need to be done, these are the filing of the top plate, filing of the side plate, and filing / profiling of the blades cutting angle and working "corner".

The top plate of each tooth requires filing to the correct angle as marked on the profile guide that is supplied in your sharpening kit. Using consistent and firm strokes your file should be drawn across the plate until the profile is correct. The same goes for the side plate, file the tooth's side plate until it matches the profile gauges indicator line. This is usually scribed on the profile gauge that is supplied in your chainsaw sharpening kit.

When it comes to the third stage you need to focus your time on the top area of each cutting tooth that is on the loop blade. This is the area that does most of the actual cutting so it is vital that this point is made sharp and filled to the correct shape.

The file gauge (which will have a slot cut into it's top) is placed over the first tooth which is to be sharpened, next the round file is placed next to the tooth's cutting edge, keeping the file level with the alignment mark on the profile gauge draw the file across the cutting edge using a firm pressure, you should notice resistance as metal is removed - so sharpening it. You then release the pressure on the return stroke. This action is then repeated until a clean "fresh metal" area can be seen. This clean area is the new sharp edge which you will have made to the chain saws blade.

Next, you should repeat this process on each and every one of the chain loop's teeth, by doing so will restore the saws chain to a good serviceable condition.

Hints and tips on sharpening a chainsaw blade:

• Try and sharpen the blade using a flat dry and clean surface
• Wear protective safety gloves and safety glasses
• Use a good quality sharpening kit (ie: Alm, Bosch, Black & Decker, Oregon, Stihl)
• Use a sharpening kit whose profile gauge is correct for your particular saw blade
• Assess the blade first for damage, excess wear, and stretching
• Clean the sharpened chain before fitting
• On refitting back your saw make sure its fitted correctly, and re-tensioned