Chainsaw Sharpener

It's quite amazing how much quicker a cutting job can go, when your working with a freshly sharpened chainsaw blade. I would estimate, the that shaving off fractions of an inch off a your dull cutters can make your wood cutting job go twice as fast. A lot of chainsaws don't get this regular tune-up, because most owners believe, that it requires a trip to an expensive professional sharpener. That's simple not true, as chainsaw sharpening is really a job anyone can do.

Keeping your chainsaw in tip top cutting shape, is basically a two step process. First of all, you need to keep the chain cutters sharp. Chain cutters are the sharp metal components of the blade that do the actually cutting. Not every link on the blade is a cutter. The other step, is tweaking how much wood each cutter is allowed to cut. You do this, by adjusting the depth gauges, that are also part of the chain.

While it's true, that you could use that old hand file you've had for years to sharpen your blade, it's probably not the best choice. A proper chainsaw filing tool will cost around $50, allow you to get the job done quicker and with more precision. Part of sharpening, is all about getting the correct angles. The proper tool, will have guides, for each type of chain, to keep your angles and spacings correct.

Before you buy a sharpening tool, or start sharpening, you'll want to check out your owners manual. You manual should tell you what type of chain your saw has, what size the cutters are, and what tool is best for keep the chain in shape. When you do get yourself a good sharpening tool, make sure you take care of it as well. Keeping it oiled, and well covered will prevent rust, and extend its life.

There is a depth gauge for each cutter on the chain. It controls how much wood a cutter is allowed to chew on. The gap between the depth gauge and the cutters edge is basically the bite size. You can think of the depth gauge as your lower jaw, and the edge of the cutter as your upper jaw. The more distance between them, the more wood you can bite off. As the cutters become lower from sharpening, the depth gauges need to as well. This can be a bit tricky, and is the main reason why it's appropriate to use a tool that can be calibrated to your particular chainsaw blade. As mentioned previously, be sure to check your manual for the exact gap specification.

While conventional wisdom might suggest, that it's better to try out your first sharpening attempt on an old junky chain you don't care about, it's actually harder. An old chain that has been sharpened a number of times, is more likely to be out of what with it's blade angles, and depth gauge / cutter alignment. If the blade on your saw is really that close to being junk, you may be better off buying a new blade, and then consistently stay on top of it's sharpening maintenance. That way your first sharpening will be on a blade that's not so abused.