Once you got a chainsaw at the hand, it’s vital to hold a professional attitude towards its usage and maintenance. After a long time of cutter teeth chewing through tough wood, they’re bound to become dull, lowering the chainsaw’s effectiveness. Most regular sharpening is completed by filing and before you start, please make sure you make clear the means of proper operations.

# Study the Chain Structure

Studying the detailed diagrams of the chain maybe not that vital to everyone, but it does no harm to learn some anyway. The diagram in your owner’s manual has presented clear enough of the structure of different chainsaw. Generally, they’re composed of links, straps, and numerous cutters, from which are the most of the sharpening work comes. The cutter’s sharp areas lie on the edge of the top plate and the side plate. In the middle of the cutter is a gullet and on the other end is a hook-like depth gauge which determines how much a bite the cutters take out of the wood when the saw is working. When filing the chain, please keep in mind that the shape and size of chainsaw cutters may vary slightly from model to model.

# Do it the Right Time

The best time to sharpen the cutters is before the time when the chainsaw produced more wood dust than wood chips while working. If you take a routine of sharpening every second or third time you fill the chainsaw with fuel, you’ll never have a dull chainsaw.

#Use the Correct File Diameter

The most commonly used file to sharpen cutters is round file which generally ranges from 4mm to 6mm. But not all chains are the same size. Please make sure you check your owner’s manual for the optimal file diameter.

#Operate the file Correctly

To get the sharpest cutting edge, file from the inside edge of the cutter, toward the outside edge. To file the individual cutters, position yourself on one side of the saw bar and file the cutters on the opposite side of the chain. A round file sharpens in one direction only—on the stroke away from you. To sharpen the cutting corner, hold the file horizontally and follow the angle of the cutting corner as you lightly but firmly push the file. Then lift the file up to return to the starting position and push it again.

# Use a Chainsaw Sharpening Guide

If you’re still not confident filing the cutter angles, you can use a sharpening guide which resemble rulers and feature a bracket on the bottom to hold a round file. The guides allow you to align the file at the correct sharpening angle, usually around 30- or 35-degrees. Check your owner’s manual for the correct filing angle for your chain.

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