To some people, a chainsaw may appear as if it’s an invincible tool that was designed for cutting wood or other material without a second thought. Although the chainsaw is indeed extremely strong, it’s not impervious, and as with all tools that come in contact with other tools the blade of the chainsaw will have to be sharpened in the future.
If you are a user of the chainsaw and haven’t considered or even thought about sharpening the blade on your chainsaw or blade, it’s time to do it. To assist you, we’re going to outline when to sharpen, the tools you’ll need, and the safety guidelines you should follow, and give you a few different ways to do it.
When is the best time to sharpen
Fortunately, some clear indications indicate it is time to sharpen your chainsaw’s blade. It may seem simple, but it needs to be mentioned. It is when the chain gets dull.
Chain saws should be cut at minimum pressure. It will when the blade is sharp So if you feel you’re constantly applying more force to be able to cut through different materials It is likely that it needs to be sharpened.
Another hint is an image about the waste material produced when you use the chainsaw to cut wood. A sharp blade will make chips when it’s sharp, however, it is sawdust that it produces when it’s dull, and if you’re seeing more sawdust than the chip, it’s a clear indication that you need to sharpen your blade.
Different Methods to Sharpen the Blade of Your Chainsaw
There are many tasks related to DIY, tools, and maintenance that you have no choice but to follow the prescribed method to complete the task, however, this isn’t the situation with sharpening the chainsaw blade.
There are a variety of ways you can accomplish this but we’re going to concentrate on the method of doing it with a hand. This is because it is the most efficient especially because you can observe how the edges are cut in close-up. There are however different options for power, which we’ll briefly describe.
Sharpening of Files by Hand
Your first impression might be that sharpening the blade of a chainsaw by hand will be an extremely long and laborious process however it doesn’t have to be. The advantage of doing it this way is that it allows you to be more precise and precise. The steps you should follow:
1. Choose the appropriate formats and types of the files that you require based on the size of semi-circular edges surrounding the blade. The sizes will likely comprise 5/32 (3/16), and 7/32 inches. The majority of DIY stores sell chain saw sharpening files in a set so that you can have all the sizes you need. You might also wish to buy a sharpening guide which can be used together with the files.
To determine the right files for the chainsaw you have, search for a code digit on the blade. You can use it to determine its chain pitch.
The term “Picco” is a reference to the blades of chain saws for chain saws produced by Stihl. Stihl is the largest chain saw manufacturing firm which is why they also manufacture their own guide bars for chain saws and chain chains.
2. Be sure to have the safety equipment you need, which includes gloves and goggles. Even if the chain saw blade is thought to be dull, it’s very sharp, so be conscious that it may result in a painful cut.
3. For starting, put the chainsaw in a secure position. the chainsaw, at least in a vice, so that, when you start to sharpen it will not move. Also, you must start the brake. Both of these steps are vital to your safety, make sure you double-check these.
4. By using the proper file size, determined by the diameter that the blade’s cutting edge file each second blade keeps the round file at an angle towards the chain. The motion of filing should be straight forwards and as smooth as you can. If the chain saw blade is manufactured by Stihl The angles of your file must be 30deg instead of 90deg.
(Note that a great technique to identify which blade you used to begin by marking the blade using a permanent marker before when you start.)
5. To advance to the next stage, release the brake and shift the chain as required and after that, lock it. Keep sharpening the blades on alternate sides. After you’ve completed one side, unwind the vice and then switch the chainsaw over and secure it. The next step is to sharpen the opposite part of your chain.
6. It is also recommended to sharpen the gauges of depth that are situated between the blades. This can be done with flat files rather than the round file you used to sharpen the blades. The same procedure should be followed when sharpening other ones, and then reverse the chain saw just as you did while sharpening the blades.
7. For a reference on how sharp you have been every cutting edge, look to see if it’s bright or dull. A dull cutting edge indicates it is still in need of sharpening. a bright edge indicates that it was sharpened correctly.
Power Sharpeners
There are two main types of power tools to sharpen chains saw blades and those are bench sharpeners and handheld sharpeners.
A bench sharpener is fixed to a workbench, and the sharpening procedure requires the chain to be taken off the saw. Then, it is clamped to the sharpener. It is then turned on and sharpens a particular blade.
To move forward to the next stage, the chain is released, moved until the blade next to it is in place, after that, it is clamped. This process continues until every blade on the chain is sharpened.
Sharpeners for handheld devices follow the same method that sharpening with a hand, but instead of using the file to sharpen each blade of the saw chain it is a power sharpener.
Sharpeners for handheld devices are similar to grinding machines that rotate, and although they can sharpen extremely quickly, great care must be taken not only to ensure safety but to ensure you don’t harm the blades or guides to depth.