It is very possible to sharpen a chain saw with a $3.00 hand file. A round one of a very particular diameter: It’s good to keep one of these on hand while out using the saw. But this factoid is going to be about how you should really sharpen your chainsaw. And the way to do it is absolutely NOT by hand! That is only for a quick touch up, or a last resort.
Here is a YouTube demonstration of hand filing if you need to know how to hand sharpen:
The first thing you need to do in order to really sharpen your chain saw is this:
This has a precision angle adjustment to keep your chain cutting at its best, and keeping this angle consistant on each tooth around the entire chain does something else: it keeps the saw cutting straight. There are adjustable stops for height and scale positioning. This comes in handy when knocking off the tops of the chip clearer on the chain. I will explain more about that in the "how to use the electric chainsaw sharpener" part of this factoid. The chain vise adjusts to all chain designs and pitches. I know, because I did the chains on about six different chainsaws with this sharpener. It also:
- Includes 4-1/4” x 1/8” grinding wheel
- Mounts to bench, wall, or vise
- Large side safety guard
- 4200 RPM grinding speed
- 4-1/4" wheel with 7/8” arbor
- 115 volt, 0.75 amp, direct drive ball bearing motor
- Vise capacity: 0.5"-0.8"; Table vise angle: 0-35° right or left; Power cord: 7 ft. 11"; Wheel dimensions: 4-1/4" diameter x 1/8" H; Overall dimensions: 10" L x 9" W x 12-1/8" H
- Tool Weight: 4.85 lbs.
Go to Harbor Freight and buy this chain saw sharpener. To find a Harbor Freight Tools near you: click here. This is for their retail locations. Remember that this all started with a catalog, and now it’s really easy to order online. This power tool does not weigh that much. It only weighs 4.8 pounds. I got one three years ago, and can’t even believe, to this day, how awesome this tool is and how little it costs! This is one of my favorite power tools. This rest of this Factoid will be all about using the sharpener. I will also tell you how to gear up for a big chainsaw job. If you don’t have a big wood cutting project, then I recommend that you just pay (me or someone else) the six bucks and get your chain sharpened. However, if you are going to chop up a couple cords of wood into 18" fireplace logs, then buy this cool tool and follow these instructions:
- After you assemble the sharpener, screw it down to a small chunk of 2" x 4". Now you can easily hold it in a vice, or even screw the 2" x 4" down onto a bench. You will notice that this tool is almost all plastic. Mounting it like this really sturdies up the entire operation.
- Set the angle to 22 degrees, and set the chain in the vice. Adjust the tooth stop so you wil be just skimming the tooth. When you have it where you want it, tighten the vice.
- The last setting is the depth. You should set it so that it doesn’t make the valley of the tooth any deeper. You will use this adjusting knob to set the saw for another operation that I will explain last.
- Once you’ve done every other tooth on that angle, flip it to the opposite angle and do the rest of the teeth.
You will probably be able to shapen your chain a few times, especially if you don’t take too much off, before you will need to do this last step:
The little point you see in between the cutting teeth is a chip clearer. When the chain is coming to the end of its sharpness, i.e. the top of the cutting teeth, usually about 3/8" is under 1/4" long, you will have to grind down that tip so that it is again lower than the top of the cutting tooth.
Use the depth adjuster to set it to stop at the point that you want to grind down the chip clearer. Remember, you want it to be about .020" below the top of the cutting tooth. Now all you do is loosen the vice slightly so the chain can slide; then, hold the grinding wheel down as you move the chain back and forth, grind the tip down. Be careful not to get your fingers too close to the wheel, and definitely wear safety glasses when doing this. A friend of mine lost an eye when a grinding wheel blew up in his face. He was wearing glasses, too. They actually saved his life. Of course, this was a much bigger, higher-RPM grinding wheel in a machine shop. Still, be careful.
If you have a big job, the best thing to do is to sharpen three chains beforehand and take them along with the saw. If you are anything like me, you are not going to want to stop every time you need a sharp chain. Once I start that saw, I’m all assholes and elbows for the next eight hours, barely stopping to eat, drink, and tinkle. It’s like a sport to me. I’ve made more than a few weeks’ pay by cutting, splitting and delivering a cord of wood (in one day) -putting $200.00 in my pocket. It’s not uncommon to go through two or three chains in one day, but here is how to get more miles out of each sharpening:
First, realize that with one good sharpen, it’s possible to go all day before the chain becomes too dull to cut properly. What makes this improbable is that under most conditions it is really difficult to keep from making a false move that causes the running chain to hit a rock. It can usually take a quick dip into some sand or loose soil, but a nano second touch to a granite rock or piece of rusty steel will render it too dull to use. When you see some sparks, and you know you touched something that you weren’t supposed to with the chain, just swear, and quickly change the chain. Don’t continue with a dull chain. Try to handle the saw so this doesn’t happen. There is no need to act like a crazy person hopping around in the brush with a running chainsaw that sounds like a screaming banshee as it revs out the RPMs -trees falling, chips flying and logs rolling . . . but it sure is fun!
One last tip: Sometimes a log picks up a coating of dry, sandy loam, especially after it rains, while it has been laying on the ground. Take a broom and dust it off, or hose it down, especially if it is muddy. When gritty sand, even when it is so fine you can hardly see it, gets into your cut, it dulls the chain quickly.
