Q&A for How to Sharpen a Chainsaw

Check the packaging of the chain for specifications, or consult the chain manufacturer's website. If you're not sure of the brand, it's best to buy a new chain with listed specifications to be sure.

It's hard to gauge a file just by looking at the chain, since the differences can be minute but crucial. It's best to consult your owner's manual.

This is usually either because the cutters are dull, or because you've used too much pressure or filed at an improper angle when sharpening the blade. Use a lighter touch, and stay as consistent as possible when filing.

This is not uncommon. Your problem could be attributed to whether you are right or left handed. Over time, the teeth on one side of the chain will get sharpened more aggressively, causing them to be shorter (front to rear) after several sharpenings, which will cause your saw to cut in an arc. One way to check for this is to use a micrometer (purchase at any hardware store or on line from $10 - up) and check the length of each tooth. They should be equal. File the longer teeth to match the shortest ones. The other issue could be simply that, depending on how you set up your saw for sharpening and how you stand behind it, you are sharpening one side at a different angle from the other.

When the chain wobbles side to side. This means that the track in the bar has worn too wide.

The angle could be more aggressive on one side as well causing those teeth to bite more, also usually due to hand dominance. The file should be drawn in from the opposite side of the tooth being sharpened. The cutting tool should travel through the tooth in the same direction the wood chip does during operation, this makes the edge stay sharp longer.

Did you use the correct size file? Are the depth gauges too high? Did you sharpen the dull edge back enough? These are the most likely causes.

Make sure you sharpen both the left and the right cutters to the same size and at the same angle to ensure the chainsaw cuts straight. Any other variances might be due to your dominant hand or the way you are holding the chainsaw. As always, practice makes perfect.

It depends on how dull your chain is, how hard the chain is, and how sharp your file is, but generally between 3 and 10 strokes per tooth.

Sharpening a chainsaw to cut ice is the same as sharpening it for any other purpose. Follow the steps in this guide to get your chainsaw sharp enough to cut through ice.

The weight of the wood closes the gap you cut and clamps down on the bar and chain. Position the wood so gravity will open the cut instead of trying to close it.

It says "every other", but means "each and every other", as in "all other", not skipping any. All depth gauge ("raker") teeth for the whole chain need to be measured and adjusted after you sharpen the cutters because filing the cutters not only sharpens them, it also lowers them microscopically. This is because the top edge of the cutter is not actually horizontal, but is slightly sloped back. If the "rakers" are not adjusted, the cutters' sharp edges will eventually not be touching the wood at all after many filings, making it impossible to cut with that chain.

If your chainsaw is sharpened but still won't cut thick branches, it might need to be thoroughly oiled as well. This lets the chain move more easily and should, in turn, let it cut more effectively as well.

You can do this, but it's really up to personal preference. It's easier to reverse the chainsaw halfway through rather than swapping your filing motion after you finish one type of cutter.

Here are possible reasons for that quick dulling. 1. You're getting the chain touching soil. 2. Your oil is not flowing sufficiently and the chain is heating up 3. Your chain is so worn that there is little surface left on your cutters and it fills quickly. It may be time for a new chain.

You should look at changing the chain on your chainsaw every 3 to 6 times you sharpen it. If you notice any signs of damage on the chain, replace it immediately.

The direction the cut is following, (in this case, the right) indicates that the sharper teeth are on that side. With the saw still in a cut, power off the saw and mark the bar on the side away from the drift. Check for shorter, dull or damaged teeth, or high rakers on that side of bar and adjust as necessary. This may require filing down teeth on the opposite side to 'equalize' the pull on the chain when cutting.

Yes, file the rakers every time you sharpen the saw. You are only doing part of the job, if you do not check the rakers.