How to Sharpen a Chainsaw
With a bit of chainsaw maintenance, you can keep your tool's performance at optimal levels. From using STIHL files and guides to checking that the depth gauge is set correctly, sharpening your STIHL chainsaw regularly ensures ultimate performance, including optimal power and clean cuts.
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR CHAINSAW NEEDS SHARPENING
Even the best saw chains become dull over time. Once this happens, your chainsaw has to work a lot harder and so do you. If you notice the following signs when working with your saw, it’s time to sharpen your saw chain or maybe even replace it.
- A properly sharpened chain produces large uniform chips. When your saw starts producing finer sawdust, you know it’s time to sharpen your chain.
- It is time to sharpen if you see smoke coming from the cut despite chain lubrication and correct chain tensioning.
- If the chainsaw pulls in one direction and the cut becomes crooked, this can indicate that the saw chain is dull or has formed unevenly long teeth on one side.
- If the chainsaw chatters and bounces when cutting, making positioning difficult, it is time for the chain to be sharpened.
HOW TO SHARPEN A CHAINSAW: STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Materials
Gather materials based on the specific needs of your chainsaw. In general, you will need:
- Round saw chain file for sharpening the teeth of your chainsaw
- A file angle plate
- A flat saw chain file
- Filing gauge
- Felt tip pen
- Protective gloves
- 2 in 1 filing guide (optional)
Tip: Your STIHL Dealer can guide you to the exact files and other sharpening products that will work best for your chainsaw.
Select the right round file for your chainsaw, and make sure that your work area is safe. In addition to the right tools, you will need some space and should wear sturdy gloves.
Clean the saw chain and check it for damage. Tension the chain a little so that the teeth can be sharpened more effectively. Use the pen to mark a master tooth that will be used as a measure for all other teeth.
Make sure that the wear marking has not yet been reached. If it has, STIHL recommends replacing the saw chain completely.
Guide the file by holding the handle with one hand and passing the file in forward strokes past the tooth with the other. Start with the master tooth and place the file in the tooth so that it can be guided along the tooth while applying pressure from the inside outward. Always file at a 90-degree angle to the guide rail. The file should only sharpen on the forward stroke; lift the file off for the backstroke. Rotate the file at regular intervals to avoid one-sided wear of the file.
STIHL saw chains are generally filed to a 30-degree angle. If you use a filing aid (such as a file angle plate), you can easily orientate your movements to the markings on it to maintain the correct angle.
Guide the file so that a quarter of the file diameter protrudes beyond the top of the tooth. File the master tooth until a perfect cutting edge is achieved. STIHL recommends that you file more frequently as part of regular maintenance.
If you can see any light reflecting from the cutting edge, the blade tooth is not yet sharp.
You can only assume that the blade tooth is properly sharpened when there are no more reflections.
Then file all the blade teeth on this side to the same length. Next, turn the chainsaw 180 degrees and file all the blade teeth on the other side. Make sure that you file all the blade teeth to same length as the master tooth.
Chainsaw cutters become shorter in height during the sharpening process. This reduction in height causes the chain’s depth gauge clearance to become shallower overall, and thus often requires an adjustment. Once you have sharpened all the cutting teeth, you must check the depth gauge setting and adjust it if necessary. To check the depth gauge setting, use the appropriate filing gauge for the chain pitch.
To do this, simply place the filing gauge onto the saw chain. If the depth gauge protrudes beyond the filing gauge, it needs to be reworked.
Using a flat saw chain file, file the depth gauge horizontally so that it is flush with the filing gauge. For saw chains with humped drive links, the humps are worked on at the same time as the depth gauge. If the depth gauge is at the correct height, file the top of the depth gauge at an angle parallel to the service marking on the chain; do not lower the highest point of the depth gauge any further. Be careful not to touch the freshly sharpened blade tooth with the flat file. If the depth gauge is too low, it will increase your chainsaw’s kickback.
Tip: You can use the STIHL 2 in 1 filing guide to sharpen the teeth of your saw chain and reset the depth gauge to the correct height at the same time.
VIDEO GUIDE: SHARPENING THE SAW CHAIN AND DEPTH GAUGE WITH THE STIHL 2-IN-1 FILE HOLDER
Chainsaw Sharpening Tips
- A properly sharpened chain produces large uniform chips. When your saw starts producing finer sawdust, you know it’s time to sharpen your chain.
- Inspect your chain and look for the cutter in the worst condition. You’ll want to start with this tooth.
- Ultimately, you want every tooth on the chain to be sharpened the same and to be the same length.
- Before beginning the sharpening process, make sure your chain is snug on the bottom of the bar rail and place the bar in a vise.
- Use the proper filing guide throughout the process for the best results.
- In a majority of cases, your chain will require the same amount of filing strokes on each cutter. Keep a close eye on the cutters as you sharpen and count the number of strokes as you go. After using equal strokes on cutters that are side by side, measure each of the teeth to ensure that they're close to identical in length. Adjust appropriately if some cutters need additional strokes.
- After filing your cutters, be sure to use the proper tools to appropriately set your depth gauge.
