A dull chain on a chainsaw will do no good for you. The performance will decrease drastically, and it is also a safety hazard. To keep your chainsaw in a proper working condition and enhance working safety, you need to make sure that your chain is properly sharpened periodically. The overall sharpness of the chain depends upon the cutting ability of every cutter on the chain. Even if one cutter is dull, it will leave tiny woodchips and reduce the work quality. In this article, we will discuss chain sharpening with an electric sharpener. You can also use file-sharpening, but it takes a lot of time and doesn’t give accurate results. For frequent users, spending a few hundred dollars on an electric sharpener makes sense as it gives accuracy, time-saving and in turn increases your work speed and quality.
Dull Chain Symptoms
Before you decide to sharpen the chain, you need to assess the condition of the chain and ascertain whether the chain needs sharpening or not. The following are the symptoms of a dull chain.
- You have to apply more pressure than usual.
- A dull chain will create sawdust instead of coarse strands. It happens when you are cutting against the grain of the wood (cross-cutting).
- Despite proper chain lubrication and tension, the chainsaw gives smoke while cutting wood.
- The cuts are uneven.
Safety Precautions while Sharpening the Chain with an Electric Sharpener
- Wear personal protective equipment such as safety goggles, work gloves, and ear protection.
- Place the electric sharpener on a flat surface at a waist height and make sure that it is secure and will not fall during operation.
- The cable of the sharpener must not be in your feet or area of work.
- Never use a sharpener in damp or poorly ventilated places. The work area must be properly illuminated.
- Read all the instructions given in the product manual.
- Keep the children away from the worksite.
- Inspect that the sharpener is working properly and nothing is out of order. Make sure it is clean, and there is no dust on it.
- Make use of your senses while sharpening the chain. If you notice a burning smell or too much vibration during the process, stop right away and inspect your machine.
How to Sharpen a Chainsaw Blade with an Electric Sharpener
Once you have determined that your chain needs sharpening, you can follow the steps below for chain sharpening with an electric sharpener.
Time Needed: 1-2 Hours (depends on the length of your chain)
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Things Needed
- Electric sharpener
- Toolkit
- Personal protective equipment
Procedure
You must read all the steps before beginning sharpening.
Step 1: Removing the Chain
The first step while sharpening the chain is to remove the chain from your chainsaw. For this purpose, you will have to open the guide bar cover, remove the guide bar and sprocket and take the chain out. The method of removing the chain is different on an electric and gas-operated chainsaw. Refer to the instruction manual to learn about the chain removing process. Once the chain is out, clean it with a brush to remove the oil stuck on it. Make sure that the chain is clean before you set it up on the sharpener.
Step 2: Setting up the Sharpener
Get to know your sharpener by going through the product manual. It will explain all the parts, their purposes, and how to operate them. The tiny details vary from one brand to another. Here we will give general guidelines for standard models. Set your sharpener on a flat surface at waist height. There are some cutting angles on your sharpener. On an Oregon sharpener, you can choose from grinder head angle, top plate cutting angle, and ten degrees down angle. These settings are unique to each chain. Once you know which angle to use for sharpening the chain, adjust the angle. This information can be found on the chain packaging. You can set the grinder head angle by loosening the knob on the grinder’s back and then tightening it back once you have the correct angle on it.
Step 2: Setting up the Sharpener
The next step is to set the chain on the sharpener. Before placing it on the sharpener, make sure it is clean. A dirty chain can cause damage to the chain and the sharpener. Clean chains also keep grinding wheels at their best performance and increase their lifespan. Now look for the most damaged cutter on the chain, mark it with a magic marker. This cutter will be the first one to go on the sharpener. Place the chain on the chain track and make sure that the most damaged cutter will be sharpened first. You can check this by lowering the grinder wheel down. Now lift the wheel up. The chain should be facing the same direction as it would be on the chainsaw. Adjust the chain stop groove so that the center of the groove is on the cutter. After adjusting the chain stop groove, adjust the rear chain adjustment knob until the grinder touches the cutter. This knob helps you control the amount of material to be removed while grinding. The last process in setting up the chain is to set the grinder wheel depth. It must not be too deep so that it comes in contact with the chassis of the chain. The chain must be tight while it sits on the sharpener. Any kind of slack in the chain will result in poor sharpening.
Step 4: Sharpening (Grinding)
The next step is to sharpen the chain. Turn on the power to the sharpener and switch on the grinder. Now push the grinder down and make contact with the cutter. Make sure you are wearing safety goggles while grinding. If you start with the right-hand cutters, complete the right-hand cutters in sequence, and then grind the left-hand cutters. You can rotate the chain assembly before going on the left-hand cutters. Just a pro tip: When you are grinding, adopt a quick tap and release technique. It will result in minimizing the burning on the chain cutter and reduce the grinding stone consumption. Before you switch to sharpening the other hand, measure the length of the cutters with a small measuring scale. If the cutters are not of the same length, increase the amount of contact material and grind again. It will give you a uniform cutter length, and the cutting results will be better.
Step 5: Post Grinding Work
Once you are done grinding the chain, remove the chain, clean any grit or grinding stone material, and soak the chain in the oil. Wait for some time, and now insert the chain back in the same way you removed it from the chainsaw. You may need to adjust the chain depth gauge for proper maintenance. If you altered the size of the cutter during sharpening, you will need to adjust the depth gauge. If the cutters have not been damaged, you can adjust the depth gauges after 3-4 sharpening. The grinding wheel for adjusting depth gauges is different than the one you use for a simple sharpening. You can use a quarter-inch or 5/16 inch wheel. Set the head angle to 60 degrees and set the vise assembly to zero degrees. Check and set the grinding wheel profile according to the directions given in the user manual of the sharpener. You can use a dressing brick to adjust the profile of the grinding wheel. Now verify the correct depth gauge setting. You may need to adjust the first depth gauge by hand using a flat file. Measure the results after adjustment. After this, power off the sharpener, bring the grinding wheel down, and touch the depth gauge. Adjust the wheel depth to stop. Once the depth has been set, turn on the sharpener and grind all of the remaining depth gauges. You can use a marker to mark the depth gauge you have just adjusted. Please note that the depth gauges on the left and right-hand cutters are the same.