With fall coming up, hands-on Canadians everywhere will be firing up their chainsaws for tree trimming and firewood cutting. But productivity depends entirely on a sharp saw chain, and that’s a challenge for some people.
Unless you live within walking distance of a chainsaw shop, you need to develop the skills to sharpen the chain yourself. After sharpening my own saws for 25 years with a file and guide, I graduated to using an electric chain sharpener a couple of years ago, and I certainly can recommend the model I use now for people with a lot of cutting to do. The results it gives outstandingly sharp – better than a new chain – and extremely fast. That said, the ability to file a saw chain by hand is still an essential self-reliance skill. Hand filing makes the most sense for casual chainsaw users because the tools you need are inexpensive and the skills required translate into greater competence no matter what how you sharpen your saw later on. To learn more about sharpening saws by hand with a file, check out my online tutorial on the subject right here.tree trimming and firewood cutting. But productivity depends entirely on a sharp saw chain, and that’s a challenge for some people.
Pay special attention to the section that covers adjusting the height of depth gauges. This is often overlooked and is the leading cause of a sharp chain not cutting up to its potential.