How to Flip a Chain From a Chainsaw

The chain for the saw is a metal base with series-connected links that have teeth characterized by cutting properties. You can improve them if you sharpen the chain of the chainsaw at home, but you must follow the rules and use a tool specially designed for this. The latter can be home-made or factory-made.

How to understand that the chain is dull

The long life of any chainsaw depends on proper care and use, including behind a chain headset. The good performance of the latter affects the performance of the device and performance parameters. Untimely sharpening can cause some problems in the work of the saw itself. Most often it is:

• Crooked cuts;
• Heavy loads on the saw, resulting in increased wear of the parts of the device, and hence a decrease in the service life of the entire device;
• Increased fuel consumption.

If, as a result of the cut, a small dusty chip is formed, and the saw itself is buried into the cut with great effort, then the target has become dull.

There are other signs of a blunted chain:

• Tool speed decreased;
• Uneven and sharp filings are formed;
• Great effort is needed to cut wood;
• The chain stretched or began to sag.

How to sharpen a chainsaw

Timely and competent sharpening with your own hands a chain for a chainsaw will not only extend the time of use of the device, but also save effort and time on wood processing. Signs of a sharp chain is the formation of uniformly sized sawdust of regular geometric shape. To ensure the desired level of sharpness of the teeth, any tool for sharpening chains of chainsaws, for example, any grinding tool, is suitable. These are the file, angle grinder and machine.

File sharpening

This method is appreciated for the ability to perform work in any, even field, conditions, the simplicity of the procedure and the absence of the need to use an expensive tool. Correctly sharpen the chain of the chainsaw with a file will help the tool exclusively round section. To determine the parameters of the file, you need to know the dimensions of the saw itself, in particular, you need to determine the pitch of the teeth. For processing the limiter for cutting depth of the guide tooth, the use of a flat variation is allowed.

Templates or patterns will give the desired direction to the tool and can facilitate the work. They must be secured to the treated area. After completing the preparatory work, you can proceed directly to the procedure according to the recommendations of specialists:

1. Fasten the chain to the clamp.
2. Set the file for sharpening the chain according to the pattern.
3. Grind one-way teeth at the selected angle. The latter should not change. The working tool itself must be held so that its tip protrudes only a fifth of its thickness. It is necessary to move the file as smoothly as possible, movements should be gentle. The return stroke must be done idle. It is recommended to turn the tool periodically, which will reduce the risk of wear on the sharpening side.
4. The angle of inclination of the tool should be straight, and the angle of sharpening the chain of the chainsaw horizontally sharp, while changing it in the range from 10 to 30 ° is allowed. The basis is to take the smallest tooth in a row.
5. Turn the tire over and do the same job for teeth that go in the opposite direction.

It has such a method and small disadvantages. In particular, large time costs are required. But then you will not need to purchase expensive equipment or special tools.

How to grind an angle grinder with your ears

When sharpening a chain of a chainsaw, an angle grinder must constantly monitor the level of sharpness of the chain, treat the drive sprocket with machine oil. Over, this method has one significant advantage. You do not need to remove the chain headset from the saw, you can visually select the angle of sharpening.

Although many owners of chainsaws and chainsaws believe that this tool can damage the cutting teeth of the chain, but if the work is performed by an experienced specialist, then the risk is minimal.

Only a special disc for working with metal is suitable. Its diameter should be at least 2.5 mm. It is recommended that you select an already used disc with rounded edges.

Before sharpening, you need to insert a wedge of wood between the chain and the lower part of the tire to prevent the headset from moving.

Sharpening on the machine

Do it yourself with the task and the machine for sharpening chains of chainsaws with your own hands. There are various options for using such a tool. Automatic sharpening or manually. In addition, you can make a home-made grinding machine for chains.

Electric sharpening machines mean installing the saw in a special hole in the device, after which it will be necessary to select the optimal angle for sharpening the teeth and turn on the chainsaw. After this, the teeth of the chain self-sharpen on the emery stone. But the best grinding machines are not cheap, so they are rarely purchased for home use.

Using the machine to grind chains by hand is simple. Actions will have to be performed in the following sequence:

1. Loosen the screw that clamps the chain.
2. Set the appropriate sharpening level, while it is necessary to determine the maximum degree of sharpening after visual inspection of the most blunt tooth. Grinding angles on a manual machine are also selected. You can use special tables, which are presented in the instructions for the saw.
3. Grind according to all selected parameters.
4. Clean the chain with clean engine oil.

There are 2 ways to use a manual machine for this purpose:

1. Sequential means the impact on each tooth one after another, while it is necessary to periodically change the polarity.
2. Sharpening of every second tooth, that is, the right tooth is first sharpened, and then the left one. In this case, a polarity change is not required.

Preventing chain blunting quickly

You can extend the life of the chain without periodic sharpening, if you pay special attention to the careful maintenance of the headset. In particular, it is required:

1. Use of specialized oil, which must be added when refueling a chainsaw. To select the desired concentration, it is recommended that you read the instructions for the oil itself.
2. All unused volume must be disposed of.
3. During operation, it is recommended to periodically check the size of the gap between the stop and the edge of the tooth. Ideally, it should be equal to 0.7 mm.
4. In order to minimize the risk of curvature of the teeth and their unilateral abrasion, you can periodically rearrange the tire 180 degrees.
5. The drive sprocket must be lubricated systematically. Do this before each use of the saw. You can choose the oil that is divorced from gasoline and added to the fuel tank. But the best performance is the brand M8.
6. Keep track of tension indicators. The chain should be located exactly in the grooves of the tire.

Useful Tips

You can increase the service life if you alternate manual sharpening using a special machine. The latter allows you to precisely align the sharpening angles on the machine. The depth of grinding should not be large.

It is necessary to observe safety measures that allow you to cut wood of any size with maximum efficiency and with a minimum level of danger to humans:

1. Before assembling the chain tool and installing the headset, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules of use. This is due to the fact that each tool has its own characteristics.
2. It is necessary to carry out work using a saw in mittens and goggles.
3. For work, it is recommended to choose adjacent clothing made of natural dense materials and the most reliable shoes.
4. It is necessary to cut a tree using a chainsaw in a stable and safe position, while the material itself must also be positioned as steadily as possible. Install stability of a gear emphasis on a log will help to guarantee stability.
5. During operation, the saw must be held with both hands, constantly monitor the cutting process.

Modern chainsaws are used in domestic and industrial conditions. At the same time, it is important to maintain productivity and high performance indicators of the tool, which directly depend on the state of the sharpened chain headset.