You must expect any tool that cuts or saws to become dull eventually. This is the case with chain saws as well. If you use your chainsaw frequently you are more likely to notice it is becoming dull. As soon as you notice a difference in cutting ability or a change in the wood chip output you will need to have it sharpened. Be especially careful if you do not use your chain saw frequently, it may be more difficult to notice your saw is dull. A dull chainsaw is much more likely to cause incident or accidents.

So how do you sharpen a dull chain saw? With a chain saw sharpener of course!

What is a Chain Saw Sharpener?

A chain saw sharpener is a machine that sharpens the individual teeth of your chainsaw. They come in a variety of styles from hand held manual files, attachments for a small drilling tool like a Dremel, to a self contained unit that attaches to a workbench.

Your sharpening machine is comprised of two main components. One component holds on to the chain, and the other part sharpens it. These parts will differ depending on which model or type of chain saw sharpener you own. Some have small grinding bits and others have full grinding wheels.

No matter which type of chainsaw sharpener you have you need to make sure you are sharpener the teeth of your saw on the correct angle. Not only that you need to make sure you file each tooth on the same exact angle with the same amount of pressure. It also needs to be the "right" amount of pressure.

If you press too firmly with your file or at the wrong angle you saw will become dull very quickly and easily. You will notice you can only use it for a short time before it becomes dull. This can be corrected by resharpening the teeth at the correct angle and pressure.

There is a wide range of grinding wheels and they are proportionate to the size of the chainsaw sharpener you are using. When the chain, which is held in place by a securing lever, is ready to be sharpened the grinding wheel is lowered on to the edge of the tooth. If you are using a dremel tip it will not be secured in such a way but a piece is provided to keep the angle you are sharpening correct.

So basically on a little bit larger scale it is the same process you see any good chef go through with a knife. You grind the teeth of the chain back to a point using a grinding wheel. A chain saw being a little larger than a chef's knife it is mounted and run by electricity, but the idea is the same.