What Tools Will I Need to Sharpen My Chainsaw Blade?
A sharpened chainsaw blade needs a proper set of tools to keep it sharp. Chains dull quickly against dust, rocks and dirt. Maintaining the proper level of sharpness can be challenging and exhausting. Sharpen the chain before each use, during every refueling stop and after each use to make sharpening less time consuming. Does this Spark an idea?
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Round File
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While many tools, electric or manual, can sharpen a chainsaw blade, a round file is the best, lightest and most versatile sharpener. The round file can be carried while cutting, so it's always nearby. It may not be the fastest method, but perfecting it will give a knowledge base which you can work with for other sharpening methods. A round file uses a crisscross pattern of serrated bumps to grind down the teeth's metal. This round file must match the pitch of the teeth and will vary with different pitches of chain.
Filing Guide
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A filing guide gets placed around the round file and helps keep the filing depth at the proper level for the teeth. This guide is suggested for beginners and those inexperienced with hand sharpening. The guide will snap in place around the metal round file and sits atop the chain. It will prevent your hand from pushing down too hard, filing too deep on the chain. This is a good way to start practicing hand filing so you can get the rhythm of how the process works while preventing you from damaging chains.
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Flat File
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The guides in front of the cutting teeth, commonly referred to as rakers, help score the wood on the chain's first pass. Once the wood is scored, the chain's teeth can slice off the chunk of wood. This also measures the size of chip you will take out from the wood. A crosscut flat file about 10 inches or shorter will suffice for taking down the rakers. However, taking off too much of the rakers can create a dangerous situation as it will pull the operator towards the moving chain when it enters the wood.
Raker Depth Gauge
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As the blade gets shorter and shorter, the rakers will extend higher and higher above the teeth. When you need to flat file the rakers, experienced sawyers as well should use a gauge to measure the depth. Taking off too much can be dangerous; taking off too little will not give the chain enough of the bite needed to pull the chain through the wood. The raker gauge sits atop the raker and tooth, exposing just the amount of metal on the raker that needs filing.
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References
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