Can I Sharpen a Chain Saw

Bette from Tennessee asked us if we had any advice on sharpening a chain saw.  Brand and Beth looked at this during their days with Tools and Techniques on the DIY Network.  They found that most felt it was easier to just have it done professionally. 

These days, a lot of us find ourselves having to do things that we might have paid someone to do for us in easier years.  So, I did a little research - our mission, we'll spend the time and effort so you don't have to.  Did you know that there is actually a http://howtosharpenachainsaw.org ?  Gotta tell ya, this one was a surprise to me.  The article is pretty informative, but for me, refers to parts that they don't identify, so it's a little lacking in the H.O.W. way of doing things.  The best and most informative article that I found comes courtesy of Mother Earth News.  It was the first source that agreed with Beth on the importance of having the right file.  While reading instruction is helpful, I think that combining the guidance in the Mother Earth News article with watching this great video that I found on YouTube.  It's a bit long, but really good.

There are kits, guides and even a chain saw sharpening stone for a Dremel, so it's unlikely that you'll have what you need laying around in your garage.  The one thing that I thought would be the most useful is a chainsaw filing guide.  Once you've done this a few times, you probably don't need it, but until you get used to performing this task it seems like a good idea.  Most of these tools are less than $20, so it still represents a significant savings over having it done professionally.



A helpful hint from one the sources that I reviewed is to use a piece of chalk or crayon or something to mark the first tooth that you sharpen so that you know where to stop.  I want to give this a try myself, but if you get to it before me, let us know how it worked out!