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The cutting edges of chains of gasoline or electric saws become dull over time. A blunt saw loses performance and overloads the drive motor. Of course, you can contact a specialized service center that performs chain sharpening. But, I think, there are many people who want to try to do this with their own hands.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

Today I will tell you how to sharpen the cutting teeth of the saw chain yourself. To carry out this work, we do not need expensive specialized tools and special professional skills.

What do we need


The main tool that we will use is a file of circular cross section (not conical!). The diameter of the cross-section of the file should correspond to the diameter of the rounding of the cutting tooth of the chain. For sharpening most household saws, files with a diameter of 4.8 mm are suitable. Check this size with your saw and select the appropriate file.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

Often the teeth of chain saws are sharpened with a file manually. I propose to improve and accelerate this process, so we need a screwdriver or drill, preferably with adjustable speed.
Well, the “highlight” of my sharpening technology is a small bearing. It can be any - ball, roller, cylindrical, conical. The main thing is that it is convenient to hold it in your hand by the outer clip. I will explain his purpose below.

Tool preparation


First of all, remove the shank, that is, the part of the file that is included in the handle. You can do this on an emery or grinder, to whom it is more convenient. After that, insert the file into the drill or screwdriver chuck and clamp it.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

Next, we make a sleeve from wood, plastic or any other material that fits tightly on the free end of the file. The inner race of our bearing should sit tightly on the outer surface of the sleeve.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

This is done so that during operation it is possible to hold the tool with two hands - one by the handle of the drill, the second by the outer race of the bearing.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

Sharpening


We place the saw on a flat horizontal surface, but rather we clamp its tire in a vice, as I did. We will grind the teeth of the upper part of the chain, so the chain should move freely along the tire.
We mark the tooth with which we will begin grinding. This can be done with a marker or by sticking a piece of duct tape on it. So, we proceed to the main part of the work.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

We place the file in the rounding of the cutting edge of the tooth and orient it strictly in accordance with the required sharpening angle. This is the most important point. Sharpening should occur at an angle of 30 degrees to the chain bar. There are usually special risks on the outside of the chain teeth that show the correct angle. When performing work, the file should be kept parallel to the risk.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

So, having set the file in the required manner and holding our tool with both hands (as described above), turn on the drill and gently press the file to the sharpened tooth. It is enough to spend 1 - 2 seconds for each tooth. We pass in this way along the entire chain, gradually moving it along the bus.
Sharpening a chain of a chainsaw with a drill

That's all!

Warning


Once again, I want to remind you of the importance of maintaining the correct sharpening angle. During sharpening, the file should not “walk” in a horizontal or vertical plane.It was for this purpose that I adapted the bearing as a second support for the file.
Good luck to all!

Watch the video


Be sure to watch a detailed and visual video on sharpening.
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Comments (14)
  1. Guest Vitaliy
    #1 Guest Vitaliy Guests February 28, 2019 2:24 p.m.
    9
    Cool. I'll take a note
  2. Igor
    #2 Igor Guests February 28, 2019 4:00 p.m.
    0
    I’m still a natural girl, I’ll introduce you, thanks.
  3. Alexander Dyakov
    #3 Alexander Dyakov Guests February 28, 2019 16:01
    4
    Well, what do you say ...? - Well done! Using this adapt, you can more fully use the file resource.
    1. Guest Ivan
      #4 Guest Ivan Guests March 1, 2019 00:36
      1
      I started doing this after I broke the manual file for sharpening chain saws (the handle fell off). And thanks for the idea of ​​using a bearing.
  4. Guest Pavel
    #5 Guest Pavel Guests February 28, 2019 5:38 p.m.
    1
    More convenient than a grinder. Well done!
  5. Guest Andrey
    #6 Guest Andrey Guests February 28, 2019 19:03
    10
    I do not agree a bit. You need to sharpen in one go from the corner to the tooth exit. and a special plank is desirable. which withstands the geometry of the tooth. cool yes. but not more. with respect.
  6. Vasilich
    #7 Vasilich Guests March 1, 2019 09:01
    3
    Hello everyone, the bearing can be clamped in a die holder by unscrewing one handle, but this is not necessary.
  7. Vyacheslav Titov
    #8 Vyacheslav Titov Guests March 1, 2019 5:04 p.m.
    0
    Well done Amerikos, Russian thinking, 90 percent, so it’s been honed for 30 years, and maybe even more ... Well, well done anyway ...
  8. drone
    #9 drone Guests March 2, 2019 11:49 p.m.
    8
    everything is fine. but the file is only one way. it doesn’t sharpen again. the edges of the notches are licked only. and this file is only for straightening the chain with your hands.
  9. Guest Sergey
    #10 Guest Sergey Guests March 5, 2019 3:44 p.m.
    0
    I’ve been grinder for many years - no problem
  10. Guest Victor
    #11 Guest Victor Guests March 7, 2019 07:58 AM
    0
    For many years I’ve been doing so with a screwdriver for another I don’t see very convenient
  11. Semen
    #12 Semen Guests March 7, 2019 11:34
    0
    cool
  12. Guest alexey
    #13 Guest alexey Guests March 9, 2019 14:45
    0
    you can do the same little Bulgarian if you have the power in your hands gently and efficiently 3-4 sharpening the chain to eject, depending on what to cut trash or forest
  13. Ilya
    #14 Ilya Guests March 19, 2019 10:15
    0
    krasava, about the bearing I did not guess, thanks for the idea

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