Chainsaw care tips

At one point this afternoon my chainsaw totally lost its bite. The chain was dull and not lubricated properly which caused it to heat. I took it to a service shop for quick sharpening. Here's what the service guy told me about taking proper care of this handsome tool.

Lubricate. Check and add lubricant more frequently than you add fuel. This means very, very often. Ideally, the lube compartment should never be found empty. Then, make sure lubricant is actually injected onto the chain. This can be checked as follows: start the saw and hold it with the tip of the blade pointing sligtly down over any surface on which you will be able to see dripping oil, e.g. low over bare ground. Press and hold down the trigger - make sure the chain is rotating at high speed. Almost immediately, a short line should appear on that surface, formed by the lubricant dripping from the rotating chain. If no such line appears, your chain is too dry.

To see why, check the screw which controls the amount of lubricant applied to the chain. Unscrew it and remove completely, than start the saw. After a brief while, you should see a drop of lubricant oozing from the opening where the screw used to be. This is good, it means the lubricant is being transferred from its compartment to the chain. Simply put the screw back in its place and regulate. If you leave it too loose, too much lubricant will be released. Screw it in a bit but not so far as to suppress lubrication.

Bad news is when no drop appears. This means lubricant is not being transferred towards the chain. You (or preferably the service guy) need to look under the saw's cover and see if the parts responsible for lube injection are all right. The most common find is a broken lube pump, or, in older models, which are not equipped with a lube pump but instead use subpressure lube injection, the rubber part which injects lube (or conducts it, I didn't quite get it) is found dried out and hardened and needs to be replaced. Fixing the lube pump is costly, the rubber thing comes quite cheaply.

Sharpen. The chain needs to be sharpened every fourth time you add fuel. This means very often. Use a proper file, which should come with your saw, and gently file the edge of each tooth on the underside (not the top side!) three times only, horizontally, in the direction away from you. From time to time let the service guy professionally sharpen the chain for you, so that the teeth wear evenly.

Important note: make sure not to put the chain on the blade backwards (i.e. with cutting edges facing backwards). You will seriously damage the saw if you attempt to cut with the dull side of the teeth.


I love the feeling of a sharp chain biting into wood, folks. All you need to do is hold the saw and gently guide it. This tool is currently my favorite toy.