Tuning up that chainsaw for a season of woodcutting takes only a few minutes. Performing chainsaw maintenance can save you a lot of down time in the field and make your cutting more productive. By following a few simple steps at the home shop, you can make chainsaw maintenance an easy task.
Instructions
1. Remove the blade chain and bar from the saw. Thoroughly clean the clutch area and the protective cover from oil and sawdust with the paintbrush.
2. Remove the spark plug with the bar chain wrench that came with the chainsaw. Replace the spark plug on the chainsaw with a new one. Be careful to clean the area first with the paintbrush so no debris falls into the combustion chamber
3. File down all raised edges on the chain bar itself with the flat mill file. This will take a few minutes, but the result in cutting will be amazing. The chain bar will always have raised edges on it from the running of the chain in the grooves of the bar. Filing down the raised edges will guarantee a smooth cut into the log.
4. Sharpen the old chain or always keep a new replacement chain blade on hand. Use the round chain blade file and give each tooth a good going over. Be sure to follow the proper angle set for the blade. Also, be sure to take equal strokes for each blade tooth as you can cause the saw to cut at an angle by taking too much from one side of the blade.
5. Reassemble the saw and pay particular attention so all surfaces mate correctly and the blade is properly tensioned. A properly tensioned blade should not be easily pulled from the chain bar and the chain should still be free to move around the bar.
