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Hi guys, i've been working for this ground works company for few months now and they've scored a job for the local council cutting trees back from the road side for the next 2-3 months, and i'm the only one with a chainsaw cert. Anyways i'm after some tips for getting the chain consistantly sharp? I've always bloody struggled getting it how I want it. I know it should be simple, follow the line on top of the cutters, I try my hardest but can never get it sharp sharp. My friends who have work with chainsaws daily said I should try get used to sharpening without any file guide as you can get it just as sharfp without one. Does it sound weird that it seems alot better when i use the pushing chain and it seems to cut alot easier? When I cut I do have long shavings flying out and then when I cut at an angle, like when you want to put a gob in it flys dust,then when chipping into logs seems sharp again, is it a possibility that I have sharpened some teeth really well and others not so good? Well this is the second week on this job so I still have 6-8 weeks to get it right, is it just a matter of practice? They look sharp, feel sharp and I can see the shiny chrome after sharpening but just doesn't feel great all the time. Any advice would be great. Thanks guys.

That the one, practice, practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more.

You always get dust when making the angeled cut for the gob, as you are not cross cutting.

If you ever question yourself whether the chain is sharp or not..... then it's dull.

I sharp chain is a thing of wonder! Look through the net for tips. The shape of the tooth is important. Madsens have some good info here Guide Bar & Saw Chain Menu

Understand how the chain works and it will help you get it sharp.

im probably stating the obvious, but are you filing your rakers as well as the teeth,are you checking that the bar is nor burred?

Hi Thanks for the replies. Yep I've done the rakers aswell, after every 3 sharpening roughly. Or when needed. Is it a good idea to get the chain restored by a proffesional every few weeks or is this a waste of time? I really just wanna be able to get it sharp with just a file on my own. Sounds like just a case of practice. Also if a couple of teeth are not the sime size in length do ineed to get them all to the same size as the smallest tooth? cheers again.

thats the one

If the chain has got just one short tooth (if you mullered one when hitting something) then i would not file the whiole chain down but yes, in general, all teeth should be the same length. All teeth and both sides need to be filed at the correct angle - use the mark on top of the tooth as a guide. Make sure you are not filing to low or high - the side of the teeth need to be half of a smily (). If too low, you will get to much curl at the top of the tooth. If you file to high when there won't be a curl at all - both mistakes will seriously affect the cutting efficiency. If you get a saw that cuts like a bananna then it's most likely that the chain hasn't been filed the same on both sides or rakers are not the same size for each side.

as wolfman said, you need to get the curl right....if you are cutting betting with the push chain it seems likely you are doing one side better than the other.

keep your teeth the same size. pick your bluntest tooth first, sharpen that and count how many strokes you do...then give all the other teeth the same amount.

flip the bar over and see if that improves the pushing vs pulling arguement. You could have a bar in need of some TLC

Also, if the chain has come into prolonged contact with an abrasive surface, such as tarmac, stone etc etc then you may have lost the chrome plating on the top-plate surface. If this has happened, you can sharpen it as much as you like, but it won't stay sharp.