These Home Depot Tools Can Sharpen Your Chainsaw

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A chainsaw is an incredibly powerful and versatile outdoor tool that's able to assist homeowners and professionals alike in accomplishing a variety of tasks. However, a dull chain can make even the easiest of jobs more challenging, cuts more dangerous, and result in additional operator fatigue. Now, depending on the size, a replacement chain could run you anywhere from just over $10 to $60 or more. However, instead of throwing out that dull chain, you could potentially save quite a bit of money by purchasing a sharpener instead.

Powercare, an exclusive brand owned by Home Depot, offers several products that allow you to sharpen a chainsaw, whether you want to use a manual method or an electric tool. Hand filing a chainsaw chain requires greater effort but is also more forgiving. An electric sharpener with stone bits works much faster, but you'll need to be cautious not to remove too much material from the chain's edges.

The Powercare Sharpening Field Kit, available for $19.97, features round files in 5/32-inch, 3/16-inch, and 7/32-inch sizes. This kit is just one example of Home Depot tools under $30 that are actually worth buying. It includes a large wooden handle, a guide for maintaining a proper angle while sharpening, and a flat file with a depth gauge tool to ensure uniformity among the teeth. Fortunately, it also comes with a nylon case to keep everything organized and a one-year warranty.

Alternatively, Home Depot also offers a corded Powercare 110-Volt Electric Chainsaw Chain Sharpener for $35. This tool includes sharpening stone bits in 5/32-inch, 3/16 inch, and 7/32-inch sizes, speed settings between 8,000 and 30,000 RPM and comes with an angle guide to help with sharpening technique. It works on a variety of different chains, including those with a 3/8-inch, .325-inch, and 3/8-inch pitch. You're also covered by a one-year warranty from any defects as a result of the manufacturing process. 

Lastly, whether you purchase the Powercare electric sharpening tool or already have another rotary tool model like a Dremel, Home Depot offers Powercare Replacement Stones. Each pack contains three stone bits in either the 5/32-inch or 7/32-inch sizes and comes with a limited one-year warranty.

Ideally, when you lower a running chainsaw into a piece of wood, it should pull itself into the material, requiring little effort from the operator. If you're suddenly having to put a significant amount of force downward on the saw in order for it to cut, the chain is dull. You should also pay attention to what's left behind after a cut, as in, what's the consistency of the material the chainsaw is leaving behind? For example, you should see the tool making chips of wood as it cuts. If you notice sawdust instead, the chain is far too dull and requires sharpening. Not only does using a dull chainsaw make the job harder, but it also puts additional and unnecessary strain on other components of the tool, like the bar and clutch.

How often you should sharpen your chainsaw chain depends on how much you're using it. Sharpening is far from the only issue you'll need to address during the life of your tool, but fortunately, there are plenty of chainsaw maintenance tips and tricks to make things easier. As a general rule, some experts suggest sharpening the chain every five to ten hours of operation, and point out it takes much less work and time to file those edges just as they start to lose their sharpness, versus waiting until the chain is completely dull.