How To Keep Your Ryobi Chainsaw Razor Sharp

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Ryobi chainsaws aren't the most powerful in the world — that title goes to the Stihl MS 881 Magnum. However, Ryobi still makes some of the best chainsaws on the market, and even its electric models are powerful enough for some pretty hefty woodcutting. Of course, with great power comes great risk of wearing down chainsaw blades. Whether you have an electric or a gas-powered Ryobi chainsaw, you should know how to keep it sharp. Doing so takes three steps: preventing dulling, identifying when the chain is blunt, and resharpening the blades.

To avoid dulling your blade, prevention is the best medicine. One of the most common offenses is cutting through a log or branch lying on the ground and hitting the soil underneath. Besides being dangerous, this exposes the chain blades to mineral matter, i.e., pebbles and rocks, that will wear them down very quickly. In fact, some experts maintain that even hitting the ground once with a chainsaw blade necessitates a resharpening. The next worst thing you can do is cut wood that's too hard for your particular model. Hardwoods can dull a chainsaw more quickly than softwoods, but higher-end chainsaws, such as the Ryobi 40V 20-inch, will maintain their sharpness for a longer time compared to models meant for cutting thin limbs, such as the Ryobi ONE+ 18V.

The best way to tell when your chainsaw is due for a resharpening is to inspect the wood chips. A sharp blade will produce lengthy slices of wood, while a dull blade will produce sawdust. Your shoulder will also give you signs. When your chainsaw requires excessive pressure to make a cut or vibrates, it's time to get out the sharpening files.

Complaints of frequent resharpening are common for Ryobi chainsaws, but all chainsaws require resharpening eventually, regardless of the brand. Professionals often sharpen their blades multiple times a day. You could take your Ryobi chainsaw to a specialist for a professional resharpening, but it's more practical (and cheaper) to learn how to sharpen a chainsaw by yourself.

You first need to acquire the right tools, such as those included in the PowerCare Field Sharpening kit. These include a round file, a flat file, a file guide, and a depth gauge guide. To start, clamp the chainsaw upright and release the chain brake. Then, secure the round file onto the file guide. Mark the first cutter you want to sharpen with a marker, place the file guide over it, and align the blade with the corresponding angle marker. Next, apply light pressure and push the file guide horizontally forward three or four times. Repeat this for each link; the mark you put on the first one will let you know when you've completed the entire chain.

About every seven times you sharpen the cutters, you may also need to file down the depth gauges to lower their height. Depth gauges are the shark-fin-shaped parts that are found in front of the cutters on each link. Lay the depth gauge guide over the chain with the hole above the depth gauge. If the depth gauge is sticking out, that means that it's too high. Use the flat file to remove the excess. For visual learners, Ryobi offers video instructions for the entire resharpening process on YouTube. It can take some time and practice, but keeping your Ryobi chainsaw sharp is worth it for the sake of the machine and your shoulder.