How to Sharpen Your Chainsaw While in The Field

Polaris RANGER partnered with Outdoor Life to bring you the story of the world-record Brewster Buck.

Every chainsaw needs sharpening eventually. You can tell a saw is dull when the sawdust gets fine. Here's how to sharpen your saw in the field. The chain will have both left-hand and right-hand cutters. They'll be joined by a single link with no cutters. It's usually, painted for reference. Sharpen each cutter on each side, one at a time. The cutters are single-bevel. Use a round file to sharpen them by hand. A few strokes, enough to get them shiny, is plenty. If you have a power source, a rotary tool with a sharpening bit is even faster. Once you've sharpened one side, turn the saw around, find the painted link, and sharpen the other side. A sharpened chain will be easier and safer to user, and the dust will look more like small wood chips.