A sharp chainsaw makes light work of many tasks. From felling trees to pruning the fruit trees over the winter, it’s essential to make sure your battery chainsaw is sharp before carrying out what you have planned.
It’s not hard to sharpen your cordless chainsaw, in fact it’s relatively straightforward so long as you know how. We show you the steps involved and the tools you need so you can sharpen your chainsaw safely and with little fuss.
What tools you need
To sharpen your battery chainsaw you only need a few tools:
- A vice or clamp
- A round file that fits the diameter of the chainsaw’s teeth
- File gauge
- A flat-head screwdriver that fits the chain tensioner (optional - every EGO cordless chainsaw has a Quick Chain-tension Adjust Knob instead)
Sharpening your battery chainsaw
Preparation
Before you sharpen the teeth of your battery powered chainsaw, preparation is everything. Make sure you have the tools listed above to hand and prepare your cordless chainsaw for sharpening:
- Remove the battery of your battery chainsaw. All EGO batteries are easily removable, simply press the battery-release button and pull out the battery.
- Place the cordless chainsaw on a flat surface and clamp the bar of the chainsaw with a vice so it cannot move about when you are sharpening the teeth.
- Using a flat-head screwdriver, insert it into the chain tensioner and turn it clockwise and tighten the chain. With EGO chainsaws, you can tighten the chain easily and without a tool. Just turn the quick chain tension adjust knob clockwise (see diagram below, labelled number 17). You want it so the chain is tight but slack enough so you can rotate it around the blade by hand.
Step-by-step: sharpening the chainsaw teeth
You should start sharpening the cutters that are facing away from you and mark the first tooth so you know where you started. You are now ready to start sharpening.
1. Placing the file in the cutter groove
Take your round file and place the tip of it in the groove that’s on the front of the cutter. Your file should be the same diameter as the groove in your battery chainsaw’s teeth.
You can find the size that’s correct for your battery powered chainsaw by looking in the manual or contacting your chainsaw provider. All EGO chainsaws have the file size listed under the product specifications on the chainsaw product pages.
2. Get the angle right
Using the file gauge, adjust the angle of the file so it is at the correct angle to sharpen the cordless chainsaw. The angle to file each cutter is usually between 25° and 35°. This depends on the type of wood you are planning to cut. Softwoods require a sharpening angle closer to 25°, whereas hardwoods require a sharpening angle closer to 35°.
3. Sharpening technique
With the file in the groove of the cutter, press firmly shown and in one fluid motion, push the file forward so the length of it scrapes across the surface and then lift it from the tooth.
Repeat this process until the cutting edge is sharp, making sure to only push the file in the same direction each time.
You can tell if the cutter is sharp if you can see a shiny metal surface. If you’re still unsure, you can feel the edge of the cutter for a tiny burr, indicating the tooth is sharp. Just make sure to file the burr off if you feel one.
4. Sharpen every other tooth
After sharpening the first tooth, sharpen every second one. This is because the cutting teeth on chainsaws alternate in opposite directions one after the other.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 and slacken the chain
Once you have sharpened all the teeth on one side, release the clamp or vice from the bar. Turn your cordless chainsaw so it’s facing in the opposite direction, secure it, and repeat the above steps on the teeth you haven’t sharpened yet.
Once you have sharpened all the teeth, slacken the chain again slightly by turning the adjuster function anticlockwise.
An EGO battery powered chainsaw for every need
EGO has a good selection of battery chainsaws, some are ideal for small garden owners, needing to prune the odd fruit tree here and there, and others are optimal for arborists and tree surgeons.
- EGO CS1610E - With a 40cm bar, weighing under 4kg (without the battery) and 20m/s chain speed, this EGO battery powered chainsaw is perfect for any garden owner who needs to carry out some small tree pruning
- EGO CS1800E - Equipped with a 45cm bar, weighing 4.4kg (without the battery) and a robust design, this battery chainsaw is optimal for any landscaping professional that needs to carry out some large garden maintenance tasks
- EGO CSX3000 - Weighing 3.5kg (without the battery), equipped with a 30cm bar and a super-tough design, this EGO cordless chainsaw delivers a powerful punch - it’s ideal for any tree surgeon looking for a lightweight but powerful tool
All EGO Power+, Professional and Professional-X chainsaws come with exceptional warranty. Each battery chainsaw comes with 5 years warranty for domestic use and 3 years for professional use.
There’s more too. Each cordless chainsaw has the capacity to fit any size EGO battery for convenience. No matter what job you’re undertaking, it’s good to have another battery as a backup just in case. Browse our battery range here to see the best one for your needs.