How To Sharpen A Chainsaw With A Dremel

If your chainsaw is ageing and getting gradually getting blunt from constant use, and you’re trying (with little success) to keep it sharp, then you’re not alone. There are so many people who have the same experience as you.

Even I have been in that same boat not so long ago until I picked up a few tricks and that included how to sharpen a chainsaw with a Dremel.

You need to explore this article so that can fully understand some tips that are required in sharpening a chainsaw. Of course, you’ll need this information if you’re the type that loves getting your hands dirty and doing all your wood cutting chores yourself.

Good thing we’ve evolved from relying on the much taxing use of axes for such jobs. So if you want to know how to sharpen your chainsaw with a Dremel, read this article to the end.

Dremel 8220 Cordless Rotary Tool 12 V, Multi Tool...
  • CORDLESS: The cordless 8220 multitool packs a powerful 12V lithium-ion battery and variable...
  • SOFT GRIP: The soft grip helps reduce vibration giving you a good grip, better manoeuvrability...
  • EZ TWIST: With the EZ-Twist Nose Cap there is no need for a separate wrench making it easy to...

Making The Preparations

When sharpening your chainsaw, there a couple of things you’d need. You will need a newspaper, lubricant oil, a Dremel that has a diamond grind attached to it, safety goggles, and lastly, a pair of work gloves.

Your next step is deciding where you want to carry out your operation. You need an area that is open that you won’t have to bother about it getting messy. Alternatively, you can use your garage as the spot. This is because there’s a lesser chance of your getting disturbed and there will room enough to sharpen your chainsaw.

Once you have determined or decided on a location, next, you have to take safety into account. Make sure to wear your protective gear, such as safety gloves to shield your hands from cuts, and safety goggles to protect your eyes from any particles that might be put in motion.

 

 

How To Sharpen A Chainsaw With A Dremel

As a house owner with a chainsaw, one of the most useful things you’d learn is how to sharpen a chainsaw with a Dremel. Dremels help in getting blades sharp and almost as good as new. A Dremel comes with different parts so you will have to assemble the parts yourself before you can work with it.

It will come with an instruction manual so you’ll know exactly how to put the components together.

Once you have gone through the manual and have fixed all the components together using screws, the next step is to put them together with the Dremel drill. Depending on the type of chainsaw you have, you have to use the right side of the guide tool, and make sure it’s parallel to the Dremel’s metal piece.

If this is not done, the angle will be all wrong.

Now that you’ve gotten your Dremel machine completely set, ensure your chainsaw’s brakes are on in order for the chainsaw chain to tighten itself. Then as a means of identifying your starting point, put tape or something conspicuous on one of the blades. The guide tool should then be placed in between each blade and the drill can begin sharpening the hooks.

Once the blade’s metal surface appears shiny, move to the next blade and repeat the process.

At the end of the top of the chain, remove the brakes and push the chain forward to bring out the rest of the blade for sharpening. Repeat the previous process with these blades too. Sometimes, you’ll notice that sparks will fly but that is not and should not be a problem as it usually happens when metal is being sharpened.

 

how to sharpen a chainsaw with a dremel

 

Another point to note is that, while the drill is running, you should move it around from top to bottom as well as back and forth. This is to ensure that you are sharpening every part of the metal and just only the sides.

Once you are done with that whole cycle, you should turn the blade around and get the hooks located on the other side of the blade sharpened as well. Do not run the Dremel for a long time each time, if not you risk oversharpening the blades which could be bad for your chainsaw.

Dremel 8220 Cordless Rotary Tool 12 V, Multi Tool...
  • CORDLESS: The cordless 8220 multitool packs a powerful 12V lithium-ion battery and variable...
  • SOFT GRIP: The soft grip helps reduce vibration giving you a good grip, better manoeuvrability...
  • EZ TWIST: With the EZ-Twist Nose Cap there is no need for a separate wrench making it easy to...

Also, if you have a chainsaw that is not compatible with my the guide tool you have, you can manually sharpen the blades with the guide tool by taking put its metal bar.

What Is The Best Tool For Sharpening A Chainsaw?

The best tool for sharpening a chainsaw is an electric sharpener. The first reason is that it is far safer to use than a Dremel. Second, compared to the Dremel, an electric sharpener is pretty fast. You can get a lot done in a minute, even sharpen up to 50% of the whole blade. For a Dremel, you’ll have to keep rotating the blade if not you’ll miss a lot of spots.

Final Thoughts on How To Sharpen A Chainsaw With A Dremel

There are a variety of tools one can use to sharpen a chainsaw. Sometimes, you’ll need to remove the blade altogether where it has to be wiped completely with oil before sharpening to ensure that blade stays sharp for a long time.

Learning how to sharpen a chainsaw with a Dremel is not the easiest as there are other ways to sharpen your chainsaw faster and more efficiently.

Last update on 2024-03-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API