The power behind a chainsaw provides almost everything you need to guide and control your cut, with very little effort on your part other than keeping it steady and providing enough pressure for the chain to its job. When you feel as if your cuts are taking much longer than they should, or you find yourself exerting much more force behind the chain than what you consider normal, you may want to look into why your chainsaw is not cutting in the manner it is designed to. If your chain is spinning, but not cutting, or the chainsaw is not cutting straight, then you need to address the chain itself- as I will explain in more detail below.
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Beyond incorrectly sharpening your chain, the next issue on your “Why is my chainsaw not cutting” checklist is chain tension. Chain tension can definitely stall your chainsaw’s ability to cut correctly, even with a sharp chain. No matter how precise your chain tension is or how sharp the cutting teeth are, if your chainsaw’s chain isn’t mounted correctly, it isn’t going to cut anything. If you look at your chainsaw chain from above, you will see that the top of the chain has different blades, with sharp edges on one side and dull on the other. If your chain is moving in the right direction, all cutting teeth are correctly filed, the tension is set, and you still aren’t able to cut butter with your chainsaw, keep going! If there is no need to replace the bar on your chainsaw and you feel confident in your cutting teeth sharpening skills, chain placement, and chain tension, you need to keep reading! If you’ve ticked off every box on the checklist of “Why won’t my chainsaw cut, even with a sharpened chain,” and you’re still at the end of your rope, it may just be time for a complete chain replacement.
The common chainsaw includes a body, a 2-cycle engine, a gas tank, handles, a guide bar, a clutch and chain that fit around the bar. As the chainsaw is running the chain or teeth rotates around the guide bar at high speed, which permits the teeth to cut through wood. If the chain is too tight or loose, adjust it by loosening the nuts that hold the bar in place, then tighten or loosen the bar’s adjustment screw as necessary and then re-tighten the guide bar nuts.
why is my chainsaw not cutting well Related Question:
Why does my chainsaw bog down when cutting?
The reason for that may be you’re using the saw at altitude or the carburetor adjustment has simply slipped. The saw also won’t operate well at speed if the air filter or spark arrestor or carburetor are dirty.
Why does my chainsaw chain dull so quickly?
Dirt Causes A Chainsaw To Dull If you’re cutting through logs and your angle of approach is too steep, a simple cut through could nick dirt or even worse, rocks on the floor causing your chainsaw to jerk, thus dulling.
Why is my chainsaw burning the wood?
Your chainsaw burns wood because of poor lubrication Lubrication allows the mechanical parts to coordinate much better by avoiding a phenomenon of friction which risks causing traces of burns. This is one of the main reasons that your appliance gives off too much heat and that the wood burns.
Why does my chainsaw bog down at full throttle?
If your chainsaw is bogging down when you give it throttle, this is often a sign of improper gas-to-oil ratio. If there is too much gasoline in relation to the amount of oil used, this is known as a “rich mixture” and can cause the chainsaw to run poorly.
Why does my Stihl chainsaw dies when I give it gas?
An engine stalls when it’s getting too much or not enough fuel from the carburetor. Stihl chainsaw carburetors usually have three adjustment screws: one each for idle, low speed and high speed. If the saw stalls while it’s idling, adjusting the idle screw, which usually is marked LA, should help.
Why does my chainsaw rev too high?
The throttle valve (butterfly) simply cuts off the supply of combustible air/fuel and the engine stops. If this adjustment is set too high, the high idle speed will cause the centrifugal clutch to engage and the chain will run. This is a dangerous condition and should never be allowed.
How often should you flip the bar on your chainsaw?
Some professional loggers would advocate that you should flip your chainsaw bar at the end of every use, particularly when you are cleaning up. Others suggest a more relaxed approach advising that you flip the chainsaw bar only when you are changing your chainsaw blade.
How long should chainsaw blades last?
The lifetime of a chainsaw chain has no fixed limit and depends on usage and maintenance. The chain should last many years; 5-6 years should be no problem. However, if the chainsaw chain is used properly and taken care of, it can last way longer.
Is it worth sharpening a chainsaw?
Sharpening your chainsaw chain is definitely worth it as a sharp chainsaw chain is easier to work with. It takes less effort to cut through wood and your chain will make cleaner cuts with sharp blades. A chainsaw chain can be sharpened multiple times without much of a cost.
How do you fix a chainsaw that will not cut?
Common solutions for: Chainsaw not cutting The most common cause of a chainsaw that won’t cut properly is a dull cutting chain. Try sharpening or replacing the chain. The chain may not have the proper amount of tension. If the adjustment screw is too loose, the chain may not make good contact with the wood.
Why is my chainsaw chain not tightening?
If you’re having trouble tightening the chainsaw chain, it may be adjusted properly already. Check the tension on the chain by grasping it in the middle of the top of the guide bar and giving it a quick snap. The chain should quickly snap back into place with no sagging on the underside of the guide bar.
Why is my chainsaw blade smoking?
This most commonly is a result of a dull chain and exerting to much pressure on the bar and chain trying to make the chain saw cut. This could also be either a lack of bar and chain oil ( tank empty, restricted oiler hole ) or an inferior type of oil that is being slung off the chain and not lubricating.
Can you over tighten a chainsaw chain?
There is a tension screw located near the base of the bar on the chainsaw. To tighten the chain, turn it clockwise, and to loosen turn it counterclockwise. Don’t over-tighten the chain as this could cause it to break.
Which way should chainsaw teeth face?
The direction of the chainsaw blade is always the same regardless of the type or model of chainsaw. So the sharp edges of the blade should always face the clockwise direction. If you check from the top, you will notice that the sharp edges are facing the direction opposite the chainsaw body or motor.
Which way should a chain be on a chainsaw?
The correct direction for a blade to face is with the pointy edge of the blade teeth facing toward the way the blade rotates. Essentially, you want the pointy edges of the blades rotating on top of the chain bar, moving toward the tip of the bar, and away from the body of the machine.