A chainsaw is a great power cutting tool that works with a metal bar to cut materials. Nowadays, finding the right chainsaw to suit your job requirements is not a difficult task. If you follow some professional advice, you can easily get it in your hand.
But the problem is that a top-notch chainsaw must have a tightened chain adjusting the tension properly. In fact, a perfect chain should not be too loose, not too tight, when installing it on the guide bar. If anyone fails to tighten the chain with the tension perfectly, the power tool will kick back, make crooked cuts, or even sometimes, it will break the guide bar accidentally.
This horrible experience seems like a great danger for a woodworker. So, as a user, everyone should know the perfect steps to tighten a chainsaw with proper details. Now, the question comes: who will tell you how tight a chainsaw chain should be?
Don’t worry. We will help you to come out of this problem through this article. Just keep your eyes on here, and let’s start discussing them one by one.
How Tight Should A Chainsaw Chain Be?
Whether you are a professional or unprofessional, you must install your favorite chainsaw components well to remove the tension of unexpected events. Remember, installing the chain with the tension will help you to extend the longevity of your favorite chainsaw, and it will also make a great result at every use.
Furthermore, an ideally installed chainsaw chain will ensure great performance and protect you from serious injury. Indeed, a suitably tensioned chainsaw chain should always stay in the “Snap Tight” position. In fact, the snap tight position means that a perfect tension chainsaw chain will fit just a little loosely on the guide bar so that it can rotate freely throughout the guide bar during the operation period.
But remember, the drive links should not get too loose to detach from the guide bar. Actually, the sharp drive links block will stick on every point of the guide bar, and depending on it, those drive links will functionalize the chain of your chainsaw. So, it is really important to check every drive links before you get into the main action.
We want to show you some unexpected dangers of not tightening the chainsaw chain according to the guidelines:
- If you don't follow the right ways to tighten a chainsaw chain, it will demand a heavy workforce during the job. Certainly, this heavy pressure will soon bend the guide bar.
- Sometimes, unfit chainsaw chains unexpectedly derail from the main path of the guide bar, and that brings about severe accidents to your work and harms your body as well.
- Remember, a too tight chainsaw is always dangerous when cutting wood. It can not go through the exact position where you want to cut. As a result, the precious materials get wasted, and you reach high temperatures as well.
- Professionals always suggest installing a chain correctly to the guide bar. Because they know, it maintains the functionality of the tool ideally, and of course, they also keep the temperature cool so that you won’t face any flame of fires or burnt smell during the working time.
Two Simple Steps To Test The Tension Of Your Chain
Before you start tightening the chainsaw chain, you must check if the tension of your chain is capable of going through the deep process ideally or not. This test is really important to reveal the real scenario of the chain’s strength, and it will also ensure the balance limitation during the heavy adjusting period. So, keep your eyes on here, and let’s start the process.
The following checking task can be done in two simple ways. So, you can follow any of them to complete the process.
Step 1: The Snap Test
To check chain tension, the snap test is really simple and effective. Here you have to pull the chain away from the bar softly. Do not release the chain until you reach the farthest position.
Once you reach the exact position, release it straight to the anti clockwise position. If you see the chain goes back to the tension in the proper place, that means the tension of the chain is in good condition.
When doing this test, if you feel that the chain is getting stuck in some phrases, it means that the tension is installed in a too tight position. On the other hand, if you notice that the chain is coming out too quickly and taking longer than necessary to return to the correct position, it means that it is too loose.
Step 2: The Pull Test
Though the snap test is easy and non-professional workers find it a great option as well. But professional people always prefer the pull test option. The pull test offers a more effective result compared to the snap tent option.
Before you start diving into the core test, we request you to wear safety gloves to be safe from the sharp edges of the chain. This test is integrated directly with Sharp Drive links which is why security is essential to do so.
In the first step, put your thumb and index finger grip on the chain. Try to stretch the chain away as much as you can. When you feel that you have reached a position higher than the guide bars, now check the inner parts accordingly. While doing it, an ideal bar groove will never release the drive links quickly, and once you leave your finger grip on the chain, it will definitely set back in the same position.
5 Easy Steps to Tighten A Chainsaw Chain
After looking at all the important steps, you have now landed on the main topic, where you will know the answer to how tight should a chainsaw chain be. We have shared the entire process simply by dividing it into five steps. Keep your concentration here deeply so that you won’t miss any important part.
#Step No: 1- Find Out The Chain Tensioning Adjusting Nuts
For user safety, every power tool company puts chain tensioning adjusting nuts in the middle of the chainsaw. This actually tightly protects the whole chainsaw bar in a perfect layout. They are alternatively known as protective nuts.
Generally, the mentioned adjustment nuts look closer to the flathead nuts. So, you can find them easily if you look at the middle part of the handle area. Though some companies put two to three adjusting tension nuts in a row, as a user, make sure you detect them individually. These tension nuts are an important part of your chainsaw, and you need to tighten or loosen them when adjusting your chainsaw chain.
#Step No: 2- Loosen The Adjusting Nuts
After detecting those nuts, now the adjustment part has arrived. When you try to adjust the tension hook, you will require a screw and a wrench. After choosing one of those tools, now your duty is to loosen the nuts firmly.
Remember, these adjusting nuts usually get connected to the bar beneath, so you should totally take them out from the position. Instead, loosen them a little bit so that you can continue your work for the next process. Once you complete the task, you can move on to the next step.
#Step No: 3- Take a Use Screwdriver To Adjust The Chain
After loosening the adjusting nut, now, you need to focus on tightening the chainsaw chain mechanism. This task is easy, and you can do that with the help of a scrench based screwdriver. Try to put the scrench directly to the flathead of the tensioning pin and start swinging it to the dextral (clockwise) side.
We know you are assuming that the chain is getting tighter through this process, but it’s not true at all. This adjusting step actually drives the chain bar to get released for the adjustment. Gradually doing it, the chain will loosen as well.
Usually, we waste a lot of time when tightening the chainsaw chain if we completely disperse all the components of the chainsaw. This is why this step looks very effective and saves valuable time during the work session. A simple adjusting tool like a screwdriver will help you to solve the problem very quickly.
#Step No: 4- Time To Check The Chain
In the fourth stage, you will get to know how tight should a chainsaw chain be. As we all know, the common chainsaw doesn’t offer any gauge indicator where you can easily know the proper tensioning rate. But you can do the task if you know a simple trick.
While adjusting the tension pin to the dextral (clockwise) side, you should pull the chain upside down. Do not stop pulling the chain until you notice a solid gap between the bar groove and the drive links. Remember, tight drive links will solidly bite the guide bar tightly, and you will feel a little pain to change the position of the links. But if you feel heavy pain while pulling it out, it means the chain is too tight to adjust. So, loosen your nuts so that the compressed links get loosened a little bit.
On the other hand, if you don't feel any pressure when pulling the chain and it comes faster than expected, it means you need to tighten the nuts along with the chain. Now, turn the tension pin to the upright side so that the chain is slightly tight against the bar.
#Step No: 5- Set Back The Adjusting Nuts and Finish The Job
After completing the main tightening process, you should now put on the adjusting nuts one after another. This step is easy too. Just use your adjust tool and set the chainsaw in the assembling position.
When you've completed all the steps one by one, your chainsaw is ready to dive into the main cuts. Follow all the safety precautions of using a chainsaw so that you can get a satisfying experience at last.
Frequently Asked Questions and Expert Answers
Answer: Actually, the feel of tightening the chain of your chainsaw depends on your understanding sense and skills as well. For example, when you tighten the tension pin and pull the chain together, your chainsaw will definitely become tighter by following your expectations.
When you work daily, you will know how to tighten the tension chain of the chainsaw perfectly. This understanding comes only from experience, not from possessing theoretical knowledge from any source. So, keep this in mind, and enjoy your work.
Answer: When you work with your favorite chainsaw all day, of course, it will quickly lose its cutting performance. During that time, you need to go for maintenance of the tool 3-4 times. There you should tighten the chain of your chainsaw, sharpen the chain, or even sometimes, you have to replace some components in need.
So, it is clear that the chainsaw chain temper depends a lot on its usage. The harder you apply it to your wood cutting, the more maintenance it will demand. Remember, maintaining the chain of your chainsaw will help you to get a smooth and effective work experience all the time.
Answer: Every job will seem risky to you if you don't follow the safety precautions carefully. Always maintaining proper security for you and your daily power tool also ensures a hassle-free work experience. While working with heavy power tools like a sharp chainsaw, you must keep some safety equipment inside your bag.
Those safety equipment are like a dust mask, ear protection, a safety hat, construction goggles, a safety face shield, etc. Normally, cutting jobs create a lot of unhealthy sawdust around your workspace, so if you put on a dust mask, you can stay safe from allergen issues.
Answer: Once you perfectly tighten your chainsaw, you can start your cutting project immediately. But after a long time, unusual sawdust and waste oil will mix around the chainsaw and demand cleaning from the user.
At that time, you can use a clean cotton cloth to clear all the junk from the chain and make sure you take off all the remaining waste oil from the fuel storage outside. Sometimes, you may counter with tough oil jam, and that won’t get removed by normal wipes. During the situation, you should use stain remover spirit throughout the engine and chain parts.
Answer: A regular woodworker has to tighten 3-4 times a chainsaw in his daily work. If he does not do so, he knows he will face many difficulties in his work. Like if you do not install the tension while tightening, it will create a jam between the guide bar and the chain of your chainsaw. Tightening a chainsaw properly requires a steady temperature.
For example, the mechanism gets frozen quickly during the winter season, and you can not retain it through the regular steps. At that time, you have to take it to the warm area and then start tightening it accordingly.
Final Overview
Tightening or loosening a chainsaw in a professional manner always brings a smooth and efficient experience to everyday cutting projects. Moreover, getting a better experience in your work means you can upgrade your cutting skills day by day.
In this article, we just showed all the easy and professional steps of how tight should a chainsaw chain be. We believe that if you follow them accordingly, you will get effective results in your hand soon. Remember, tightening the chain of your chainsaw will increase the cutting capability at every angle. So, if you create a daily chain tightening routine before your work, you can expect special output at the end of the day.
No more today. Keep writing to us soon about your chain tightening experience in our comments section. We would love to reply to them soon. Till then, stay happy and work hard.
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