Chainsaws, while they look and sound cool they’re not to be toyed with. They are tools that are meant to be used judiciously and can be very dangerous if not used or maintained correctly.
According to the CDC, 36,000 people are treated for chainsaw-related injuries every year. This statistic isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to make sure you have a healthy amount of respect for chainsaws. Plus make sure you’re using them correctly and giving them proper maintenance.
If you’ve recently repaired or replaced the chain of a chainsaw, it’s important to make sure you know you’ve got the right chainsaw chain direction once you’ve put it back on. Otherwise, you’re not going to get that cord of wood prepared easily.
How To Make Sure You’ve Got the Right Chainsaw Chain Direction
Making sure your chainsaw chain direction is correct is important to both the function of the chainsaw and your safety. An incorrectly chained chainsaw is a lot like cutting with a dull chef’s knife. It’s less efficient and the lack of a sharp edge actually makes it more dangerous to use. Here are the steps to make sure it’s installed the correct way.
1. Check the Top of the Chainsaw
The blades of a chainsaw sit atop the chain. They have a dull edge and a sharp edge, like a knife. The chain of a chainsaw always rotates in a clockwise direction, regardless of type. So you need to make sure the sharp edges of your blades are also facing that direction. They should be pointing away from the motor or body of the chainsaw when on the top side of the chainsaw.
Also, note that in the example Husqvarna chain above a direction of travel is embossed into the chain links. This may be all you need.
Ensuring the correct direction is also nicely demonstrated in the short video below. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to tension the chain before fixing the motor cover on.
2. Check the Bottom of the Chainsaw
A chainsaw’s motor moves the chain in a circular motion, feeding back into the body of the saw. So while the teeth should be facing away from the body at the top of the chain’s rotation, they should be facing towards the body at the bottom of the rotation. If this isn’t the case, the chain has not been installed properly.
3. Check the drive link points forward
The drive links are on the inside of the chain. These sit in the groove of the chain bar and are pulled in a clockwise direction by the sprocket. The drive links should face forward on the top side of the chain. Just like the sharp edge of the cutting blades in the diagram above.
4. Troubleshoot
After inspecting the chain and you’re still not sure if it has been installed properly, just try cutting a few small logs of wood with the chainsaw. Should the chain rattle excessively, or the wood starts smoking and burning, the chain is probably installed incorrectly.
If the chainsaw is also cutting things very slowly, there’s also a chance that the blades of the chainsaw are just very dull. This could be why you may not be able to tell if the chain is on correctly. There are no sharp edges at all!
Either way, it is best to use a chainsaw sharpener or take your chainsaw to a hardware professional at this juncture.
Need More Chainsaw Tips?
So, you’ve got your chainsaw chain direction under control but would like some more advice on chainsaw maintenance. Then check out our article on how to clean your chainsaw in the safest way possible.
With a clean, sharp, chainsaw, you’ll be felling trees in no time.
This doesn’t help at all. If you look at a chain that was just sharpened by a professional you can’t see any difference between the front and the back of the teeth. The individual teeth are asymmetric, so there should be a way to tell which is the proper direction based on the orientation of a single tooth. How about a nice diagram that shows that?
Even when an old chain has been sharpened you should still see a difference between the front and the back of the teeth. Only the cutting blade should be sharpened, not the dull side. However, the addition of the diagram and video should make things easier for everyone.
Very good — i bought my first chain saw and the brand name on the bar was upside-down. It turns out that the chain was put on the bar correctly but with the bar upside-down, the chain was on backwards. Really good PR when somebody fires it up and slices into their leg – or worse! I found this website before trying it out, thank the Lord.
One thing that may confuse your readers is stating that the chain always moves in a clockwise direction. As you know, the chain goes clockwise only if the motor is on your left and the bar on the right. Or perhaps it would be clearer to state that the top of the chain always goes away from the motor and on the bottom side it should be feeding back in. Of course, anyone reading the article should see that from other statements and the diagrams.
Thanks for posting this!
Thanks for the input Marty I’ll bear all that in mind when we review the post again!
I totally agree with D Branson, worthless, what a waste of verbage.
Really? Since D Branson posted his comment a video and diagram was added to the post to further clarify the ‘verbiage’. What else would you like to see on the page Don? Why is it worthless?