Maintaining your chainsaw parts in good working order means performing regular maintenance on your saw.

Too many chainsaws run their race too early because of lack of maintenance when some simple checks following regular use could have well helped to extend the life of a machine. Badly maintained parts can compromise a person's safety.

Major manufacturers do their best to promote maintenance of chainsaw parts to their customers as it not only saves them unnecessary expense but also plays a big part in keeping the user from getting into trouble from a safety angle.

Husqvarna and Stihl for example provide a ton of information on chainsaw maintenance and safety but they can do very little once the customer buys a saw and heads home with it.

Let's take a look at some of the important areas of a saw which require regular checks following use.

The Chain

The chain is obviously one of the most worked parts of a chainsaw. Maintaining it in good order means longer use of your machine and limits safety issues.

Sharpening the chain is an important part of good chain maintenance. Experienced users will know the drill but inexperienced owners are well advised to seek the help of a professional. Chain sharpening requires the sharpening the cutting teeth as well as the depth guages between them.

Watch the length of the cutting teeth as once they are below at least 4mm, the chain will need to be replaced. When placing the new chain on the saw, you'll need to set the right tension because a loose fitting chain can easily slide of while a tight fitting chain can have ramifications on the bar.

Other Chainsaw Parts

While a good working chain is paramount to any saw delivering top performance other parts of the chainsaw such as the clutch, brake, air filter, bar and flywheels all need regular checking.

Lubrication is another issue. Again this concerns the chain and a non-lubricated chain can have a serious domino effect on the well being of other chainsaw parts which in turn will lead to safety issues.