Before we launch into the nit and gritty of sharpening a chainsaw effectively lets take a look at how we know when it is time to sharpen your chainsaw. One of the easiest ways to tell if your chainsaw needs sharpening is to inspect the waste material from cutting wood. If the waste material is made up of wood chips then your chainsaw is sharp however if the waste material is made up of sawdust then it's sharpening time!
The first step to sharpening your chainsaw is to get the required equipment. A round file with a with file guide and a flat file with a depth gauge guide. These will need to be bought in the correct size, you can find this size by referring to your owners manual.
Make outward strokes from your body with the file at 30 or 35 degrees to the bar. The file guide helps you file all cutters to the same depth and shape. Use the file guide to line up the file with the cutter. You'll know when this happens when the file rests in the cutter. File each cutter and then move onto the other side of the bar to finish the job!