We Sharpen & Tighten Up Our Makita Chainsaw

Рет қаралды 27,397

4 жыл бұрын

After the comments we received on our Makita battery operated chainsaw review, I’ve discovered the importance of keeping the chain sharp and tight. In this video we look at how to go about tightening and sharpening a Makita chainsaw.
In this video, we tighten and sharpen the chain on a Makita DUC353 battery operated chainsaw. You don’t need any tools to tighten the chain, but you need a sharpener to get the teeth sharp.
When we purchased our chainsaw, we also bought a Stihl chainsaw sharpener, which is essentially a round file on a metal frame that helps you guide it at the correct height. It’s an essential piece of kit if you have a chainsaw.
Please watch the video below if you'd like easy to follow instructions on tightening and sharpening a Makita chainsaw.

Пікірлер: 42

@simonedmondson7633 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your experiences with this chainsaw. I found your video while searching for the correct file size to sharpen the chain. I have found no conclusion to determining which chain (90PX or 91PX) is present on my saw. I expect there is a way of measuring it. So, just for anyone else coming along behind me, my solution was to purchase a new chain: MAKITA 191H02-6 which fits this particular model (DUC353) and requires a 4.5mm file for sharpening (MAKITA D-72160 4.5MM CHAIN BLADE SHARPENING SET). I figured that investing the money on a new chain was better than a method of trial and error, so hope that helps someone else.

@MyHomeFarm 8 ай бұрын

Comment pinned. Hopefully this will help someone.

@pardilot 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent explanation on how to tighten the chain. 1st for me since hubby died. Loving the fact I was able to sharpen the chain, but with this model chainsaw, needed to see how it was done.

@MyHomeFarm 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the comment and we're pleased that you found our video helpful and useful, and that you'll have a good working chainsaw for the autumn and winter ahead.

@mopaditi1737 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video. Thanks.

@MyHomeFarm 2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

@Houseofcanary Жыл бұрын

Thanks it was super helpful

@MyHomeFarm Жыл бұрын

Glad it helped. Thanks for watching.

@samspreutels6164 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, very useful!

@MyHomeFarm 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking the time comment.

@krixig 3 жыл бұрын

You might also need to file the depth gauge portion of the chain link with a flat file, otherwise it wont bite. Stihl makes a sharpening tool that has two round files and a flat one that sharpen all in one pass, but Im not sure if its compatible with the chain on the Makita since chains' pitch varies.

@edakimling133 2 жыл бұрын

I find it very odd the channel owner did not comment on this. He clearly explains in the video in the beginning that the saw produces more sawdust than chips. This is a perfect indicator that the rakers, or depth gauges needs to be filed down. If you do not do this, it does not matter how much the chain is sharp...it still won't cut. You need both: sharp teeth AND proper depth gauge. True, you do not file down the rakers as often as the teeth sharpening. But it is important to do so when the time comes. This video, although important for beginners to understand how to sharpen the teeth, it is also very misleading, as it makes it sound that if your saw produces sawdust instead of nice chips, the remedy is to sharpen the teeth.

@nami2918 4 жыл бұрын

Yes very helpful. I cannot believe people pay to get it done. Thank you!

@MyHomeFarm 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback. As with many things in life, we assume we can’t get things done ourselves so we pay others to do simple things.

@nelydk 5 ай бұрын

Hello. I am deciding between DUC353 and DUC355, I am mainly concerned about the toll-less tensioning system on the DUC353, which does not look very high quality in the long run. What do you recommend?

@MyHomeFarm 5 ай бұрын

I like our Makita, but haven’t used it in ages… we’ve upgraded to 60V Toro and Greenworks chainsaw which are far superior.

@HenriGooch 3 жыл бұрын

Hi What chain sharping tool is this?

@MyHomeFarm 3 жыл бұрын

Hi there. It's a chainsaw sharpening file from Stihl.

@neo11ro 3 жыл бұрын

Can you please share where you bought the file, I'm searching now for a couple of days. Really hard to find the 1.1 mm. (usually they are 4, 5, 5.5)

@MyHomeFarm 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your question Robert. We purchased ours from our local country store, which is part of the Charlies Group. I will, however, ask Stihl if they have any online suggestions.

@neo11ro 3 жыл бұрын

@@MyHomeFarm Thank you for your video and help.

@MyHomeFarm 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Robert. Just heard back from the guys at Stihl. They suggest contacting your nearest Stihl dealer and you can use this link to locate the nearest authorised dealer to you: shop.stihl.co.uk/pages/dealer-locator Hope that helps.

@MyHomeFarm 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Robert.

@neo11ro 3 жыл бұрын

@@MyHomeFarm So just got a reply from Makita support and this is the needed file. "This DUC353 saw may come with either a 90PX or 91PX spec chain. As per the user manual. As stated, the specification is subject to change without notice. 90PX - Needs a 4.5mm at 30' angle. 91PX - Needs a 4.0mm at 30' angle."

@stephenwilliamson8364 2 жыл бұрын

Just got my Makita like yours. First run I got about 30 to 40 min of steady work done until the batteries were empty. 2nd time out, after using the double charger, batteries died in 3 minutes. Ever experienced that? Thanks

@MyHomeFarm 2 жыл бұрын

That's really odd Stephen. We've not experienced that all. The batteries from Makita have been very stable and operation times have been very similar - around 30 minutes for chainsawing. We use the same batteries for our little Makita lawn mower. Was it really cold when you used them?

@stephenwilliamson8364 2 жыл бұрын

@@MyHomeFarm I use the Makita batteries for my electrician tools and they always last a long time. That’s why it was strange. I figured something may be wrong with the saw causing the batteries to die fast. No, I keep the batteries indoors and it was a warm Texas spring day.

@MyHomeFarm 2 жыл бұрын

The fact you use them with other tools and the batteries are still running as they should is strange. Have you tried the batteries again - maybe it was just a one-off thing? Unlike most other manufacturers we deal with, Makita are not very responsive, so I can’t even ask them on your behalf. Please let us know if you figure out what has caused this. I’ll also ask a few people I know if they can think of anything.

@stephenwilliamson8364 2 жыл бұрын

@@MyHomeFarm it was just a one time thing, but so strange I didn’t know what to think. I recharged my batteries and will test them out again this week. I can probably use them on the Makita weedeater. If they die quickly with that, I’ll know it’s just a bad set of batteries that came with the saw. Thanks so much for the help. Since you haven’t had troubles with your saw, hopefully it was a one-time mishap. Makita has always been my brand of choice.

@JDAfrica 2 жыл бұрын

@@stephenwilliamson8364 I had 1 generic battery fail. My normal batteries never had an issue. Makita tools are loaded with all sorts of sensors, to prevent overheating, over voltage, temperature/load etc…. So, could be one of many silly things. Most tools have a pretty decent warranty period, and I’ve found makita service very good. Having swapped out a tool a year after - because the switch was an issue.

@johndn9238 4 ай бұрын

Very helpful tips on chain tightening and sharpening. I think the comment below on setting the depth of cut is also important, especially as the chain is progressively sharpened. Maybe you could add a demo of that to the video? Meanwhile, here's a helpful video showing how depth of cut is set with a depth gauge: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eLeKe6iis9y0c58.html Makita sell a depth gauge, D67474, set at their recommended depth of 0.65mm; it's about £5 in the UK. It's use is described in the instruction manual in the 'sharpening the saw chain' section (last para).

@jean-francoisfortier8727 2 жыл бұрын

What the file size? 5/32?

@MyHomeFarm 2 жыл бұрын

Please refer to the pinned comment.

@iplanes1 2 ай бұрын

Sharpening is much easier and more accurate if you clamp the chainbar in a metalworking vice.

@Adrian-dh1dl 2 жыл бұрын

Do you still have this saw? I want to buy it, tell me if u have any problems thxx

@MyHomeFarm 2 жыл бұрын

Yes we still have and it’s a perfectly good chainsaw. The Stihl chainsaws, however, that we reviewed a few months ago are amazing and worth checking out: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n8qehs1jnda0j5c.html

@Adrian-dh1dl 2 жыл бұрын

@@MyHomeFarm thanks for responding so fast, have a nice day/night 👍 i want an battery chainsaw, for easy startup and low noise, il buy makita 353 with 6ah batteries

@MyHomeFarm 2 жыл бұрын

The Stihl chainsaws are also battery operated. There’s nothing wrong with the Makita. It’s a very good chainsaw and the 6 amp batteries will keep you chainsawing for very long sessions.

@georgecorder4476 4 жыл бұрын

I asked Home Depot about files, noting I wanted "this one that (My Home Farm) purchased from Stihl" -- they looked at me funny. Since I was already familiar with the filing process, you drag a file across the chain-teeth, *what exactly do you think you taught here*? I still know to use a file. I still don't know which one, what sizes fit what chains, etc. -- or why I sat thru this video...

@MyHomeFarm 4 жыл бұрын

While you know how to use a file to sharpen the teeth on a chainsaw, many of us don’t, so this video will be helpful to newbies and people chainsawing for the first time. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

@nami2918 4 жыл бұрын

My chainsaw is a slightly different model than his on video but the product description on Amazon said the saw is 3/4” pitch. I bought the sharpening tool “kit” at a local Sybil shop for $33 which was $7 cheaper than Amazon. The one on this video is included. The filing rod itself was only $3 if I had the confidence/skill to use it without the handles guide.