Should a Chainsaw Blade Get Hot? 10 Things You Should Know

A chainsaw is an effective and convenient tool for sawing large planks of wood. The sharp cutting blades on the chain turn rapidly to produce the desired cutting results. You would have often noticed your blades, along with the chain being very hot after a sawing session. If you’re wondering whether it is okay for your blades to get hot or how much heat is exactly normal, then this blog post might be the place to get the answers to your queries.

Should a chainsaw blade get hot?

It is normal for the blade of your chainsaw to produce some heat. But it should not overheat or smoke. If you notice any overheating or smoke coming out of the blade, you should stop its use at once.

A brief answer is good only for those who are short of time. To understand the matter completely scroll on.

Overheating Chainsaw Blade

If your chainsaw’s blade is overheating and producing smoke, it means that there is a serious problem with it. In that case, you must start troubleshooting at once. The two most common causes of the overheating or smoking of your blade are lack of lubrication of the bar guide or the engine and lack of air.

You must not be confused between smoke and steam because steam rises when you cut through a really fresh tree. The bark of the fresh tree has plenty of water inside it. Regardless of how well you are cutting a fresh tree bark, your chainsaw blade is prone to overheat.

When you cut the wood in the summer season under direct sunshine, there is a great probability that the blade of your chainsaw will get hot. If you clean the blade regularly, you can reduce the chances of overheating to a great extent. The starter and the cylinder of your chainsaw have air intakes. You must make sure that they are never blocked. Otherwise, the blade will overheat.

Sometimes the wood shavings will block the air intakes, and it will lead to the overheating of the blade, which can damage your chainsaw. If you feel a considerable amount of heat exerting from the blade of your chainsaw, then you must readjust the speed of idle. Heat is produced because of the friction and the combustion of the engine.

The air intake ports are made to remove the heat and to bring in cooler air. Small engines are at the risk of catching fire if you allow the air intake ports to be blocked. Make sure the air filter is clear.

If the airflow is blocked, then the higher temperatures will cause too much premature fuel combustion and even pre-ignition, which will accelerate the engine and blade overheating.

The major reason for the overheating of the blade is an overtightened chain. Make sure the chain is not sagging. Just be sure to be able to lift it enough to slide a small coin underneath it.

If you have a high content of ethanol in the fuel of your chainsaw, its engine will run much hotter and faster. The experts recommend that the fuel must have less than 10 percent of ethanol in it.

Ethanol is responsible for making the fuel mixture leaner inside the combustion chamber of your chainsaw. It is also responsible for reducing the lubricating capacity of the fuel, which will increase the friction in the cylinders to a great extent, thus creating a lot of heat. This heat will be very noticeable because the pistons move at a very high speed.

The simplest way to minimize heat is to use 0 percent ethanol in the fuel of your chainsaw. Octane 87 is the safest lubricant that prevents the overheating of the blade of your chainsaw. The engine of your chainsaw is responsible for blowing out a fine mist of oil onto the blade to keep it from overheating while it is in motion.

This is why you must make sure that there is enough mineral oil in the fuel tank. While you pull the throttle, check for any signs of grease on it. If you don’t find any grease then you must use a needle to open the oil ports.

Why is the blade of my chainsaw getting hot?

There are three most common reasons for the overheating of the blade of your chainsaw:

● Lack of Proper Lubricating Oil:

The blade of your chainsaw gets overheated due to a lack of proper lubricating oil. The oil adjustment screw will let you decide how much mineral oil must be released to keep the chain and the blade well-lubricated.

And if the mineral oil adjustment screw does not work well, you might make a mistake in measuring the right level of lubricating oil. This will lead to an overheated chainsaw blade.

● Chain is Dull:

If the chain is dull then you will feel a lot of heat and smoke on the blade of your chainsaw.

● Mismatch between the Chain Drive and the Groove Blade:

Overheating occurs when there is a mismatch between the chain drive and the groove blade.

Your chainsaw must have a perfectly matched chain and blade because they are aligned on each other. A size mismatch will cause overheating and even smoking of the blade. In addition, you must make sure that the thickness of the chainsaw drive links perfectly matches the breadth of the blade groove.

You will find the measurements of the dimensions in your user manual or the catalog if you have bought an individual product.

Why is the blade of my chainsaw smoking?

Smoke is a sign that the blade of your chainsaw is idling at a very high speed. To fix this, you must use a screwdriver to turn the idle speed adjustment screw clockwise until the speed is lowered. You must also turn the screw back up to ninety degrees to increase the throttle to ensure that your engine accelerates really smoothly.

After you have adjusted the idle speed, you will not see any more expulsion of smoke from the blade of your chainsaw. If possible, you must adjust the idle-speed adjusting screw also.

Another important sign of the expulsion of smoke is excessive oil and gasoline inside the fuel tank. You must read your user manual very carefully to know the exact amount of oil and gasoline needed to run the blade of your chainsaw smoothly. 

It is important to empty the tank if you plan to store the chainsaw for a very long period of time and then refill it again when you plan to use it. Dryness is the major culprit of blade smoking. Also, sometimes there is enough oil inside the tank, but it does not exit properly during use.

How to prevent the blade of your chainsaw from overheating?

To prevent your chainsaw blade from overheating, follow the below-given step by step guide:

● Step 1: Remove dirt:

First of all, you must take all of the dust and the mud off the cover of the starter right where its rope comes out. Next, you should use a piece of dry cloth to remove all the grease and the sawdust. Finally, to get access to the cooling system of your chainsaw, you will have to remove the starter cover by using a screwdriver.

● Step 2: Clean the flywheel and starter:

Now you must slightly tilt the starter side downwards by holding the chainsaw by its front handle. Then you must brush off the cooling area, the flywheel, and the starter. Finally, you should use a piece of dry cloth to remove the dust, making sure that it does not fall into the engine.

● Step 3: Remove cylinder cover:

From the top of the engine, you must remove the cylinder cover by using a screwdriver. You should use a brush to remove all the dust from the fins and the cylinder cover on both of its sides.

● Step 4: Clean the spark arrestor, the muffler, and the exhaust port:

Now you must use a screwdriver to take off the muffler cover. You should use a brush and a piece of dry cloth to remove dust from the spark arrestor, the muffler, and the exhaust port. If you notice any heavy black carbon deposits on the muffler, you must replace the muffler immediately.

● Step 5: Check if the saw is lubricating:

Now you must point the tip of your chainsaw blade at a light-colored surface while letting the throttle run at full speed for about forty-five seconds. You must then very carefully examine the surface afterward to check if a light line of the lubricating oil is made up of small dots to prove that the oil is actually emerging from the oil reservoir of your chainsaw.

● Step 6: Check the chain tension:

You must check the tension of the chain on the bar to make sure that it is not fixed very tightly. If you cannot move the chain forward with your hands, you should try loosening its tension slightly.

You must remove the spark plug wire to ensure that the chain does not turn when you are adjusting the tension. Next, turn off the ignition switch. The chain of the saw must wrap around its bar snugly and must not be hanging off its bottom side.

If you feel the chain hanging downwards it won’t be able to cut the wood so you will have to adjust its tension.

Final Remarks

To conclude this blog post, we would say that experiencing some heat is a normal thing, especially in the summer season but overheating and smoking of the blade will damage your chainsaw beyond repair. Therefore, to enjoy chainsawing experience, eliminate the factors that will lead to its overheating.