I have a efco 165 chainsaw and for no reason i will be cutting good clean wood and it will just go dull. there's no cut marks inside like it hit metal. it has been doing it since it was new.

sure will , most saws have different angle cuts to teeth on blade this "angle" needs to be maintained as the "rake" teeth that are behind the cut teeth are set to provide a good way to wipe out cut debris (cut,rake,cut,etc.) this is how chain cuts thru wood , if one changes the cut angle on teeth the rake teeth might not do there job correct and saw bogs and "files" thru wood rather than chips thru wood ,takes longer ,more fuel, more effort , a look at saw cuttings tells the tale , more tiny file sawdust = dull chain --- large Chips and less dust = sharp chain

Buy a length of fuel line of the size required for that model longer than required (a foot or more). Cut ome end digonal. bend a hook in a small wire (.030 welding wire works great). Insert the wire through the hole in tank and pull gently. Cut fule line to length, hook up filter and carb. Fill with fuel pump bulb and go cut wood.

Very. Remove chain and clean bar and sprocket area. I use a thin blade and compressed air. Oil will saturate the wood; but doesn't flow to do any good.
When things are clean, get the chain sharpened. Dull cutting edges will make saw dust instead of good chips that can't gum things up.

The chain needs sharpened or replaced. You can purchase the tools from any hardware store, and sharpen the chain yourself in about 15 minutes. Don't worry, your saw is just fine!

You do not say what kind of saw it is or what type of material you are cutting. It could be dirty wood, hard wood, wrong cutting speeds, hard metal, anything, Please supply some more specific information for a thorough analysis of your problem.

Check the teeth tips on the right side of the blade--they may have been dulled by running into something hard--a small rock, nail, or other debris embedded in the wood. Good luck!

It may sound oversimplified but....is your chain sharp? Is the chain on backwards?

When cutting you should be getting nice big chips from the cut. If you are getting more "dust" than chips the chain is dull and needs to be resharpened.

There is no set "time" to sharpen a chain,but you will only get a few hours of cutting before the chain dulls. In soft wood like pine you can go longer. In hardwood like oak or locust you may get an hours worth of cutting. If the bar digs into the ground or hits a rock it's time to sharpen right then because the chain will be dull.

I always carry an extra chain or two just for emergencies like hitting a rock or some wire in a tree.

Is your chain sharp? Sometimes you hit stuff in wood without realizing it and it dulls your chain, dirt, nails, trash, it's all bad for the chain. If you aren't getting enough oil on your chain while cutting it will also shorten the life of your chain dramatically.

Chain has dulled. Needs sharpening.

Hitting one little imbedded rock in the wood and the chain can be dulled to the point it only burns the wood.

Replace the chain or have it sharpened.

Hi Rossmac,

Both the smoke and it's lack of cutting ability are symptoms of the same problem. The Chain is dulled. Instead of cutting, it's just rubbing on the wood and heating up. It's also not a big deal to fix..

Your options are:

• Replace the Chain
• Have the Chain sharpened
• Sharpen it yourself

To sharpen it yourself, you will need a narrow round file that will fit inside the Chain teeth. Each tooth has a two cutting edges, get the file a position that matches the tooths angle of attack. Don't over do, three to five swipes of the file should do it on each surface.

You will see they alternate directions. You may find it easier to do all the teeth in one direction (skipping every other tooth) then do the other direction. Up to you.

When you are done, check the level of your chain oil. Since it did get hot, you might manually oil the chain before trying out your handi-work.

Go cut some wood.
Mike