anybody making their own chains?

[steeltowninwv]

been thinking about doing this...man it would save big bucks..i have a friend with the same saw.....so cost of the chain reel could be split....what tools are needed?...and is it hard?...any videos on the net?..i searched and didnt find any.....just looked at baileys woodland pro reel 25 feet would yield 16 chains at 6.16 a chain...i usually pay 6.00 to have my chains sharpened.

 

[JustWood]

Are you running a 3" (inch) bar ????????!! :bug:

 

[maxed_out]

steeltown, quite a few of us sharpen our own chains. to be honst I buy chains that last a long time. once the sharpener is set you usually just need to kiss each cutter with the grinder. I havent made my own but I have had to "add to" a couple that involve removing the master link and adding sections. very easy to do.

we all usually argue about chains and manufacturers but find one you like. I like stihl chains becasue they seem to hold my sharpened edges longer.

the cost of the bench grinder is an easy payback.

heres one video on how to shorten a chain: (not my video)
http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_4766707_shorten-chain-chainsaw.html

so making chains seems pretty straight forward.

 

[DMZX]

I made chains when I worked on a Forest Service BD crew. As I recall all we needed was a roll of chain, a chain breaker, some master links (tie straps) and a ball peen hammer. It was really very easy to do an only took 15 minutes or so, mostly to peen down the rivets.

 

[maxed_out]

correct, as lee writes, 25 feet will probably give you 6+- chains. how much will 25 feet cost?

 

[steeltowninwv]

25 feet will cost 99.00 i use an 18 inch bar....so how many feet for one chain then...i wasnt thinking...i was thinking 18 inches duh...a blonde moment there..if i only get 6 chains out of 25 feet where is the payoff?..i can buy them for 12.99 on sale right now on baileys web site..if i make em...16.50 if i only get 6 chains out of it

 

[maxed_out]

steeltown, you are in good company. I wish I had a dollar for each blonde moment I've had.

take a look at some of the threads on sharpeners- some folks have saved a bundle, plus no waiting.

 

[MasterMech]

Buying chain on reels usually pays only if A) Your a dealer/repair shop that buys @ wholesale prices and has many different applications to fit or B) Your a tree service and can get reels at very low prices buying a couple at a time.

Tools involved are a breaker and a rivet spinner usually. I know you can hammer the rivets but a press or spinner just does a much nicer job.

 

[JustWood]

Most of the chain vendors will give a break on volume orders. Call them up and dicker price. I usually buy 30 loops at a time and it's around $2-3/loop cheaper than spinning my own. Just make sure they don't stink up the shipping cost. They have a bad habit of fluffing the shipping after you've made the deal.