Does anyone here make their own chain ?

Wonder who (if anyone ) makes their own chain.
How much cheaper is it.
20" loop of RS here is $30 ( Estimate 4.4 feet of chain per loop)
Can't seem to find how much 100' reel of stihl chain cost $$ or if it's available .

Maybe we need a chain maker here.
Anyone know how ?
Would it be feasible to make sell & ship chain & save members $$ ?

100' of 3/8 x .050 is $330 at Bailey's, not include shipping.
You'd get 22 of the 20" loops (4.4 ' per loop)
About $15 per 20' loop, ($18 at Baileys)

Any of you Stihl guys able to find/ get the cost of 100' reel of the Stihl RS ?

Have thought about it for fun but it would make it high cost $$ for shipping from here.

Any way
was looking at this & thinking about the Oregon Multicut & Laser chains, Hard to find

 

I don't MAKE any chain but can MAKE UP loops as needed. As mentioned, you will need a spinner and breaker as well as a roll of chain and presets and tie straps. I think I have 7 or 8 rolls and have 1/4", .325, 3/8" and .404 chain available to make up loops.

 

Well that's what I meant .
I think the parts of the chain are what a buddy calls pieces that are " chit out of Gorilla's azz".
You are not able to make it, your only option is to buy it.

 

Do you enough cutting that you found it cheaper to make your own chain "LOOPS"
or is it just a hobby ?

If I did it, would have to be one of those hobby things, I go thru a chain per year if I'm really tough on it.
I'd try the specialty multi cut &/or laser if I could get a reel.
Still rattling it around. Might be a good winter hobby to throw money at, like golf & fishing are in the summer. LOL

 

If u want to do it for fun. ???

The last chains I bought off ebay were forester and oregon I paid between $13-15 shipped each for them and one was a 25" chain and pay $24 for a 20" stihl loop .

The tools are so expensive that its not worth it.

As a timber harvest for eater my job is to manage loggers. I have not run into one yet that does not buy pre made loops.

 

You do not need a full roll to get started. I found my breaker and spinner advertised locally on CL, they were Oregon new in the box and came with about 90' of Oregon 3/8" chain. Bought it all for $200, the seller was a former dealer who had moved south and brought it with him but decided he was never going to use it. All my other rolls have come second hand and been bought as part of a deal on saws, parts, etc. I will never use it all but I don't have to rely on others for chain.

 

I know the reels are close to $350. Bit I was thinking like personal. I would only buy a reel of 3/8x .050 as it on most of my saws.

 

I was thinking the stihl RS , 3/8 X .050 for one type.

I'd be more into the specialty 3/8 x .050 Oregon Multicut & the Laser (carbide impregnated) if those chain type are possible to get in reels.
I wouldn't buy all types, keep it small & fun. Just sell to FHC members.
Say someone had a 20" chain & needed it cut to 18" , stuff like that. or 2 16" & needed a 24.
Just stay with 3/8 x .050, so chain parts are standard for a while & se if it keeps an interest.

To make it a business, not what I was thinking. More a hobby

Ever think of offering some for sale here?
Might be some interest.
Or maybe show the step in making loops.

 

Shop around?

I run 18" loops on my saw, but they are just over 20$. I can't imagine 20" loop would be much more?

 

Got 5 or 6 new loops of LGX / LPX to use up, it'll be a while before I "" Need"" a new chain,
2020 maybe. Should give me time to figure out if I want to make or buy.

Winter boredom might be what's happening, was thinking it'd be fun to make some loops.

 

I looked into it a bit and not much of a profit margin on the chains where a DIY is really worth it for most operations.

It would maybe be worth it if there was no saw shops (like out in the bush) or a person ran a big cutting operation and used a ton of chain.

Now that I think of it though the price I gave you was for my processor chain. The saw chain is closer to $30 a loop.... Which is weird considering g the processor chain is HUGE!

 

It's not a lot cheaper. I have reels and the tools now, but it's more about convenience. I got 40 some saws I play with and thats a lot of different bars. Hard to have a spare chain for all of them so I just spin one up when I need it.

 

That's another good example of how things are different from area to area.

Out here I don't know any loggers who don't spin their own chains. A lot of times a couple of guys will go in together on some rolls of chain and spin up enough loops for the next season. On 32, 36, 42, and longer bars the cost savings are enough to make it worthwhile.

 

I was getting stihl chain for around $300 a roll. It's went up now and around $350-370 a roll delivered. Oregon I still around $285 or so t the door. I do it for its easier to get loops to fit bars that aren't normally on the saws since I use almost all stihl mount bars on my huskies.

 

At one time a 84 DL chain was costing me around $14 a loop forstihl rslk. I run mostly 24" and up all the time. My favorite length is 28-30".

 

But out there y'all fall with saws. Rarely do we "stump" with saws here as I have heard them say. And every saw here runs a 20" or less. The mills mostly dont take bigger than 28" here on the big end. One mill does but they dont pay much. Guys cutting hardwood may run 24/25" bars but most of the big HW is gone now.