My property was formerly owned by an arborist. His family didn't leave loads of cool stuff behind when he passed and they sold it, but I did get a cord of firewood and a workbench with chain grinder and a couple of rivet tools. I've only used the grinder so far but it works well on .325 chain. Question is: will I save significant money buying a spool of chain and making my own loops? It seems like having a lot of loops and being able to switch chains in the field and grind them all when you get back would be convenient and efficient. Thanks, David
Depends how much chain you go through, and whether you get lucky and find a roll of chain at a better than typical price. A 100' roll of chain will make about twenty-two 20" loops. How much are you paying for 20" loops? How long would it take you to consume 22 or them? For most people it's not worth it.
*Despite the above, I currently have a breaker, spinner and several rolls of chain because I stumbled on a great deal. I'm having fun making up a few loops, but I'll end up selling most of it off. For the amount of wood I cut, one roll could last a lifetime.
I agree with jon. I have the breaker, spinner, and several reels, or now remnants of reels. if you have a ton of saws and all use the same pitch/size then it could be worthwhile, but most times its just easier to buy a few loops and be done. its not hard to make chains, but the breaker and spinner will cost you 100 bucks, then a reel is 200-300 these days. when it was 100 bucks a reel it wasn't bad. since you have the tools already, look at some ebay auctions. I scored some auctions that had 10 loops of stihl RS chain in 24" and 36" for dirt a couple years ago from a rental company that never sharpened them, put on a fresh chain every rental. I broke them down to 16" and 20" and kept some 25" and 36". It was cheaper than trying to buy a reel. typically though, you don't want to break down and make/add/shorten well used chains.
It depends. If you have the tools, and you just want to be able to spin a loop up when you need, then there are usually short (25') reels available that will save you buying a $3-400 100' reel of chain. Usually the deterrent to buying reels is that there isn't enough of a cost difference to justify buying the tools and tying up the $$ in inventory. At $300+ a reel, things get pricey quick.
There is a guy selling 72LGX for (Listed BELOW) on my site. I have used up or sold most of my reels of chain except in 325 3/8LP now. So I have just been buying loops of 3/8 from this guy. If you need something besides 3/8 prices let me know OP. 16" 72LGX060G $11.99 24" 72LGX084G $15.99 20" 72LGX072G $13.99 Just click above links to go to his site.
I caught a sale & got 10 new chains & free shipping. 5 ea of 20" LGX & 5 of LPX , $140 for all 10. I use about 1/2 ( at most ) of a chain a year to cut 8 cord. 20 + years worth of cutting. Plus I have a couple old chains for when cutting junk & trail work I keep a couple in the saw tool box in case I need to swap in the field, but usually just file at home when needed. Be fun to make your own chains, maybe you'll be able to sell a few to buddies to make it at least break even. Don't let economics be the only factor. Doing "Fun stuff" is not overrated All hobbies cost a little $$.
good link dude. prices are close to what I was paying in 2005 for chains. I miss my amish stihl dealer.. 2 20" chains were 21 bucks, 2 24/25" chains were 28 bucks. basically bought one for full price and a 2nd was 4 bucks more. on a side note, how is LGX? I've been using RS and RSC for years now
Good chain IMO After running them both for 8 cord each RS & LGX cut about the same LGX is a bit cheaper so I use LGX & LPX I think I get LGX is a bit sharper & easier to sharpen, & stays sharper But just by a hair I'd heard RS stayed sharper longer, I found just the opposite. I didn't see enough difference to pay $14 more per loop, I got 2 LGX (or 2 LPX ) for the price of one RS3 here But I'm the frugal type Link: 20" RS3 is $29.50 here.
RS3 is green safety chain. I only buy yellow chains RS is also around $29.50 + tax here But if you buy three chains at once they are a little cheaper I cannot tell a difference in the way LGX and RS cuts when they are both sharpened on the same grinder with the same settings. 3/8" LGX weighs a little less than RS if they are both .050" gauge.
I don't notice any difference between the LGX & LPX, even when using the nose of the bar. I'm thinking there's some Gov't or OSHA safety specification for green & yellow chain, but the specs & design don't effect the type of cutting I do. Might be more smoke & mirrors than fact. With the LPX, I still had kick back, the nose still limbed well, I rarely bury the tip of the bar in wood, but when needed, I was able to make bore cuts with LPX just fine. IMO; LGX & RS would/should be a little lighter weight than the LPX & RS# & cheaper to make not having the special designed humped link ahead of the cutter. However, I'm just cutting 8 - 10 cord of firewood, not making a living felling & cutting.
The last stihl chain I bought was RS I guess. It was .050 20" 3/8 chain. I paid like $24-25 a year ago and thought that was too much. I getmost of my chains now off logger buddies that file them a few times each till their all jacked up and dont cut. I then grind them back and lower the rakers. I pick up a half a dozen at the time. Those full chisel safety ones I get that are husky brand I just set to the side. In my opinion they dont cut near as fast and I am Grinding them on the same sharpener.
I used to buy rolls of chain and make my own. Found a place on line that will ship 10+ loops for about the same I can spin them for. No brainer.
