Making your own chains

[GeorgiaVol]

Or just put one of the 20" bars on the 350

I could. I would have to adjust the oiler hole, but I prefer the 18 on that saw. Balance is nice.

 

[user 122190]

I'm not sure who makes Huskys chain, so I'd be inclined to only mix the Oregon stuff. @Philbert may have some more insight, I believe he has quite the collection of presets & tie straps for the multitude of chains he works on

I haven't used my chain spinner much, yet. But I will say that the 3/8 Oregon Presets fit into the 3/8 Stihl drivers and the fit was perfect.

 

[Philbert]

I'm not sure who makes Huskys chain, so I'd be inclined to only mix the Oregon stuff. @Philbert may have some more insight, I believe he has quite the collection of presets & tie straps for the multitude of chains he works on

Oregon used to make all of the Husqvarna chain (just put the 'Husq' name on it). A few years back, Husqvarna started making their own. So older stuff is likely the same, and the newer stuff is likely compatible, but may not be identical.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

But out of curiosity, could you splice 2 used chains together? Like say you wanted to make a 28" chain out of 2 20" chains?
I have a BUNCH of chains and it would be awesome to just make the ones I actually use out of the pile of odd-balls..

Short answer is 'Yes': IF the parts are identical. You don't realize all the variations between chain components, even if they are the same pitch, same gauge, and same manufacturer until you start doing this!

There are full chisel, semi-chisel, chipper, and carbide cutters (plus others!). Narrow kerf and low profile cutters, Full comp, semi-skip, and full-skip configurations. Low-kickback and standard chains. Different styles of tie straps and drive links used. Etc. Then, some loops are worn more than others!

The most success I have had with this is when one of the groups I work with usually buys the same chains, so I know that the loops and components are identical. I have lengthened them when we got different guide bars; used the good parts of damaged chains as 'donor links' to salvage other chains; and shortened loops from longer bars to fit shorter guide bars.

If the loops are from lots of different places, then they might still match, if they are a common type. Just be sure to examine each component (cutters, tie straps, drive links) to be sure that you are not making any 'Frankenchains'!

Philbert

 

[J D]

I haven't used my chain spinner much, yet. But I will say that the 3/8 Oregon Presets fit into the 3/8 Stihl drivers and the fit was perfect.

I'd refer to Philberts comments above & note that while they may fit, Stihl & Oregon are completely independent manufacturers so it's unlikely that they are actually the same. At very least I'd be getting the micrometer out to evaluate any differences

 

[Philbert]

Posted this a while back: all the ways that the presets can vary, let alone the cutters and drive links.
Not trying to discourage anybody. Just sharing some things to look for.



Philbert

 

[GeorgiaVol]

Shortening them sounds easy enough if you find the right presets, lengthening them or splicing together, a bit more complicated.
Kinda what I figured.
Luckily, mostly I need chains shortened.

 

[Philbert]

Shortening them sounds easy enough if you find the right presets, lengthening them or splicing together, a bit more complicated.
Kinda what I figured.

Yes. Shortening just removes links.

We had a funny situation going from STIHL MS250 saws, with '16-inch' guide bars to STIHL MS260 saws, also running '16-inch' guide bars. Both saws ran .325 pitch, 0.063 gauge chain. But one was a 'small mount' STIHL guide bar (62 drive links) and one was a 'large mount' STIHL guide bar (67 drive links)!!! So I chose a few loops to be 'donor chains' and spun multiple loops up to the larger size, so that we did not have to buy new ones.

Note that if you do this, the 'donor links' should be in better shape than the main chain, since you will have to grind / file them down to match afterwards.

Philbert

 

[GeorgiaVol]

Got chains?
Lol, this is part of my chain collection.