Making Chains

[Al Smith]

I'm lucky, living in Wa. i can get Stihl chain from Madsen's for about $230 a roll...usually only $5 a roll or so more than Oregon.

--Speaking which,Stihl branded chain ,I suppose the tie straps are available through a dealer ? I have a couple of loops of slightly damaged 3/8" I need to reloop to 20" and will need some straps . Oregon straps I have but don't know if they fit or not .

 

[SkwerI]

Al, I can hook you up. What size chain? I have 3/8", .325" and picco, all in .050 gauge. They always send extra tie straps with every roll so I can spare a bag or two.

And no, the Oregon has different size rivets which could possibly cause failure under load. I wouldn't mismatch them.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Good point, Skwel. Had a recent case of frequent chain breakage due to using a different brand of tie strap.

 

[brendonv]

So I went to the sawshop last night, $460 for a 100' roll of 33RS. Damn!

Is oregon all that bad? I can get 2 rolls, one for the 200/and one for the 460/360, for 60$ more through baileys.

 

[No_Bivy]

I bought sthil, got it closer to 4bills per roll. Had Oregon last time....sucked

 

[sotc]

i bought stihl last time and i think its worth the extra also but i dont think i paid 460

 

[sotc]

the rs is more expensive at 300 a roll here and the rsl is 275. difference is the rsl is square ground and the rs is round ground. if its worth shipping let me know unless someone else can beat that

 

[SkwerI]

Shipping is less than $40. Sasquatch bought a couple rolls for me last year because I was in the same boat. I finally found a local dealer who was willing to sell me rolls for just over $300 so I don't need to bother Gary any more.

 

[brendonv]

the rs is more expensive at 300 a roll here and the rsl is 275. difference is the rsl is square ground and the rs is round ground. if its worth shipping let me know unless someone else can beat that

I'll look around here at a couple more places. I appreciate it!

 

[Al Smith]

No doubt about it ,most likely Stihl is the best chain . Rolling your own would be the best option .

I suppose it just depends on how much you use a saw .For a pro it would prove to be the most cost effective with regards to longevity of use . For people such as myself ,probabley not . It would take me a long time to wear out a loop of chain any more so Oregon or Carlton work out just as well .

Now just yesterday I filed a 32" loop of Stihl round chisel skip ,sharp as a razor ,I was real proud of it .Then like a dummy I tried it out on some oak but I forgot how cold it was ,frozen . Well,Stihl or not ,that stuff will still dull fast if you use it like that . Today I get to dull another file ,fixing what I screwed up .

 

[squisher]

Rolling your own would be the best option .

You bet it is!

 

[rbtree]

Brendon, anything close to $300 per roll is a good price on the Stihl RS. Oregon chain can be had for $230-$250 per roll. My prices may be a bit dated, haven't looked in a few months now.

I get stihl chain for ~$230.....but it would cost $265 to ship to housers, as i pay tax on it, plus there'd be shipping.

I run full chisel 3/8th on most saws....am closing out 100 feet of .325, may not get more, unless I need a few loops till my bars wear out.

I run full comp on up to 24, sometimes semi skip on 24 and up to 28, full skip on 28 and up. I usually have 5 different 100 foot reels at any given time....they last a long time, yep!!

 

[GASoline71]

Shipping is less than $40. Sasquatch bought a couple rolls for me last year because I was in the same boat. I finally found a local dealer who was willing to sell me rolls for just over $300 so I don't need to bother Gary any more.

Aww man...




































Gary