Chain carrying case?

[MNBobcat]

Hi Guys,

When I go in to the woods I carry a number of newly sharpened chains which I swap out as needed. Lately I've been thinking it would be nice to have a carrying case for the chains. One where I could put the dull chains on one side and the sharp chains on the other side. Perhaps spring-loaded to keep tension on the chains so that they stay put.

Has anyone seen or made a case like this? I could make one but I'm curious if there is anything commercially available or if you've come up with some clever idea. I know you can buy a case for your saw and throw chains in there too but I'm wanting something more organized.

 

[John_Mc]

This probably doesn't help you much, but a "Game of Logging" (chainsaw & tree felling safety) instructor I know uses cut lengths of old fire hose to store his chains. It protects them from getting nicked and dulled, and protects other stuff from getting cut up by the chains. The hose is very tough stuff, and he gets it for free, when the local fire dept retires its old hose.

It's been so long, I can't remember his exact set-up, but he basically hung teh chain loops inside a length of hose just a bit longer than the length of the chain loop.

John Mc

 

[gauthier]

I just bring two saws. When they are dull,I'm done.

 

[Skyco]

I keep my chains in quart freezer zip locks, one per bag. Keeps them clean and mostly from getting dulled by touching each other.

 

[newbury]

Storing chains can be done many ways. To me the primary decision is to coil or not to coil.
When I coil I know I'll have to uncoil, and I greatly dislike uncoiling a real sharp chain. Invariably it has kinks and they bite me.

So presently my preferred method is to store them in a narrow tube, like a piece of plastic plumbing pipe.

However since I have 4 chainsaws, 8 bars (from 10" to 42"), 3 basic types of chain and at least 2 chains for each bar, I try and make sure I label every chain not on a bar. And a lot of them are stored individually in zip lock bags. And tangle themselves up.

I've seen people store them in small tackle boxes, long custom boxes, wrapped around drums, and of course just tossed into a pile.

 

[LD1]

Learn to hand file.

Seriously, I can usually dress a chain in as little time as it would take to change a chain. I only have 1 chain for each of my saws, and I only change them when they are wore out.

 

[tommu56]

I keep my chains in quart freezer zip locks, one per bag. Keeps them clean and mostly from getting dulled by touching each other.

I do the same except I put them in a french fry container from the big M when they are sharp I leave them out of the sleeve if dull but still in the bag.

tom

 

[John_Mc]

Learn to hand file.

Seriously, I can usually dress a chain in as little time as it would take to change a chain. I only have 1 chain for each of my saws, and I only change them when they are wore out.

That's basically my method as well. I enjoy hand filing and get good results with it. It's also good for a weekend warrior like me (well, more like a seasonal warrior - I may not touch a chainsaw for months, then I'm at it almost every day for a while). I also like the fact that it makes me stop and take a break. It gives me a chance to assess just how worn out I'm getting. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of things, I don't notice how tired I am. It's also a time to think about my plan of attack for the next round of cutting.

I do tend to carry a spare chain with me, unless I'm working on my own land. That way if I rock a chain, or "find" some barbed wire fence embedded in a tree, I can keep on cutting without taking too long fixing up the damaged chain.

 

[LD1]

We just carry spare saws

A chain is usless without a saw. So instead of 1 saw and 6 chains to fit that one, why not 6 saws with one chain each.

On a serious note though, I usually always take my backup saw for (not only if I rock a chain, but get one pinched too). So no need for a back-up. I usually don't sharpen in the field, but usually dont need to unless something unforseen happens (un seen wire, etc).

 

[MossRoad]

My cheapy Poulan Pro 18" came with a rather spacious case. In it I keep the saw (of course), my wrench/screwdriver tool, a round hand file on a jig for proper angle, a 1" wide paint brush (for cleaning out the sawdust) and a one quart zip lock freezer bag with 5 sharp chains with a couple squirts of oil in it. I wrote SHARP CHAINS on the zip lock bag just in case I'm too stupid to remember they are sharp. My 6th chain is on my saw. When my chain gets dull, I just change it out with one form the bag. I am always wearing gloves anyway, so I tend to tip the bag into my hand so all the chains fall out and take the one off the bottom, then toss the rest back in the bag. Kind of inaccurately rotating the stock, so to speak. :laughing:

I just toss the dull chains in the saw case. When I get home, I take the dull one or two out, clean them up a bit, hit them with the HF sharpener and toss them back in the zip lock bag.

What I am surprised about is how durable Zip Lock freezer bags seem to be. My current one is over a year old and hasn't torn. It will probably last longer that the HF chain sharpener! :laughing: