I am getting ready to buy a Chain Breaker and Spinner Tool and a 100 ft roll of chainsaw chain. I will be doing a bunch of saw work this winter and really should have made this move many years ago to save on chain costs.

My saw: Stihl MS391 (64cc), 20" bar, 3/8" (.375) Pitch, 0.050 Gauge.

Looking at Northern Tools #3 Seller, it is a "Low Profile" chain. I did not realize there was such a thing vs "standard chain".

Their #1 seller is a full chisel design, which is better for cleaner wood. Since 95% of my work is mesquite and dirty I am choosing the "semi chisel" design, like the #3 seller, but it is also "low profile".

The internet says: It takes less horsepower to power a low profile chain. You can put a low profile chain on a standard bar, but not the other way around.

Since my engine is 64cc, do I get the low profile, or just stick with the standard ? Any negatives with the "low profile" design ?

I want to get this right..... I can make a mistake on an individual chain for $18.00 to $26.00, but I want to get it right on a 100 ft roll in the $300.00 range.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_logging+chainsaw-bar-chain+bulk-chain

Allen76 said:

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Any negatives with the "low profile" design ?

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Depends.

If your bar is made for standard, it's going to eventually fill up with with a mixture of oil, dirt and wood running low profile chain. And based on your saw being a MS391, I'd bet it came with a standard chain bar.


Just my opinion, but unless I was in the arborist or logging business, no way I'd fart around with making chains for the very few $ it might save. Loops are so much easier, just keep a bunch on hand and get a good grinder for keeping them sharp. Also, I really like this outfit for getting saw stuff from: http://www.baileysonline.com/

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Loops are so much easier, just keep a bunch on hand and get a good grinder for keeping them sharp.

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Well, that's what I do now. I have a toolbox with about 12 loops. I have been sharpening my own for 28 years with a Foley Belsaw Sharpall 1055. After several hundred sharpenings, that thing has paid for itself many times over.

I just thought that out of a 100 ft roll of chain I could get maybe 40 loops, so with a $99.00 breaker/spinner from Northern Tool, and a $300.00 roll of chain, that would be 40 loops for 400 dollars (roughly) for a cost of ten dollars apiece. My chain (D72) is $26.00 at Home Depot and about $18.00 online.

What I didn't think about is how much trouble is it to make may own loops.

Oh, I get it, 76...considered buying the rolls before myself. Just that the difference between buying the spools vs. loops, I never could make the math work to justify the spinner, much less something else to have to do or another tool to wonder where I put last time I used it.

Did some digging after my first reply above, and there's some pretty good youtubes that explain the difference between low and standard profiles if that's still a question. Suerte!

Forgot to mention..........if I'm not mistaken, a 100' roll is going to have abotu 1600 links, and a 20" loop will have about 70. Don't think you'll get anywhere close to 40 loops out of a roll.

TOM-M said:

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Forgot to mention..........if I'm not mistaken, a 100' roll is going to have abotu 1600 links, and a 20" loop will have about 70. Don't think you'll get anywhere close to 40 loops out of a roll.

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Yeah, my math was wrong. I was using the pitch of 3/8" as the distance between drive links. I think it's 3/8 times two, or a drive link every 1.25 inches..... x 72 drive links.....is 90 inches or about 7.5 feet per loop. I dont know if that;s right either, but if it is that is only 13 loops out of a 100 foot roll. And if that's right, we are now real close to what I pay just going to Home Depot.

So if all that is right, forget it! Saving only $3.00 per chain which I could do a lot better buying loops online.

Allen,

I can't help you much as to the advantages/disadvantages of low profile chain, but the pros I know do prefer the 'less safe' chain to the anti-kickback stuff.

They like the aggressiveness and speed vs. the safety.

I personally keep (8) chains in my rotation, and take them to a saw shop for sharpening when (6) get dull. It's been costing me $6/chain to have them sharpened.

Unfortunately, the last time I took them in they let a new kid do the sharpening and he pretty much ruined them all. I'd been more upset if they hadn't already had a bunch of cuts on them.

So, I found a new guy, who for $8/chain puts them on a Franzen automatic chain sharpener that takes the human factor out of things. He told me that it cost him several thousand bucks to buy that machine, but that it doesn't make mistakes.

It's pretty cool watching that thing sharpen chains, but then, I'm easily amused.

Maybe you can find one of those in your area.

Gotta get me one of those Franzens, haha