shortning chain

I have some factory loops of chain I need to shorten for use on a shorter bar, can this be done easly on the workbench or should I have a shop do it? I see Baileys has tools for the task, do you have to have these or is there a satisfactory method with whats generaly available in the tool box. My chain is oregon 75CJ 3/8th .063 Thnx bman

Easy to do. Just make sure you use new tie straps and don't attempt to re-use the old ones.

I use the tools, but you can grind off the rivet (if your really careful) and peen the new straps on. I find it easiest to use the tools designed for the job. Not always the most economical but usually the easiest.

Tom

The hard part is getting an old link out. As Tom said above, 'if' you can get to a grinder wheel and grind the pins on one side off smooth, then a nice slim punch will do the job; hopefully, you can put the link over an open groove somewhere, that will allow you to punch the pins out easily. If you've got a friend that has the 'tools' it will be a lot easier. I'd hate to pay a dealer to do it; as a new loop of modest size is realtively cheap at Bailey's or Madsen's.

I've had limited success making loops without a breaker or spinner. Grinding the heads off the rivets helps. Then using a vice adjusted to the right width to catch the tops and bottoms of the drivelinks acts as a chain breaking anvil to aid in driving out the tie strap with rivets still attached (rivets are thicker in the middle and can't be driven straight through). Peening the new rivets is easier said than done it's quite hard to hold the preset, chain and side plate in the right position with one hand and trying to hammer with the other. A needle nose visegrips can help with this though. The end result is a pretty crappy mushroomed looking rivet job that usually results in a slightly tight link, but it gets the job done. I run .404 chain smaller pitches will probly be alittle easier to peen. It's probly worth the couple a bucks a shop will charge you, or if you do enough chains investing in some equipment might be a good idea. I now have a Break-N-Mend visegrip style breaker/rivet spinner. It works pretty good for breaking chain but doesn't do the best job spinning new rivets especially on larger pitch chain. It allows you to reuse the old rivets and side plates but you have to be carefull not to bend them when removing them. Also I'm a little leary of reusing a rivet that is alot thinner than a new on, I definitly wouldn't run a cutter on a link with reused rivets. For the price of a Break-N-Mend tool you can buy a bench mounted spinner. That's probly the route I would go and buying one of those cheap "punch and anvil" chain breakers would get you making good chains for probly $60 in equipment.