Frustrating evening at the chain spinner, but learned something
Some things, are slightly perishable skills: sharpening, felling, spinning, etc. But if you have done it enough, they come back quickly, and you get your edge back. Not tonight. Wanted to spin up a few loops of chain for a pole saw, and the links kept jamming tight: 3/8, low profile, narrow kerf chain - Oregon Type 90. Over spinning? Bad links? Bent / burred drive links? Breaking too aggressively? Worn spinner die? Wasted a number of chain links, and several pre-sets, trying different things, including gradual, alternating pressure on the breaker, and hammering and buffing the drive links to make sure they were flat.
Finally realized that the drive links on this chain are just so thin (0.043 gauge) that they deform with almost any pressure from punching / breaking out the rivets; hard to see some of this.
Went to the 'grind-the-rivet heads-off-flrst-with-a-Dremel-tool-before-breaking-with-the-punch' method, and that seemed to work. Although, past of the reason I like having a chain breaker is to not need to do this. Offends my delicate sense of propriety. Also makes it hard to save any parts for re-use. But is seems to be the only practical way to work with these paper thin chain components. This will be my 'new standard procedure' for these chains.
Left the rivet heads slightly higher than I prefer, but got a little cautious after wasting so many pre-sets. Will work on that. Good reason to buy them in quantity!
Philbert
Some things, are slightly perishable skills: sharpening, felling, spinning, etc. But if you have done it enough, they come back quickly, and you get your edge back. Not tonight. Wanted to spin up a few loops of chain for a pole saw, and the links kept jamming tight: 3/8, low profile, narrow kerf chain - Oregon Type 90. Over spinning? Bad links? Bent / burred drive links? Breaking too aggressively? Worn spinner die? Wasted a number of chain links, and several pre-sets, trying different things, including gradual, alternating pressure on the breaker, and hammering and buffing the drive links to make sure they were flat.
Finally realized that the drive links on this chain are just so thin (0.043 gauge) that they deform with almost any pressure from punching / breaking out the rivets; hard to see some of this.
Went to the 'grind-the-rivet heads-off-flrst-with-a-Dremel-tool-before-breaking-with-the-punch' method, and that seemed to work. Although, past of the reason I like having a chain breaker is to not need to do this. Offends my delicate sense of propriety. Also makes it hard to save any parts for re-use. But is seems to be the only practical way to work with these paper thin chain components. This will be my 'new standard procedure' for these chains.
Left the rivet heads slightly higher than I prefer, but got a little cautious after wasting so many pre-sets. Will work on that. Good reason to buy them in quantity!
Philbert
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