I have been working with my new Lucas dedicated slabber this week and have been loving it until today. I had got home from work and had about an hour to saw before it got dark. I had hit a nail the night before and needed to change the chain before I started sawing. An hour and a half later I got the chain untangled. I looked like a real pro standing there fighting with that chain that long. So I never did get to saw tonight. Does anyone know any tricks on how to untangle a 5' chain? I would hate to do that in front of a customer.
;D Hold it up by a straight section with one hand and lift the loops up and out with the other, try not to chase the loop around the chain as it will out run you every time ;)
Kinda like folding a saw seems complicated till you get the hang of it.
This made me laugh. I remember when I was younger I spent almost 20 minutes in the blazing heat of summer, trying to untangle my power saw chain. Now it's second nature. Practise is key!
It's good to be able to hang it on something when untangling it. I put mine on the corner of my mill carriage, maybe you on the crank handle. Study the loop patterns and you'll get the hang of it. Two loops next to each other going in opposite directions, these 2 come out together by lifting one of them around the other. One general principle is to get the loops closer together, another is to realize that they WILL come out. Notice how easy it is to get 2 loops back into a chain that was straightened out? This means it's just as easy to get it straight again! ;D ;D ;D
p.s. there are worse things you can do in front of a customer
I lay the chain out on a flat surface, only moves when you want it to thataway.
We have all done the same thing, it gets easier about the two hundredth time!
Frank
Frank
That was the method I was shown.
Being on a flat surface and then picking the inside links and moving everything towards the outside made "untangling" happen quickly.
i too have had the best luck laying the chain down on a flat surface :-[
Flat surface for me all the time.
I also 'stack' them once I sharpen a chain so I can 'roll' them onto the bar when ready.
Down here I use a 2l Pepsi bottle....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11340/WP_000045.jpg)
You can see the 'Coke' bottle shape on the right isn't as good for it
Then I roll the chains up and put them in the bottle...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11340/WP_000054.jpg)
Stores nicely and keeps them sharp ;)
I like to hang mine on one of the end frame nuts that hold the end frame stabilizer. Take each matching pair of loops and place each one opposite each other hanging down. Simply raise up the chain from the bottom to undo. Dont forget that the chain can also flip inside out causing double trouble. I dont have a clean table or workbench so hanging works for me. Good luck.