Saw Chain Storage . . . .

[TexasTimbers]

I typed in various phrases to check the archive but I didn't do a thread by thread read to see if I could find the subject matter buried in a thread somewhere.

How do you guys store your chains? I just went out to the truck to get my saws and chains out and I have sharp cains and dull chains and all sizes all scattered all over the bed of the truck. It's a cluster . . . bunch.
What is the soultion to keeping chains easy to sotre, get, and organized? ???

[rebocardo]

Same as regular link chains (3/8 or 5/16 ), I soak them with PB Blaster and let them sit in oil until needed.

[Murf]

The legs of worn out blue jeans...... other than making toys for the pooch, Deputy Dog & his sister, I never found anything usefull to do with old blue jeans.

Cut them off just below the knee, the bottom of the leg nearly ever wears out, sew the cut part shut, and put a drawstring around or through the original hem.

Even a saw chain has a tough time working through denim.

I keep a bunch of them around. Sharp ones are tied shut with a piece of black cord, dull ones with red cord, two pieces, one black one red live in each denim 'sack' so when I pull out the sharp one, the cord comes out too, dull one goes back in, and it gets tied shut for sharpening. Keeps them clean too, and me when I handle them, no more cuts or oil everywhere.

Best of all, you can tell at a glance what's sharp or dull.

It's also handy to drop them off for sharpening, the guy I use knows exactly who's chains he has without having to even write a tag.

[limbrat]

In a bucket of waste oil with a wire tied around the different length loops. The old chains live there but they get visits from little parts that need to make up there mind to break loose. I got a bucket of sand soaked with waste oil by were i hang my tools. After i get through with a shovel or hoe or ax i shove it into the sand it puts a coat of oil on it and keeps it from rusting. Thers a lot of humity here.

[Corley5]

I hang em on a nails in the shop.  Dull ones on side and sharp ones on the other.  During the day when I'm cutting I hang a couple sharp ones on the spout of a fuel can in the back of the truck.  The dull ones go behind the seat to keep them clean and are hung up inside at the end of the day to await grinding.

[ComputerUser]

At home, the sharp ones hang with their corresponding bars on the wall.  The dull ones usually get sharpened immediately, but sometimes they just end up hanging on the vise waiting.

When I'm out cutting they go in the saw box.  Sometimes they are placed in those little cardboard boxes that loops come in, but more often they're wrapped in a rag and tossed in the box.

[Al_Smith]

 Oh I have them hither and yon on nails in my garage and shed,about 80 of them.Along with them are around 20 spare bars from 12" to 48".Geez I've got round chisel,square chisel,semi chisel,chipper,ripper.A few racers and and a few stumpers and several that fought with rocks and lost.

All is well and good and semi tidy but for some reason I can never find the size I'm looking for.Humbug. :D

[TexasTimbers]

All good ideas, thanks. I will put them to use.

Murf I havea couple of long pants legs sewed up like that, almost a canvas like material that I keep my small ratchet ties in. I keep the big ones in some old USCG ditty bags.

Good idea to use some small ones for chains.

[Sawyerfortyish]

When I put a chain on a saw it stays there until it's worn out and then it gets thrown out. I do have a couple chains in the saw box that fought with rocks but didn't get beat up to bad. I don't know why I keep them around they might never get used again. I buy chain in 100' spools and spin my own so a 72 or 84 driver chain costs about 10-12 bucks. So it's not worth keeping to many old chains around. I can sharpen up a chain with a file just about as fast as you can take a chain off and put on a differant one.

[Ga_Boy]

I use plastic sandwich containers for each chain.  I keep 4 chains for each saw, plus the one on the bar.  You can tell at a glance if the chain is sharp or dull.  When it is time to sharpen chains I take the tool box in to the shop and sharpen them on the grinder.  After I am done I box everything up and put it back in the saw trailer.

The containers go in to an old tool box that I can carry with me in my saw trailer.  If needed I can put my chain saw wrench in the tool box with the chains and take it with me to the job site.

[oldsaw]

I sewed up little bags with fold over flaps from upholstery material.  Each has been labeled with a Sharpie.  42R and 36R for my ripping chains, 36, 24, and 16 for my regular chains.  If it's in the bag, it's sharp.  Otherwise, it is stacked in the toolbox or still on the saw when it comes home.

Gotta make more.  Like the jeans idea, but making small bags from the legs, I don't like "mating" chains.  I keep them separated.

Mark

[Ron Scott]

I also use the jeans made storage bags and have for some time. They've worked well.

[jlaplant]

I use the zip lock bag that rubber worms come in . They are tuff and you can wright on them with a sharpie .

[Furby]

What ya do with them worms?

[TexasTimbers]

Ya have to go fishing and use all the worms before you are allowed to go cut wood. ;)