Why does stretching occur?
Among the owners of chainsaws there is such a question: “why does the chain stretch on chainsaws?” There are more than enough reasons for the chain to stretch. It is only worth noting that this factor cannot be eliminated even with the use of expensive cutting products. The reasons for the stretching of the saw head are the following factors:
- Defective oil pump. If in the process of sawing wood, a reduced amount of oil is supplied to the chain, this will lead to overheating of the product, and at high temperatures the metal tends to expand. Long-term operation with a malfunctioning pump will lead not only to accelerated stretching, but also to a deterioration in the quality of the metal, so such an element will soon need to be replaced. When working, after each oil filling, be sure to check that there is sufficient oil supply to the cutting device. This is done by bringing the tool operating at working speed to a clean sheet of paper, on which traces of oil should remain.
- The use of low-quality lubricants. Many owners of chainsaws replace special oil for chainsaws with working off, which is highly discouraged, since it contains metal particles. These particles fall on the cutting element, which leads not only to increased overheating and stretching of the material, but also to dullness of the cutting teeth.
- Unfavorable working conditions. If work is carried out where there are components such as dust, dirt or earth on the working surface, then wiping occurs at the joints of the links, which as a result leads to stretching.
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In addition, experienced craftsmen know that new chains have been lapping for some time, so stretching is simply inevitable. For such purposes, all chainsaws have adjusting screws to restore the tension of the product. No matter how high quality the chain is, the process of stretching it cannot be avoided. The question is: how long can it last? It depends on timely diagnostics, as well as on the quality of the lubricants used.
It’s important to know! They resort to shortening the chain when the chainsaw is no longer subject to adjustment. By shortening the chain, you can continue to operate the tool for some time, until the moment you purchase a new product.
Tools for the job
To remove the link of the cutting element, it is required to initially rivet the rivets. Riveting work requires tools such as a hammer, anvil, fine bit, vise, and an angle grinder with an emery wheel. These devices, although they will not allow you to perform manipulations reliably, but their use will allow you to perform the procedure yourself. To do the work better, you will need to use a special type of punch.
It’s important to know! If, due to duty, you often have to shorten chains for a chainsaw or electric saw, then it is recommended to purchase special tools that will facilitate the work, as well as speed up the process.
Tools to help make it easier and faster to remove links from a cutter include:
- Rivet punch. A specialized machine that allows you to quickly remove rivets. The simplest tool, the work of which resembles a press. In the set for such tools there are accessories that allow you to accurately remove rivets.
- Riveting and rolling machine. Such a tool is equipped with a motor with a gearbox. This tool allows riveting of 0.325 inch and 0.404 inch links. It is not at all rational to purchase such a machine specially for home use, since it is quite expensive.
Having collected the tools and materials, you need to get to work.
Chainsaw rivet
We shorten the chain on the chainsaw with our own hands
Other methods are known for removing rivets in order to ultimately shorten the chain. They are presented:
- Use emery, which grinds off the rivet head. At the same time, the process is controlled so that the neighboring link is not damaged.
- Use an angle grinder. You can also remove the rivet with an angle grinder using an emery or abrasive wheel.
- Apply a chisel and hammer. To do this, the product should be clamped in a vice by the guides, and then resort to cutting rivets.
After removing two adjacent rivet heads, you will need to separate the link. To do this, you need to place the barbs between the connecting plates, and then use a hammer to hit it with jerky movements. The plate should eventually fall out of the rivets. After that, you can resort to disconnecting and removing the link, as well as riveting the chain.
It’s important to know! When buying a connecting link, you will need to consider the type of your chain, as well as the pitch and profile.
Many people use such links from unnecessary chains, but it is highly discouraged to implement this. The connecting link with the riveting element must be put on the chain, and then positioned on the anvil so that the open part looks up. The top plate is located on the rivet, after which it is lightly tapped with a hammer. As soon as the plate is firmly in place, you can immediately resort to flattening the rig. For this, a sharp impact is carried out with a hammer, placing a barb or core on the rivet. The second rivet is riveted in a similar way. The presence of a thickening of the protruding part will indicate that the procedure was carried out with high quality and reliability is ensured.
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At the end of the work carried out, it will be necessary to check the movement of the connected chain links. First you need to adjust the tension, and then resort to a test with a working motor. These simple steps can help extend the life of stretched or broken chains. In addition, old chains can be installed on a shortened bar, having previously adjusted the cutting product to the appropriate length.
Other equally important characteristics of the cutting attachment are:
Let’s consider some of them in more detail.
Installing the chain on a chainsaw
Putting the chain on the chainsaw correctly is just as important as tightening it. To do this, you must:
- start the cutting blade for the clutch;
- put it on an asterisk;
- then start fixing on the tire.
The cutting elements of the teeth should be directed upwards. It’s good if after that the chain itself turns freely on the tire.
The instruction manual can help to put the chain on the chainsaw, where this part of the maintenance is usually considered, and in sufficient detail. Modern designs provide for the ability to install a chain on a chainsaw without keys and special efforts, why even inexperienced and uninformed users can do it.
To figure out which side to put the chain on the chainsaw, it is important to understand that the chain has a direction that in no case should change. Otherwise, the device will not be able to operate at full capacity and will quickly fail.
How the chainsaw chain lubrication system works?
The chainsaw lubrication system consists of the following parts:
- containers for oil;
- filtration part;
- hose for supplying lubricant;
- booster pump;
- worm gear;
- directly to the tire, into which lubricant flows through special holes.
The principle of operation is very simple. The motor is connected via a worm gear to the pump shaft, which initiates a certain pressure level. And it, in turn, provokes the movement of the lubricant along the oil line to the tire and chain.
Timely lubrication and well-adjusted operation of its system is a guarantee of long-term operation of the tool and its components.
For this, only types of oil that have been tested and adapted for a specific model are used, which is also allowed to lubricate the needle bearing of a chainsaw. Only for this it is better to use a syringe oiler.
Chain length
The length of the chain blade is an integral indicator that reflects not only the power of the tool, but also its overall features. Finding it out is quite simple in comparison with previous indicators. You just need to count the teeth and that’s it.
The dimension and tires and chains must be strictly observed in accordance with the requirements of a particular model of a particular manufacturer, as well as the other above characteristics.
Having a user manual at hand or simply knowing the modification of your own gasoline device, you can independently choose a chain for a chainsaw. If this does not work, use our information table for the selection of chains, which lists the most common saw models and standard requirements for their cutting attachments.
How to properly tension the chain on a chainsaw?
This is another of the questions of concern to users of gasoline saws of any power class. In this aspect, not only the stretching procedure itself is important, but also its correct diagnosis.
To do this, you need to grab the upper part of the tooth and direct it up. Under normal tension, a third of the tine tail should be in the groove of the guide itself. In cases where there is a large value. a direct signal about an overtightened chain, and if less. about a sagging chain.
In addition, the chain must move freely along the guide itself.
A deviation from the norm indicates the need to tighten or loosen, i.e. adjust the chain. When sagging, the tensioner simply opens, which can look like a regular nut holding the guide bar. With the use of an adjusting screw, the tire is pushed forward, taking up a certain tension. The saw element must be constantly turned by hand in order to achieve the required smoothness of its movement. At the end of the adjustment act, the clamps are simply tightened and you can start using the device.
The actions taken can be considered correct if there is inertia during the rotation of the chain, the stroke is smooth and precise.
Chainsaw chain tensioning is often found without tools, which is the privilege of high-tech modifications of current chainsaws, where changing the chain or guide does not require additional tools and is done in minutes.
How to shorten a chainsaw chain with your own hands?
Despite the fact that most manufacturers unanimously claim that it is almost impossible to do it with your own hands, the craftsmen have mastered this process as well.
Chain pitch as a leading parameter of the cutting blade
This indicator, in more accessible language, means the length measured between the midpoints of adjacent links. To date, it is the step of the chainsaw chain that is its main parameter.
In order to determine the pitch of the chainsaw of a specific modification in practice, you just need to measure the distance between the 1st and 3rd rivets placed in a row from center to center. In addition, the size of the link itself will depend on this value. Usually, a large step is observed when the dimensions of the links are also considerable.
When choosing a cutting base exactly step by step, you need to take into account the intended purpose of the gasoline tool itself. Most often, this figure will be equal to 3/8 of an inch.