# Solved: Need chainsaw chains



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

I need a chainsaw chain for my homlite.Its brand new but helps to have a backup chain.The pitch is .375 inch 57 drive links 50 gauge full skip.No place carrys that pitch.Went to homelites webpage and says to contact your sluppler Anyone know where I can get one on line.I give up.


----------



## thecoalman (Mar 6, 2006)

You don't really need a spare, if you just cut wood it won't get dull for hours of use. That means don't let it get in the dirt, letting it get into even a little dirt dulls it pretty quick. Even if there is some on the tree try and avoid it. Get a chainsaw file, lightly sharpen about every 4 hours of use or whenever needed. Should last you years unless you're cutting wood all the time.

Any chainsaw shops in your area? I used to work at one and they had rolls of chain for every size. If they didn't have the length you needed it was just a matter of making one up.


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

got a couple small enigne repair shops that work on chainsaws.Ones about a block from me the other about 2 miles.


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

You give up to easy... 

Quick Google...http://www.jackssmallengines.com/cb_chain_38.cfm

If the saw is brand new and the place you bought it does not have replacement chains then....... never mind...


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Plus a good saw sharping place will put a better edge on the chainsaw blades then you had on it when it was new and it does not cost that much.


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

hewee said:


> Plus a good saw sharping place will put a better edge on the chainsaw blades then you had on it when it was new and it does not cost that much.


Howdy hewee...

Unfortunately that is not correct in most cases... most saw sharpening services use a machine that has no touch or feel to it... They have a set grind that the machine is set to and that is that... Most chains that would normally last many years are ground out in one or two machine sharpenings...

With the correct size file it is easy to touch up a chain after every days use in just a few minutes...


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

I have a STHIL Farm Boss 20'' with a chain that i have shaprpend many times... you just need the right sise file and a little know how


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

buck52 said:


> You give up to easy...
> 
> Quick Google...http://www.jackssmallengines.com/cb_chain_38.cfm
> 
> If the saw is brand new and the place you bought it does not have replacement chains then....... never mind...


They don't have either chain for either of my saws.I had one lined up but sinse it was from a wholesale website I had to spend at lest $25 and they only had one of the chains the chain for the homelite I can't get at the website.It says contact your suppler.The poulan one I can get 4 for around $25 or a bar and chain for $23+ tax.Its the homelite thats a pain to track as its a odd size. .375 inch pitch 50 gauge and full skip (cutting teeth every 2 drive links).No place online has it. Its hard to find


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

What is wrong with the second one on the link I posted?

3/8 pitch ,50 gauge, 57 drive links

What's the saw model and bar size?


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

buck52 said:


> What is wrong with the second one on the link I posted?
> 
> 3/8 pitch ,50 gauge, 57 drive links


Not the right pitch. .375 pitch is needed unless thats the same as 3/8


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

why dosent the place that you buy the saws give you the supply number for homelite, they should sell blades


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

lexmarks567 said:


> Not the right pitch. .375 pitch is needed unless thats the same as 3/8


3/8 = .375


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

southparkxp101 said:


> why dosent the place that you buy the saws give you the supply number for homelite, they should sell blades


Got it at homedepot. They did not have this chain online.


----------



## thecoalman (Mar 6, 2006)

buck52 said:


> Most chains that would normally last many years are ground out in one or two machine sharpenings...


That can be the guy that doesn't know what he's doing but can happen from a few other possibilities If the chain was sharpened by hand for quite a while the blades get different lengths so the shapeneing guy usully has to set it back further than necessary to get all the blades. It can also happen with a chain that has been abused and not sharpened frequently enough or not enough oil when running. The leading edge gets rounded on the top, to sharpen it properly you have to grind it back to the point where it's square again. In some cases that can be quite bit if the chain was abused for a long time. If you get a chain and have it sharpened by machine exclusively by someone that knows what they are doing it will last just as long under the same circumstances.


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

buck52 said:


> 3/8 = .375


Then why don't the manual say that.


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

southparkxp101 said:


> why dosent the place that you buy the saws give you the supply number for homelite, they should sell blades


chain saws use chains not blades... 

let me guess...your going to say you know what I ment...


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

buck52 said:


> chain saws use chains not blades...
> 
> let me guess...your going to say you know what I ment...


 same darn thing, you know what i meant buck ,just allways trying to get me eh


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

southparkxp101 said:


> same darn thing,


Absolutely not... !

A blade goes on your lawnmower... a chain goes on your chainsaw...


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

buck52 said:


> Absolutely not... !
> 
> A blade goes on your lawnmower... a chain goes on your chainsaw...


arrrrgggghhhhhh   

you know what i meant darn it    

stop pointing out my evrey mistake


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

Ok I can order 2 52 drive links 14 inch 3/8 inch pitch for $17 then 2 for the homlite 3/8 inch pitch 57 drive links 16 inch for $17 for $34 total no tax no shipping charges. what do you think.Thanks for clearing it up.I was going nuts trying to find this chain.


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

lexmarks567 said:


> Then why don't the manual say that.


beats me ... I don't have the manual in front of me...

pretty simple math though...


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

buck52 said:


> pretty simple math though...


Well Then I HATE MATH .That was not my best subject in school.


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

southparkxp101 said:


> arrrrgggghhhhhh
> 
> you know what i meant darn it
> 
> stop pointing out my evrey mistake


I was not sure... there is a big difference... so I thought I would make it clear for anyone else that might be reading this thread...

just as lexmarks567 did not know that 3/8 = .375

buck


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

lexmarks567 said:


> Well Then I HATE MATH .That was not my best subject in school.


 lol yea they lost me when i got to the distirbutive proporty

example

7(a+9)

7xa =7a 7x9= 63

anwser =7a+63


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

buck52 said:


> I was not sure... there is a big difference... so I thought I would make it clear for anyone else that might be reading this thread...
> 
> just as lexmarks567 did not know that 3/8 = .375
> 
> buck


just one question buck....

i know me and you have "bumped" heads before 
but do you have any form of humor

just wondering

(this was not meant to make anyonemad)


----------



## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

southparkxp101 said:


> just one question buck....
> 
> i know me and you have "bumped" heads before
> but do you have any form of humor


Sure... I laughed like crazy the other day when my neighbor tried to cut a tree down with his lawnmower... 

I kept trying to tell him he needed a chain...


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

buck52 said:


> Sure... I laughed like crazy the other day when my neighbor tried to cut a tree down with his lawnmower...
> 
> I kept trying to tell him he needed a chain...


 hmmmmm i think ive done that before.......

but i used a 20 foot wide bush hog and ripped the tree down ,i dont need a chain saw i know the ******* way


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

buck52 said:


> Howdy hewee...
> 
> Unfortunately that is not correct in most cases... most saw sharpening services use a machine that has no touch or feel to it... They have a set grind that the machine is set to and that is that... Most chains that would normally last many years are ground out in one or two machine sharpenings...
> 
> With the correct size file it is easy to touch up a chain after every days use in just a few minutes...


That is why I said a* good *place that sharpens. Your right that many place are not good but there are some that have all the right tools for each thing they need to sharpen.
Not something most will have because it takes a lot of money for all the shapening tools.

Bad thing is you never know who is good till you try them.

Like where I live now I don't anyone. Was pruning the tree with a pole saw and had a old blade in it that was dull. They don't cost much but went up to the Ace Hardware here in this small town and they did not have any blades. I asked if they shapen blades and was told yes but I have to wait because they have someone come by like once a week.
I got the blade back shaper then a new one and even better because they even put a bevel on the edge that it never had before. So the blade was not only sharp but better.
Now again they may have done it that way because they only had so many tools to sharpen with and that was a easy way for then to do it. 
Still it made it better because it cut so many times better with the way the added the bevel edge onto the blade.


----------



## thecoalman (Mar 6, 2006)

hewee said:


> That is why I said a* good *place that sharpens. Your right that many place are not good but there are some that have all the right tools for each thing they need to sharpen.


For some of the reasons I stated chainsaws are a little different. Most pros use a file because they are doing it in the field. You can get just as good an edge with file., the key is to not let them get really dull, that applys to everthing really.

The reason you can get a better edge at a shop is ususlly the instrument was very dull to begin with. In that case it's usually something along the lines of what I described in my other post where the top of the tooth on the chain has become rounded over. You can put a razor edge on it if you want but because of that roundness it won't bite as well. Most people are not going to take the time to hand file the amount of material that needs to be removed.

Best thing to do with any instrument you want to keep sharp is to lightly sharpen it occasionally and it will always keep a nice edge.


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I know pro have files and also I have seen them with elec. files that work great too and you clamp a jig thing to the blade so the file will file each tooth just right.

But the same thing can still be done by a good saw sharping place.
25 years ago at work we was doing a lot of things and was using a chain saw. We had a file and that but we also had lots of added chainsaw chains and they would get sent out to be sharpen. 
Also did they not come back sharper then we could do it but it cost a whole lot less then us ever trying to do it because we was making really good money pre hour.


----------



## lexmarks567 (Aug 13, 2006)

yeah I just rented a 20 inch gas saw to cut some stumps. Made it threw 2 and cut those into lighter peices.But would not cut a stump in the back yard yet my 14 inch did in NO problem.The trunk was about 10-12 inch Dia and the 14 inch cut it with no problem. The guy said he had just got done sharping and washing it.Must not have done a good job.the rental saw was a poulan pro 20 inch


----------



## SouthParkXP101 (Jun 2, 2006)

my 20 in Gas STHIL can go throught about anything ive cut thriught soo much wood and its like a hot knofe on cold butter


----------

