CHAIN KEEPER

I designed the Chain Keeper as a convenient, one-handed, tangle-free way to transport my chains to the work site. I’m a chainsaw miller, so I have a 36” bar and chain, which doesn’t fit easily into similar products that are commercially available.

I’ve found adding and removing chains works best if the Chain Keeper is vertical, with the stationary jaw on top.

I printed the Movable Jaw and Stationary Jaw separately so as not to waste a bunch of filament if there was a failure (there wasn’t), but they could easily be printed together. I used a 6mm brim on the Stationary Jaw due to the smaller bed contact patch. I used 20% infill and 3 walls/shells. I suspect 10% with 2 walls would work just as well as the jaws don’t need to be super strong.

I printed the knob separately with 10% infill and 2 walls. You’ll need to add a pause in your slicer so you can insert a ¼ - 20 nut. My print had 100 layers and the pause was at layer 60, so I set a timer for around 55% of the total estimated print time and went about my business. Came back and only had to wait a few minutes for the pause. The nut drops right in.

The pause could be done manually, but you’ll have to keep an eye on the print.

You’ll also need the following parts:

• ¼ - 20 T-Slot bolt, 3-1/2” long (NOTE: I have a pack of T-slot bolts on hand, so that’s what I used. But you could probably make this work with a standard 3-1/2 bolt or carriage bolt. Adjust the recessed slot to fit.)
• ¼ - 20 nut for the knob
• Three ¾” screws to attach the stationary jaw
• Some method to cut the through slot and the recessed slot in the back for the T-head. I used a router table for both. My slots are around 6” long and are located such that when the chains are placed on both jaws, the movable jaw is about 1” from the far end of the through slot. Remember you’ll need enough travel to get the chains on and off.
• Through slot is about 5/16” wide, and recessed slot is a little over ½” wide and just deep enough for the T-Slot head.
• ¾” plywood, around 6” wide. Length will be determined by the length of your chains.

NOTES: There is only about 3/8” of the T-slot bolt protruding from the movable jaw. Enough to engage the nut in the knob, but not much extra.

I have 3/8 chains. I can’t guarantee .404 chains will fit in the slots, as I don’t know if they’re wider.

Cut straight!
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