well popular mechanics suggests that you coil your link material around a pipe of the desired inner daimeter, then make as many wraps as you want links, then cut parrallel to the pipe along the starting point thus creating a bunch of split rings, which can be fed thru each other forming a chain. or as one is squeezing the meat into the sausage with your meat packing device, if you twist the packed meat at the desired length a crimp forms thus creating a link.