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Restoring chainsaws as a hobby?

Started by Phil_Oz, December 17, 2018, 01:11:26 AM

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Phil_Oz

I suspect many of you do this?

So, if you were looking at restoring them as a hobby, what Makes and models would be good candidates, should you wish to concentrate on specific saws?

Some things to take into account;

.Popularity of saw - parts should be easier to get, especially aftermarket parts - should also be easier to sell if that is what you want to do to fund the next one(s).
.Special tools required (eg you need a jig to split a Husky crankcase - whereas a Poulan the crankcase cover on many is a single piece).
.Ease of teardown/rebuild.
Stihl MS291, Stihl MS170, Husqvarna Rancher 50 (~86 model).

weimedog

An excellent hobby and healthy as well. I never restored as some do, but started years ago turning old junk into useful tools. Bought heating oil once in ten years vs. 3 times a year as a direct result. That alone cleared the path from a cost perspective. There are the "clutch head" benefits as dirt bikes and boats offer.....but unlike those two, the saw thing as a whole can be a positive influence to the bank account......( back to heating with wood AND less time in the ER ). Other benefits include the healthy exercise aspects and for the most part camaraderie as most folks you meet are not bitten by the competitive or materialistic bug as with the typical Motorsports pass time. But to the question...

I started with Homelites because of history. But the directions are endless and one leads to another. One of the best places to start if having parts access is important are the 61 thru 272 Husqvarna's as they are simple to work on, parts are abundant. Other really cool saws with similar parts availability include saws such as the Stihl 038's and 036's. For "bang per buck" as well as the historical impact on the industry, the Husqvarna 371/372's are both current and historical.

But for me part of the hobby is the quest. So I've taken off on saws such as the Jonsered 820 thru 830's. And whats behind this is a little complicated to explain but I will try. The hobby is a vehicle to meet folks and learn about history for me really. A vehicle to interact with other folks. Blend that with a cool and interesting machine be it a saw or a tractor the hobby covers a lot of territory. From travelling around in the quest of unobtainable parts ( definitely true with the 930's! ) to having reason to visit place that with ordinary metrics would make absolutely no sense. It's more about life than about getting work done or having a better or faster "bling" machine than the other guy. Playing the racing game for 30 years in another Motorsports arena hammers home both the differences and the benefits of the "hobby" approach. And this happened by accident not by any design by me...:)
Husqvarna 365sp/372xpw Blend, Jonsered 2171 51.4mm XPW build,562xp HTSS, 560 HTSS, 272XP, 61/272XP, 555, 257, 242, 238, Homelite S-XL 925, XP-1020A, Super XL (Dad's saw); Jonsered 2094, Three 920's, CS-2172, Solo 603; 3 Huztl MS660's (2 54mm and 1 56mm)

mike_belben

Stihl farmboss is a hard saw to work on for a clamshell but they have good aftermarket support and very good resale.  You will need every torx bit under the sun and a long, strong torx for the crank bolts on those.  Just buy the genuine stihl torx scrench at a saw shop.  

With husky and stihl pro saws youll need a crankcase splitter and a seal driver kit.  Plus a few clutch and flywheel remover tools and a plastic piston stop.  Once you have those you can work on all of em using basic tools.  Oh and a walbro carb float adjuster, looks like a brass W.  

Jonsered 50cc turbo 21xx series stuff was a psuedo clamshell thats real easy to work on. Interchanges with similar sized husky 350ish saws.  Theyre not great designs for longevity but theyre easy to tear down and reassemble.  Buy a tube of threebond or yamabond, hondabond etc for base gasket.  Not permatex.
Praise The Lord

sawguy21

I don't restore to like new condition but enjoy getting them running and functional if possible. As a member of an antique collectors club, ok, we are just a bunch of old packrats, I have fun displaying some very old ones. They generate a lot of conversation, 'my grandpa logged with one like that in the 50's', are cheap to acquire (the most I have paid is $75) and don't take up a lot of space. At least not yet ;D.
I like IEL/Pioneer and Homelite, they are plentiful and not hard to work on although I have to get creative for parts. The real fun is in the hunt.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Phil_Oz

Thanks Gents.
I have another thread going on my Rancher 50. I've had it 30+ years.
I've ordered an aftermarket piston/cylinder kit, and a carb kit (wondering if I should get the magneto/ignition kit too), the parts should arrive after Christmas.
I'm semi retired (thinking of going back to work though) - I'm thinking a range of things to keep me occupied (and out of the house - wives are territorial!).
Stihl MS291, Stihl MS170, Husqvarna Rancher 50 (~86 model).

Lorenzo

I like saws that are in good original condition unrestored but running.
I found this Indian Sioux just as you see it in the photo. 
I don't think it was used much in its day.


  

goose63

I have this thing



 

Dont know if it runs or not must be 25 lbs or so
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

Al_Smith

I've got a bunch myself but small in comparison to others .I've been around the things nearly all my lifetime .What started my real interest was a circa late 1960's Lombard Comango that had not ran in over 20 years that I had running like a top within a half hour .That was maybe 24-25 years ago    Any more unless it's rare or has the potential  of being modified into a better running faster saw I have little interest in it .If you don't watch it you can quickly be up to your hip pockets in old saws people got tired of tripping over .Then you get to trip over them .

Inaotherlife

Quote from: Lorenzo on December 18, 2018, 12:29:32 PM
I like saws that are in good original condition unrestored but running.
I found this Indian Sioux just as you see it in the photo.
I don't think it was used much in its day.


  
Wow! That is fantastic!

Inaotherlife

All I got for older saws is an XL2, a Craftsman 2.3(poulan s25), a 009L, and a 3400.

Only had to do a little work on the XL2 and the S25. They've quickly lost their thrill. But they look nice on the shelf.
The other two still get used on occasion.

Unless I could find something like that Indian, I'd be more interested in finding an inexpensive larger saw with a somewhat modern design, and a taste of nostolgia. But still something that I'd use now and then.
Something like an Echo 750EVL or Poulan 4000, or one of their rebadged units. Maybe something else that I just don't know about yet.
I looked at a 660EVL, which was ok. But from the little research I've done, they're not real powerful for their size, and maybe not quite the cool factor.

sawguy21

Quote from: Lorenzo on December 18, 2018, 12:29:32 PM
I like saws that are in good original condition unrestored but running.
I found this Indian Sioux just as you see it in the photo.
I don't think it was used much in its day.


  
That is a rare find, I would snap it up in a heartbeat ;D I got a Mac 10-10A in similar condition.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

HolmenTree

I agree that Indian Sioux saw is a little beauty for the time it was developed.  I'd say mid late1950's?
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Scroll to Aug 14 2015 on here and you'll find a good thread on this Indian Sioux chainsaw owned by Lorenzo.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

lxskllr

Quote from: HolmenTree on December 19, 2018, 10:10:57 PM
Scroll to Aug 14 2015 on here and you'll find a good thread on this Indian Sioux chainsaw owned by Lorenzo.
Indian Chain Saw in Chainsaws
Good looking saw, but I bet they're terrible to operate. Probably amazing after a couple decades operating a crosscut though  :^D

HolmenTree

That saw's design is still used today in timbersports, but with a much more powerful motorcycle or PWC engine.  :)
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Al_Smith

As a side note the Power Products AH 47 engine was kind of a generic item used on just about anything .It was the 2 cycle Briggs and Stratton so to speak .I think they were around 4 HP give or take .Low compression lower RPMs but they'd run forever .
I have two myself .One on a Lombard with a float carb mounted at 45 degrees and another on a David Bradley 360 gear drive .I've never  tached one but judging by the sound I doubt they run much over 4500 RPM.
When you look at old saws you have to keep in mind the time period .The two I mentioned plus the Indian certainly are not as fast as a modern saw .Back in the day two stout farm boys with a cross cut could out cut them but they couldn't outlast them .

Lorenzo

Quote from: HolmenTree on December 19, 2018, 10:05:41 PM
I agree that Indian Sioux saw is a little beauty for the time it was developed.  I'd say mid late1950's?
1959  is what my research confirmed.
It starts right up and sounds pretty good too.

Lorenzo

Quote from: HolmenTree on December 19, 2018, 10:10:57 PM
Scroll to Aug 14 2015 on here and you'll find a good thread on this Indian Sioux chainsaw owned by Lorenzo.
Yes that is when I first found it hanging in a lawn mower shed.
I told the owner at that time that I would buy it if he was ever so inclined to sell it.
Low and behold I got the call and now I am the new custodian of it.
I have it in my living room right in the top center of the entertainment center above the TV.

HolmenTree

Lorenzo, by the look of it looks like it was never used.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

sawguy21

Quote from: Lorenzo on December 20, 2018, 08:00:58 AM
Quote from: HolmenTree on December 19, 2018, 10:10:57 PM
Scroll to Aug 14 2015 on here and you'll find a good thread on this Indian Sioux chainsaw owned by Lorenzo.
Yes that is when I first found it hanging in a lawn mower shed.
I told the owner at that time that I would buy it if he was ever so inclined to sell it.
Low and behold I got the call and now I am the new custodian of it.
I have it in my living room right in the top center of the entertainment center above the TV.
You must be single :D
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Al_Smith

Well you have to admit that old Indian is pretty spiffy for an old  chainsaw .A lot better I might add than one of my McCulloch 250's with genuine McCulloch oil all over, it might even have some genuine John-Deere grease too .<not spiffy 

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