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Super wiz

Started by sandman2234, October 27, 2018, 08:29:01 PM

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sandman2234

I have an old super wiz saw out in the garage that hasn't been started in years.  It wouldn't start one day and an Echo came along for a while.  Then a Stihl showed up and does what little work I do with a chainsaw.(ms310).  A trip to the panhandle to help hurricane victims made me realize I wanted a bigger saw.  Being able to work in among fallen tree limbs was the claim to fame of the bow saw, because the foot would stop the limbs from slapping around. Plus I could turn the bow upside down and let the weight do the work.
My question is,  are parts still available for those saws and does anyone work on them?  The only saw shop I ever used has gone out of business and new stores laugh if I bring that old relic in for repair. 
Thanks,  David from jax

sawguy21

The old saws are fun for the hobbiest but the shops won't touch them. The best you can do is search e-bay for a parts donor saw and find a gear head who likes to tinker with them. For your purposes you would do better with a more modern saw, faster, smoother, more reliable and equipped with a chain brake. And lighter ;D
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

DelawhereJoe

I'll agree with keeping the old saw retired and picking up a new saw, you could get a lot of saw for the weight of that old iron. The biggest question is how big of a bar do you want to run and what size bar will kept on it the rest of the time ?
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

sandman2234

That is pretty much the answer I was expecting, however it might not be the one I wanted. 
   Having used that saw for most all kinds of cutting, I really got to where I liked it. 
    We tackled a 52 inch diameter pine tree with my Stihl ms310, with help from someone running a 311. We cut it into one foot pieces so that we could handle it to get it off the roof of the house it laid down on. Our 25 inch bars were not long enough to go through the trunk, so we cut as far as we could, standing opposite of each other and when we got through, we swapped cuts and finished the other's cut. There was still 36 foot of a 100 foot tree still on the roof when I left. I needed a longer bar on a bigger saw to keep doing what we were doing. There was another house half a block away with a tree just about the same size. We also cut up a Hickory tree that was 26-30 inches, doable with a 25 inch bar. When trees are piled up, it appears that a bow works better because if a limb hits the chain, the foot will stop it, and cut it rather than it slapping against your hand. Haven't seen any bow saws for sale in a while. Plus when cutting a downed tree, you can just turn the saw up and let the weight do the work instead of having to hang on and see-saw the saw.
   Seen a couple of parts saws, with prices all over the place. Shipping is usually the killer on a heavy saw. The one thing I don't know where to find is the tubular air filter. Bound to be some way to make it work...
  David from jax

lxskllr

Sounds like you really want the bow bar(?) and not necessarily an old saw. My new echo came with warnings not to use a bow do to safety concerns, so that means you can probably find a bow that fits. I know zero about them, but perhaps that's an angle you can explore; a bow for one of your existing saws.

DelawhereJoe

There is a guy in Georgia selling a 14" bow bar for Stihl saws on ebay, its Only $300, I have never used or seen a bow bar with my own eyes, but there must be a reason that they aren't generally made available to the public like safety.
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

sandman2234

Thank you for the tip on the bow. That might be a way to go, however I have my doubts if a new saw will perform as well as the old Super Wiz with a bow. What made it cut so well was it's weight. You turn it up on the tip with the foot and just let it go to town. 
    I could tell you about a race I had with the son of the company that I worked for when his saw was acting up, so he went and bought a new saw. He wanted to show off, and see how good his new saw would out cut my old bow. It didn't...but in the new saw's defense, it had just came off of the showroom floor and was still tight, not having been broken in. 
   As far as safety, I have always wondered just why bow saws are so dangerous. I would think that any saw would be dangerous, and since I ran one for years, I never did understand what made a bow any more dangerous. Yes, cutting with a bow saw with those guards on the top and bottom pretty much makes it worthless. I remember the first bow saw I saw with those guard, I was like... "How can you cut with those crazy things blocking the chain"? I bought mine used, and it never had them.
    David from jax

sandman2234

Well, at the advice of you Gents, I have been looking at saws. New, used, abused, worn out, etc. I would like a MS880 due to the bar size, but almost pulled the trigger on an MS661 today with a 36 inch bar. Really wanted a 41 inch bar, which I actually have seen on that model (used, must have sold and deleted ad). Salesman said no way, isn't available, won't fit, saw won't handle it. I put him on hold, went home and did some more looking and nope, can't find it. Tomorrow I go to my favorite store and another one I know of, to see if a 41 inch bar is available on the Stihl without going to the Ego satisfying MS880. I really don't want to toss almost two grand onto a shelf for just occasional use, like when a hurricane decides to drop in. Don't mind being prepared for a hurricane but a smaller saw will get a lot more use than a monster with a big bar. I have a single pine tree in my back yard that needs to come down. It was too big for the tree cutting shear and too close to buildings to just drop, so it just keeps growing. After seeing what a tree that size does to a house, I am going to top it, and start whittling at the massive trunk with a saw. My tractor should move it in decent lengths if anyone is interested in some pine wood when I get my round tuit. Should be before next hurricane season at the latest, unless I get lazy. 
  For now the saw is strictly for helping with Disaster and Recovery of the residents of the panhandle of Florida. Would have been nice to have it last week, but had no idea when I left Jax that it was anywhere this bad. I have been chasing hurricanes for about 30 years and have never seen it as widespread. 
   David from jax

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