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General Forestry => Chainsaws => Topic started by: weimedog on December 16, 2015, 11:12:40 AM

Title: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 16, 2015, 11:12:40 AM
Before 372's

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11485/3423/268.jpg)

(My first "Modern" saw was a 365..)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11485/ssaws.jpg)

Before plastic:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11485/sXL-925.jpg)

Times have changed! Any old Iron Saws you have pictures of that were a part of your life?? Actually... even better; any that you still use today?? Even if its just from time to time.."Metal" or real Jonsered's qualify. PICS please...:)

(Kicking myself still for getting rid of that 797, still have the 365 & 925 though; rest are gone )

Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: sawguy21 on December 16, 2015, 12:18:40 PM
I started with my dad's Mac 15, spent more time tinkering with that DanG thing than we did cutting.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: mad murdock on December 16, 2015, 02:00:59 PM
Promac 10-10A, Homelite Super XL, and Jonsered 52E.  Those were my intro into using chainsaws.  I still really enjoy running the macs.  They are still my fav.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: beenthere on December 16, 2015, 02:20:29 PM
Homelite EZ-6 in the late 50's. Gear drive... video of one noodling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYRhDZbcxqg

Through the 60's, was Homelite XL-12.. a highpoint for Homelite, as it seemed downhill for them after those years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrQL3qGlHMc
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 16, 2015, 02:37:42 PM
Quote from: beenthere on December 16, 2015, 02:20:29 PM
Homelite EZ-6 in the late 50's. Gear drive... video of one noodling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYRhDZbcxqg

Through the 60's, was Homelite XL-12.. a highpoint for Homelite, as it seemed downhill for them after those years.

Very cool!
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: ZeroJunk on December 16, 2015, 02:41:08 PM
I started with a Homelite 7-19C in the early 70's.  I think it was 15 years old when I got it.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: sawguy21 on December 16, 2015, 03:11:00 PM
I still have a blue XL-12, it doesn't see much use anymore.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: old2stroke on December 16, 2015, 04:05:57 PM
Had a number of pioneers, an IEL(before it was pioneer), a 650, a 450, and I still have a farmsaw , a p20 and a p41 that I use on a regular basis.  My homelite gems were a ZIPP, XL-12, XL-1 and a XL-76 and a XL-922 that are still in top running condition.  The only McCulloch that sticks in my mind is a D-44 that was one of the first good direct drive saws used in pulp wood production in north eastern Canada.  Still have a couple of those evil little MiniMac 110s in good running condition.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: isawlogs on December 16, 2015, 04:22:35 PM
 I had to stop listening to the XL-12 video, poor saws chain was way too tight....

  My first chainsaw lesson was on an XL-12 same as the video, the bracket that held the top handle on most of those saws was welded back together, I figure whom ever had that saw never worked it very hard.
   My first working saw was a Husky 162, it was also the first professional chainsaw that husky made. It was light and well balanced, loved that saw.  :)

 

Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: jwilly3879 on December 16, 2015, 04:39:29 PM
I started at age 15 running an old gear drive McCulloch that if it didn't start you had to tip it on its side and then pull like mad until it started. Followed that up with an antique Remington, an XL-101, then an XL-12.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: HolmenTree on December 16, 2015, 05:25:05 PM
First saw I ever ran was a Homelite XL902. Raced this XL922 for a bit. These were Canadian Homelites made in Quebec.


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21589/image0~1.jpg)
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: sandsawmill14 on December 16, 2015, 08:22:15 PM
this is a few old saws i hope to have running some day


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38145/IMG_20151216_181148.jpg)
i dont know if this one or my david bradley is the oldest it just says tecumseh engine co on it (i think) ???


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38145/IMG_20151216_181205.jpg)
this one is a big old sears it says sears h drive 47


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38145/IMG_20151216_181256.jpg) 

 
this is one with my little ford saw for size comparison :)

this is the ones in my shop my 1020 1050 super and big david bradley are at my dads along with numerous little 150 homelites, macs, poulands and numerous others but i will get a pic in a day or 2 if i can remember it
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Al_Smith on December 16, 2015, 09:01:47 PM
For 7-9 years I sold firewood with a Mac PM 610 and a Poulan S-25 .I wouldn't however really call them "not modern" although they might be considered that now.

The Mac for example will cut about as fast any 60 cc saw made today but it weighs about as much as a 100 cc plus saw .Still have it still runs, sits on the shelf .
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 16, 2015, 10:24:08 PM
Pics?
Guess technically the first saw I ran was a poulan 361 I think its model number was with a bow bar. That was in the early 1970's...like 72? I've never seen another one in that configuration and can't even find a picture on the net..:( Acernet has a pic of a saw with a conventional bar.

I DID find this pic posted in a gallery by a member  on this web site! Something similar

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/bowsaw_3.jpg
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: grassfed on December 17, 2015, 11:01:47 AM
I'm impressed that everybody can remember back that far.

My first saw was one that my dad bought so I could cut a couple of miles of fence line back in 1977.

It was a Husquvarna and I talked dad into buying it because I thought that Husqvarna dirt bikes were cool.

I do not remember what model it was but it may have been a 162. It ran really strong; before that saw all I had run was the neighbors Mcculloch and the Husky seemed to run much stronger.

The saw did have some problems with the starter dogs breaking and dad got mad and traded it in for (I think) a Pioneer P51 (or 41) after a month or 2.

I remember thinking that the Pioneer was a lot less powerful than the Husky but it was more reliable.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: 49er on December 17, 2015, 12:06:25 PM
Quote from: sawguy21 on December 16, 2015, 03:11:00 PM
I still have a blue XL-12, it doesn't see much use anymore.

That was my first chainsaw. When I bought my HuskyL65 in 1978 I used the little Homelite for target practice. It felt good

Pictures to follow.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: trapper on December 17, 2015, 11:43:51 PM
I was 15 when my father purchased a used McCulloch super33 gear driven for me to cut our firewood.  He couldn't get to the woods himself because of a bad hip from being gored by a bull.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: timberlinetree on December 18, 2015, 05:47:49 AM
Husky 288 or 266? It had a metal chain brake.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Grandedog on December 18, 2015, 05:42:07 PM
     Howdy,
   The first saw I made a buck with was a Mac Super 44. It was about the most awkward saw to start that I've had. It ran 1/2" pitch chain but that was perfect for all the blue gum I was cutting. It had some kinda slow chain speed but, it was handy being able to sharpen while I was cutting.
Regards
Gregg
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: dsgsr on December 18, 2015, 07:02:13 PM
Lombard (blue I think) Not my saw but my older brothers. I had to lug it into the woods for him. I was about 7 or 8 in the late 60's. I moved brush and plied wood. If he was going to cut logs he would bring the Horse.

David
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Gearbox on December 18, 2015, 07:25:53 PM
I started in the woods on the measuring stick befor I could lift a saw . think the first saw i ran was a Homelite 7 19 . Then a XL 12 backed up by a Homelite Zip .
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: hacknchop on December 18, 2015, 08:52:47 PM
First saw I ran was a big yellow saw with glass sedament bowl was pretty heavy found it in the barn my father in law then bought us an homelite xl76 that was in early 80's been killing trees ever since.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: coxy on December 18, 2015, 10:30:42 PM
Quote from: timberlinetree on December 18, 2015, 05:47:49 AM
Husky 288 or 266? It had a metal chain brake.
don't forget the 281
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: chet on December 18, 2015, 11:18:31 PM
Quote from: weimedog on December 16, 2015, 10:24:08 PM
Pics?
Guess technically the first saw I ran was a poulan 361 I think its model number was with a bow bar. That was in the early 1970's...like 72? I've never seen another one in that configuration and can't even find a picture on the net..:( Acernet has a pic of a saw with a conventional bar.

I DID find this pic posted in a gallery by a member  on this web site! Something similar

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/bowsaw_3.jpg

Hey, Dats me   :D

Here's da original thread about dat ole girl. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,18810.msg270327.html#msg270327
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 19, 2015, 02:17:16 AM
So how is that saw running?? What model is it again?
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Al_Smith on December 19, 2015, 05:17:40 AM
Quote from: Grandedog on December 18, 2015, 05:42:07 PM
     Howdy,
     It had some kinda slow chain speed but, it was handy being able to sharpen while I was cutting.
Regards
Gregg
It was slow because it had an air vane governor .I have one myself ,gov bypassed .It's a sleeping tiger because then it becomes a Mac 10 kart engine ;)
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 19, 2015, 08:44:23 AM
Would be fun to see that on video .. a before and after. Especially a 1/2 chain with some chain speed because of the RPM's in one of those old monsters..:)
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: JohnG28 on December 19, 2015, 11:16:11 AM
 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21019/20140101_130521~0.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21019/20140101_130447.jpg)

Never used this saw in production or anything, but here's my Jonsereds 90. No pictures of my Homelites but we did have XLs and Super XL at the camp when I was a kid. Remember my grandfather, dad and uncles running them when I was a kid. Good memories.  :)
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 19, 2015, 02:03:32 PM
Very nice, that's got to be a real beast of a saw!
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: JohnG28 on December 19, 2015, 04:20:26 PM
Thanks. To be honest I think I've run it twice since I picked it up a year or so ago. Just haven't had a lot of spare time to play around, unfortunately. Has a 20" bar, definitely plenty of guts! Strange, for a big, older saw it does have a (somewhat) modern feel to it IMO. I don't know if it's just the layout or looks? Maybe just me?!?  :D Cool saw either way though.  ;D
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: HolmenTree on December 19, 2015, 04:42:47 PM
Quote from: JohnG28 on December 19, 2015, 04:20:26 PM
Strange, for a big, older saw it does have a (somewhat) modern feel to it IMO. I don't know if it's just the layout or looks? Maybe just me?!?  :D Cool saw either way though.  ;D
It's the quality of workmanship that saw has that sets it apart  from what we have today.
About a 45 year old design that has machining, material and fit that would be much too expensive to manufacture today to make a profit in selling.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: HolmenTree on December 19, 2015, 04:53:45 PM
 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21589/image0~5.jpg)
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: petefrom bearswamp on December 19, 2015, 05:24:53 PM
I have had all smaller stuff as most of my work was tsi.
XL12 XL15 gear XL101 XL103(shook itself apart) 2 xl12SUPERs I still have 1 of these husky 61 Husky 345 Echo cs600P All were good except the 103
Also won a baby Dolmar in a raffle used it some but it never ran very good,
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Kbeitz on December 19, 2015, 06:03:28 PM
Do you mean back when the chain looked like this ???



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/vintage_1.JPG)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/vintage_2.JPG)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/vintage_3.JPG)
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Kbeitz on December 19, 2015, 06:06:37 PM
And the chain saws looked like this ???



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/Chainsaw_all~0.jpg)

Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: nitehawk55 on December 20, 2015, 09:32:35 AM
A fellow I worked with owned a farm and wanted some hard maple trees along the one field he had . I had never run a saw as I was in my late teens but I know I was using an old McCulloch of some kind . I'm probably lucky I didn't get hurt , I had no fear when I was dropping and bucking up some of those trees .
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: JohnG28 on December 20, 2015, 09:46:59 AM
Quote from: HolmenTree on December 19, 2015, 04:42:47 PM
Quote from: JohnG28 on December 19, 2015, 04:20:26 PM
Strange, for a big, older saw it does have a (somewhat) modern feel to it IMO. I don't know if it's just the layout or looks? Maybe just me?!?  :D Cool saw either way though.  ;D
It's the quality of workmanship that saw has that sets it apart  from what we have today.
About a 45 year old design that has machining, material and fit that would be much too expensive to manufacture today to make a profit in selling.

I agree. It would cost way too much to build a saw with same material and build quality. Lot of Mag on that saw! Definitely way ahead of its time.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: petefrom bearswamp on December 20, 2015, 10:03:36 AM
Forgot about my NYS Ranger school days in 1958
Homelite 6-24, 7-21 and a Mall heavier than a bushel of rocks along with a 2 man which I forget the brand of but maybe a disston.
We used to say #@$% a mall.
Kbeitz are any of those  mall saws?
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: Maine372 on December 20, 2015, 03:33:50 PM
being mid 80's vintage myself, my first trigger time was on an 038mag stihl. it spent plenty of time on the shelf after we upgraded to a 371 husqy but ive had it running as a back up saw. it will keep pace with the stock 372s and isn't that much heavier.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: CR888 on December 20, 2015, 06:34:08 PM
It's funny we are talking old saws and their build quality. An old saw to me is an 066 or ms260 or a 2 series Husky. But the 'old saw' bug bit me and l bought a tidy original $50 Partner R-16 (55cc's) out of my local classifieds. I stripped the saw right down rebuilt it, new carb kit, starter rope, and painted it in original partner yellow with 2pac paint. I too was amazed that this saw from 1967 was such a high quality unit. Tillotson carb, mahle cylinder, magnesium everything ect. It is lighter and smaller in size than any pro saw today with similar displacement. It's more size wise like a 40cc saw today. After a full restoration l only need to get a NOS roller nose bar for it to bring it back to the original way it was delivered new. The choke/on off switch is integrated in the handle and when l slide the choke button forward it reminds me of closing the door on a 7series BMW or S class Benz giving you that warm fuzzy feeling knowing no expense was spared making this saw as good as it can be for the time it was made. Even tuning it with the big H & L screws is a pleasure, a quarter turn actually changes tune unlike the funny new carbs. Throttle response is instant and a feather hand is not needed with the tourquey lower RPM cylinder. This saw has got me now hooked on the old Partners. When l grew up my dad used a Partner and l remember wishing he had a Stihl thinking he had some no name second rate saw as Stihl was advertised everywhere. But his partner ran great, had an awesome sound but was unfortunately stolen when his shed got broken into so l never got it. My next old saw project is a Jonsereds 70E with the metal recoil grill. I bet too l will be impressed when its in pieces on my bench. While new saws run much better and smoother, they just are not the same as the older classics, that is for sure.
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: weimedog on December 20, 2015, 09:14:44 PM
Quote from: CR888 on December 20, 2015, 06:34:08 PM
It's funny we are talking old saws and their build quality. An old saw to me is an 066 or ms260 or a 2 series Husky. But the 'old saw' bug bit me and l bought a tidy original $50 Partner R-16 (55cc's) out of my local classifieds. ............................ I bet too l will be impressed when its in pieces on my bench. While new saws run much better and smoother, they just are not the same as the older classics, that is for sure.

Uh Oh.......:) This might get time consuming. Your Significant other, if your have one; may say things like mine does..... "Your saws are having babies! Seems like every time I go out into that garage....there are more! :) And it becomes fun to show they can make chips too.....you will need therapy..
Title: Re: What You Ran Before Modern Saws.. Bet This Could Be A Scary Thread!
Post by: HolmenTree on December 20, 2015, 09:51:23 PM
 :D good one .