Vintage saw

[sawguy21]

I picked up this IEL HC yesterday courtesy of Paul_H, according to Mike's site it was built in 1956 or 57. 85.7cc, top rpm 4200. WHEW!!  :D Only things missing are the chain and crest. It is one heavy beast, take a bigger man than me to pack it around all day.


  


 

[woodsdog2015]

Very cool!

[HolmenTree]

Very nice sawguy21.
Lots of history in that IEL HC. Was introduced in 1956 with the latest improved Tillotson H series diaphram carburetor with built in fuel pump.
Demand was so great for this saw at the time that the factory had to work 3 shifts a day.
This was one of the last sand cast aluminum true IEL saw models produced before OMC (Evinrude and Johnson Outboard Motors) bought out the company that year.
Then changing the name  to Pioneer in 1957.

[thecfarm]

That HolemenTree guy strikes again. I gotta take a picture of my Father's old Homelite. Looks just about like that,but green.

[HolmenTree]

Yes most brands from a certain era looked similar.  :D

sawguy21's HC IEL was regarded as a pulp wood saw but was the original foundation of todays direct drive pro saws.
5 years earlier in 1951 IEL introduced the world's first direct drive saw the HA. Then in 1955-56 the HM and HC respectably with their direct drive and all position Tillotson carburetors were then followed with the development in 1956 with the 126cc direct drive JA capable of handling a 50" bar thus ending an era dominated by the gear drive saws felling large diameter timber.
Followed in 1957 by the IEL Pioneer 100cc high performance direct drive RA, then onto the 126cc JB and JC in the same year, thought of as the predecessors of today's modern direct drive chainsaw.
In 1959 Stihl introduced their first direct drive saw the Contra/Lightning and the same year Husqvarna came up with their 1st direct drive saw  and very first saw as a good start , the A90.

[sawguy21]

I had a clean RA, I wish I had not let it go but had no room for it and some other old timers when I moved.

[cbla]

Nice Saw! I just picked up a 1964 Homelite C-51 that I am going to try a exterior restoration. It is in rough shape. It will be just a show piece to sit on a live edge floating slab shelf at the camp.

[pineywoods]

That "little" IEL had a big brother that was an absolute beast..Two cylinder geared 50 inch bar. Took 2 good men to handle the thing..

[sawguy21]

By the time the HC was built those old two cylinder two man saws were on their way out. They were just too big and heavy to be practical especially on the steep slopes of the west coast rain forest.

[HolmenTree]

Interesting history about those old gear drive one man  saws that became poplar in the early 1950s. They were too slow and dangerous to delimb those big PNW softwoods with their big 3/4" etc. pitch sawchains,  so a axe had to be used  by labor law.
IEL made the worlds first direct drive one man saw in 1951 labelled the H series and they also made their own saw chain.
The company developed smaller pitch chain for their new high speed direct drive saws and were able to convince the workers comp board to allow these saws for limbing.
The rest is history of the saws we use today.....

[Kbeitz]

That would look good in my collection...

The neatest one I have is a Clinton that has a carb that needs rotated with the tilt of the saw.



 

[donbj]

Reviving Sawguy21's thread with a couple neat saws in my recent aquisition. They are IEL HM and HA(the one with swivel handle) as far as I can figger out. Pretty much complete saws except for one muffler. 85cc's

The one that swivels the handle and carb is because the carb had to be upright to work while felling a tree.


 

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[sawguy21]

I have a parts HC that iirc has a muffler. It is locked up at the local shop until the fifth but I will have a look.

[donbj]

Thanks! I'll definitely be keeping these two. No hurry at all though. That swivel coupling was sure an air leak waiting to happen I bet!

[Real1shepherd]

Yes most brands from a certain era looked similar.  :D

sawguy21's HC IEL was regarded as a pulp wood saw but was the original foundation of todays direct drive pro saws.
5 years earlier in 1951 IEL introduced the world's first direct drive saw the HA. Then in 1955-56 the HM and HC respectably with their direct drive and all position Tillotson carburetors were then followed with the development in 1956 with the 126cc direct drive JA capable of handling a 50" bar thus ending an era dominated by the gear drive saws felling large diameter timber.
Followed in 1957 by the IEL Pioneer 100cc high performance direct drive RA, then onto the 126cc JB and JC in the same year, thought of as the predecessors of today's modern direct drive chainsaw.
In 1959 Stihl introduced their first direct drive saw the Contra/Lightning and the same year Husqvarna came up with their 1st direct drive saw  and very first saw as a good start , the A90.

That IEL first direct drive chainsaw was really the 'father' of the modern chainsaw. Pretty much everything has evolved or been copied from it.
Kevin

[donbj]

Doing a bit of go over on a couple more tonight. I can't seem to find the models of these two. The McCulloch on the left has the recoil on the clutch side and works good. Starter pawls are on the clutch. The one on the right is an IEL/Pioneer but I can't figure out what model. Cool thing is they both have a nice healthy spark and good compression. These will be fun.
Any tips on what model these are is appreciated.