Best saw to build?

[Inaotherlife]

I just got a barely used late 90's 60cc Poulan. It's a pro-style saw with mag case,  adjustable oiler, good spring AV, and advertised as 12 pounds even for the powerhead. And I really like the way the mufflers are made on these old Poulans.

But no chainbrake.

Didn't pay much for it and plan on looking around for a bigger plug and jug for it. Not sure what or how yet.

That's a pretty light saw for 60cc. And hopefully I can find a way to make it 70 or more.

And I'm also going to keep an eye out for one of their 9.5 pound 40cc mag case saws and see if I can find a way to put the 60cc jug on that. Or l think they have another 40cc mag case saw that's a little over 10 pounds that I might try also.
I don't know the difference in a lot of these saws. But if you look around you can often find them cheap enough to do some experimenting on without breaking the bank.

Some of the bigger yellow Poulan Pro saws from around that time have a good rep as a solid pro-style saw also.
And the Craftsman branded mag case Poulans are another that aren't too pricey.

[Al_Smith]

Poulan got a bad rep from the less expensive models they made for Sears and Roebuck .The older all metal chainsaws were made very well but most have never seen one .
The very first saw I ever bought and one of only two new ones I ever bought was sold under the name of Dayton electric motor .It was just a Poulan S-25 with orange paint and sold for $30 less than the green Poulan $139.95 .That was around 1973-74 and I still have it and it  runs as good today if not better than it did brand new .This model is a light weight ,almost top handle and actually preferred by tree trimmers over the Stihl  model 020 AV top handle during the time period .It weighs exactly what the Stihl does and has just a tad more power and has a tremendous oiler ,thumb oiler over an automatic .I owned that thing for 35 years before I ever did any work on it .Fuel line and carb rebuild .Two or three clutch drums which is a wear item any way .Same solid bar which I've dressed several times .We're talking around 45 years here .

[wild262]

Poulan got a bad rep from the less expensive models they made for Sears and Roebuck . 

That's sounds familar.  That's even more true today with brands in these box stores we have among us.  It just tarnishes the reputation of brands that had a good name at one time with there whole line of saws.  That's supposed to be progress I guess, and yes I know why they did it.  Cheap options are not always the best anymore. 

[Al_Smith]

The point is the manufacturers have different market gaps to fill .For example very large displacement saws are not great sellers by numbers .Certain robustly made but not professional saws sell many more units and are just fine for less intensive work.  Around the farm or sawing firewood and they last a long time doing that .Professional saws which cost a lot more are designed to be rebuilt many times ,cost more and for all intents have more power per size that those previously mentioned .They all cut wood .

[Inaotherlife]

The very first saw I ever bought and one of only two new ones I ever bought was sold under the name of Dayton electric motor .It was just a Poulan S-25 with orange paint and sold for $30 less than the green Poulan $139.95 .That was around 1973-74 and I still have it and it  runs as good today if not better than it did brand new .This model is a light weight ,almost top handle and actually preferred by tree trimmers over the Stihl  model 020 AV top handle during the time period .It weighs exactly what the Stihl does and has just a tad more power and has a tremendous oiler ,thumb oiler over an automatic .I owned that thing for 35 years before I ever did any work on it .Fuel line and carb rebuild .Two or three clutch drums which is a wear item any way .Same solid bar which I've dressed several times .We're talking around 45 years here .

Something like this?


 
This must be a later model, late 70's maybe, with a laminated bar. And a red Craftsman variant. But all magnesium.
This one came with both automatic and manual oiler (S25DA?). The manual oiler has been disabled.
I picked it up recently for twenty-five bucks. Needs a carb rebuild.
I also have a later Craftsman version of the same saw, but in 33cc (Micro 25?), and automatic only oiler. It has the red plastic handle and carb cover, but runs perfectly.

[HolmenTree]

Poulan got a bad rep from the less expensive models they made for Sears and Roebuck .The older all metal chainsaws were made very well but most have never seen one .
The very first saw I ever bought and one of only two new ones I ever bought was sold under the name of Dayton electric motor .It was just a Poulan S-25 with orange paint and sold for $30 less than the green Poulan $139.95 .That was around 1973-74 and I still have it and it  runs as good today if not better than it did brand new .This model is a light weight ,almost top handle and actually preferred by tree trimmers over the Stihl  model 020 AV top handle during the time period .It weighs exactly what the Stihl does and has just a tad more power and has a tremendous oiler ,thumb oiler over an automatic .I owned that thing for 35 years before I ever did any work on it .Fuel line and carb rebuild .Two or three clutch drums which is a wear item any way .Same solid bar which I've dressed several times .We're talking around 45 years here .

Poulan did well in 1973 when bought out by Weed Eater and Emerson Electric. Electrolux had different plans for them in 1978 and onwards.

Pioneer was another company with a full fleet of pro saws into the late 1970's and had it good, until owner OMC decided to quit making chainsaws and focus only on outboard motors in 1977.
A group of Pioneer's employees took over the operation but were unable to return to production until 1 year later.
Was a rough startup for them as distributors and market share were lost. They soldiered on with excellent saws. Were even testing their new P35 prototypes in 1982 to compete with the new European imports from Stihl and Husqvarna.
But the company was underfunded and unable to recover its place in the market.
They were forced to sell out to Electrolux in 1983.
Here's the 1982 P35  that never made it to market.
Still a dozen or so of the prototypes some where in Ontario Canada.


 

[Al_Smith]

In 1974 we went to the Colorado mountains west of Vale  to deer hunt .I took the little Poulan and my cousin had a little Pioneer to cut firewood for camp ,aspen .At altitudes near 9000 feet they both boiled the gas in the tanks .Other that that they both ran okay .I have not seen a Pioneer in years .

[joe_indi]

Stihl 046 Magnum or early 371/372XP.
Smaller saws Stihl 026Super or Husqvarna 242XP/346XP .

I would go with, and include the 026/260 and the Husky 365 in the list.
However, for starters I would buy one of those 52cc Zenoah clones, give it a set of decent bearings and a genuine Walbro carb. Replace all vital screws, throw in a good guidebar and a .325 chisel chain and you have a good saw in your hands.

[HolmenTree]

Under Electrolux ownership starting in 1983 the Pioneer company eventually moved years later to the U.S. Poulan/Weed Eater plant .

The Pioneer P35 prototypes I mentioned in my last post was Pioneer's first attempt in designing a vertical cylinder chainsaw in 1976-1977 not 1982 like I mentioned earlier.
When the company sold to Electrolux the project was scrapped and the 25 prototypes were mostly destroyed or rumor says were buried under the city's new airport runway.

Six were said to have survived .
One pictured in my first post is Mike Acres, I took the picture from David Lee's Chainsaw History book.
Second saw is owned by collector Alain from Quebec. He has 4 pictures on his site.
So 4 are unaccounted for.
I just found a third P35 owned by a Jeff from Ontario,  a few weeks ago he was advertising on a buy and sell site looking for a top cover for his P35.
Here's his pics,  good looking saw for being  built in 1976. Same year the Husqvarna 162 was introduced.


 

 

 

[HolmenTree]

The P35 was the last true Pioneer built in 1977 when parent company OMC stopped making chainsaws.

[Air Lad]

35cc?

[HolmenTree]

35cc?

I suspect 60cc as the P28 was 51cc.

[starmac]

The poulans were very popular in East Texas and lowsyana piney woods with the loggers back in the day, so were the bow barsI owned a couple, and put them in the same catagory with the old homelites, and macs, and really every other brand saws, they were great for their time, but and kind of neat to have, but I would much, much, much rather have newer saws to use.

[Al_Smith]

You can take some rather vintage saws and do a little tweak and massage here and there and make them cut just about as fast a newer saw.Keep in mind though most don't have very good anti vibration cushioning and will be loud enough to raise the dead.
As I've mentioned before although it's enjoyable for me it's not for everybody .In spite of having some where in the neighborhood of 50 saws my go to's are only about three .All Stihl's ,all enhanced .MS 200T ,024 and 038 Magnum .For all intents the remainders are self queens .