Swap meet find

[SnoJetter]

My wife and I attend a swap meet in southern MN every spring.  This year was wet but not enough to dampen our spirits.  As I walked past one swapper's line up, I spied a pretty red saw under one of his tables.  I walked over and gave it a quick look.  A Jonny 2152.  It's compete, nothing major is broken.  I pulled the recoil and found it had very healthy compression.  Yeah. This one won't be cheap...

Before I could ask, the swapper came up and said "$40 for the saw.  I just had it running a few minutes ago."  I about choked and casually pulled out my wallet. I am not passing that deal up.  Even if it was blown, it's worth it.

When I got home, it fired on the first pull and idled happily.  I tested it on a small ash blow down and it ran perfectly.  The chain does need a good sharpening though - guess I can't have it all.  I love finding a good deal like that.

Curiously, I've purchased several used Jonsered saws over the years and all but a couple of them have come with a brand specific scabbard. Seems fortunate...



 

 

[backwoodsboy]

How do you find swap meets like this one? Are they fairly common? 

[DHansen]

Very nice!

[sablatnic]

That scabbard is from before the name change fourty years ago, don't lose it!

[rusticretreater]

Awesome.  This post belongs in the score of the day thread.

[sawguy21]

 8) I am amazed at the treasures that show up at swap meets and auctions.

[SnoJetter]

I can't speak to other parts of the country, but a swap meet like this isn't common in MN; flea markets are more typical.  This particular swap covers nearly the entire show grounds of a vintage tractor club. Their annual show is late summer, but this swap is a big deal every spring.  Must be 40 acres at least.  Sore feet are the norm...

[SnoJetter]

That scabbard is from before the name change fourty years ago, don't lose it!

What do you know, I didn't notice that. I must have nearly a dozen of these scabbards.  I wonder if they all have the "s" or some just say Jonsered.  I've never paid attention.  This one isn't chewed up at all.  It's pretty nice.

Each of my work saws has it's own Jonsered scabbard.  Well, except for my lone Stihl.  That one wouldn't look good in red.

[SnoJetter]

8) I am amazed at the treasures that show up at swap meets and auctions.

No kidding. Finding a deal like this isn't something I come across often.  Just a 100ft away was another swapper who deals in vintage saws specifically.  His prices were more along the lines of "retail" I guess you could say.  He had an 820 and 920, but those aren't practical for me even if the prices were low.

Another seller had a very clean 70E for $50.  Again, not practical for me so I didn't buy it, even though that's another good deal even if a project.  I walked past that seller on our way out and it had sold. Not surprised..and I would have reconsidered if it were still there.

Several years ago I found a Jonny 535 torn apart in a handbag for $5 at this same swap. A good deal for parts.  But when I put it back together, it ran fine. Go figure!

[Al_Smith]

You have to know a good deal when you find one and you certainly did .Some people manage to find old saws by the truck load which they flip for a small profit but they might do 200-300 a year .Others might think a McCulloch 10-10 is worth $300 .It's unwise to base the value of a saw based on E-Bay or forum prices . Myself I don't scour the country side for bargains and usually find them purely by accident .My latest is a pair of 49 cc Partners both with bad coils at $19 a pop ---$40 each  8)

[SnoJetter]

Update: I ran this saw all weekend and it performed flawlessly.  The weekend of the swap always corresponds to a visit with my folks where I help Dad cut firewood.  I brought a couple other saws with me, but this 2152 was used almost exclusively.  The chain required a couple passes with the file.  The first sharpening just wasn't cutting it (ha ha).  I then pulled out a brand new file and really laid into the teeth.  That did the trick and it was throwing nice big chips and cutting straight as an arrow to the tune of 4 trailer loads - and no need for a touch-up yet!

I found a couple minor issues.  First off, the kill lever is cracked.  It functions until the wire falls out.  It just won't hold it in place, so I'll need to get that fixed.  Perhaps superglue will work (fix the crack, not glue the wire to the lever), otherwise I'll just replace it.  I also found the "boot" (where the throttle wire passes from the trigger into the shroud) is torn so I'll need to fix that as well.  Maybe superglue works on rubber?

Speaking of the scabbards, I looked at my collection when I got home.  I have 10 red scabbards.  Three of them say "Jonsereds" and the other seven just saw "Jonsered."  I had never noticed that before.  I also found that I am one short.  All my work saws have a scabbard except for one 2159 which is currently wearing a 16" bar and just doesn't look right.  It needs a bigger bar before going out in public.

[Guydreads]

Saw a 2159 for 10 bucks today (only missing a muffler). Got to it too late unfortunately. Extremely clean saw as well. Sad

[motzingg]

I've got the same (2150) and I paid $100 in worse condition, and i love it. Its my 'go to' saw for most things around the farm.   I'll have to see which scabbard i have. 


The kill switch was broken on mine, the wire had come out of the guide and was rubbed through so i covered it with some heat shrink, which fattened it up, then i was able to melt the little plastic thing holding it in place to the kill switch back over with a soldering iron to tighten it up.   Its been golden ever since.

I love the action of the kill switch on these, the way the choke clicks off and the way the kill switch is easy to just pop in with a nudge from your thumb.  Its like having a gun with a good safety, its like the first thing i look for buying a gun, minor detail but so important.