ChainLightning
Vintage Saw Stalker
What a great way to start off the new year. Which of these do you like the best? Feel free to post the downsides and the advantages to these various small budget models beginning from the 1970s that lasted until the 90s.
First of all I will start with the Poulan Micro 25. I bought one of these Craftsman versions used from a friend's dad a few years back. He had bought it in the late 80s and only used it twice, then stuck it in the case for 20 years. It was too small for him so he bought a 3400. I got this Craftsman version of the Micro 25 for $20. It was all red and made out out aluminum. All it said on it was "Craftsman Solid State" Then it said 2.0 or something like that on it. Took it home and replaced the lines since they were rotted. Also cleaned the tank and carb. She fired right up. I used that saw a few times but was having problems with the rope pulling out of the starter. I kept on rewinding it back in but once in a while it would pop back out again when cranking over. It had a little black plastic piece at the end of the rope that locked into the recoil. Must have been gotten worn out or something. That thing had a very short rope and was a pain to pull over anyways. (back then I did not even think about getting a longer rope)Long story short I decided to sell the saw mainly because it was too small. Put it on Craigslist fro $40 and ended up selling it for $30 because with my luck, when I went to show the buyer that it ran on the 3rd pull the rope came out again . I talked with that guy a year afterwords and he told me that he got it rewound by a pro small engine mechanic and it still popped back out. I still kick myself for selling that because it did not have a chip of paint off from it. Every thing on it looked new. If only I would have known that in the future that I would collect old saws...:msp_mellow:. It would have made a beautiful show piece.
Next I will go on about the Mini Mac. I have never personally tore into one but I have one that I want to dig into this summer. (A Mac 110 with a 16in bar. Gets spark and compression but needs the carb cleaned) I have heard too many bad stories about headaches associated with these saws and I know a few pro mechanics that will work on any saw but a Mini Mac. But I have also heard some good stories about them. Especially that they cut really good when running and tuned properly.
Next is the small Homelite's. I have completely tore down and rebuilt a XL, and a Super 2. Put all new lines (theres a million gas and oil lines in em ) and cleaned the carbs. They are not bad at all to work on but the only little problem that I had was getting that throttle linkage in there. I really do not like the "fixed clutch cover" setup on these. I find it to be a pain to get the bar and chain on quickly and tensioned right when you have that cover in your way. Overall the older ones made out of cast look a to be quite a bit better quality then the newer plastic ones. The dual triggers on the Super 2 is also very handy for limbing.
Overall I will say that I have really never cut that much with smaller saws like these. I work on them all the time for others or if I find a freebie or a cheap one in the scrap yard, but I find myself using the big saws even for limbing. Hopefully we will have some people post some stuff about performance! View attachment 271286View attachment 271287
First of all I will start with the Poulan Micro 25. I bought one of these Craftsman versions used from a friend's dad a few years back. He had bought it in the late 80s and only used it twice, then stuck it in the case for 20 years. It was too small for him so he bought a 3400. I got this Craftsman version of the Micro 25 for $20. It was all red and made out out aluminum. All it said on it was "Craftsman Solid State" Then it said 2.0 or something like that on it. Took it home and replaced the lines since they were rotted. Also cleaned the tank and carb. She fired right up. I used that saw a few times but was having problems with the rope pulling out of the starter. I kept on rewinding it back in but once in a while it would pop back out again when cranking over. It had a little black plastic piece at the end of the rope that locked into the recoil. Must have been gotten worn out or something. That thing had a very short rope and was a pain to pull over anyways. (back then I did not even think about getting a longer rope)Long story short I decided to sell the saw mainly because it was too small. Put it on Craigslist fro $40 and ended up selling it for $30 because with my luck, when I went to show the buyer that it ran on the 3rd pull the rope came out again . I talked with that guy a year afterwords and he told me that he got it rewound by a pro small engine mechanic and it still popped back out. I still kick myself for selling that because it did not have a chip of paint off from it. Every thing on it looked new. If only I would have known that in the future that I would collect old saws...:msp_mellow:. It would have made a beautiful show piece.
Next I will go on about the Mini Mac. I have never personally tore into one but I have one that I want to dig into this summer. (A Mac 110 with a 16in bar. Gets spark and compression but needs the carb cleaned) I have heard too many bad stories about headaches associated with these saws and I know a few pro mechanics that will work on any saw but a Mini Mac. But I have also heard some good stories about them. Especially that they cut really good when running and tuned properly.
Next is the small Homelite's. I have completely tore down and rebuilt a XL, and a Super 2. Put all new lines (theres a million gas and oil lines in em ) and cleaned the carbs. They are not bad at all to work on but the only little problem that I had was getting that throttle linkage in there. I really do not like the "fixed clutch cover" setup on these. I find it to be a pain to get the bar and chain on quickly and tensioned right when you have that cover in your way. Overall the older ones made out of cast look a to be quite a bit better quality then the newer plastic ones. The dual triggers on the Super 2 is also very handy for limbing.
Overall I will say that I have really never cut that much with smaller saws like these. I work on them all the time for others or if I find a freebie or a cheap one in the scrap yard, but I find myself using the big saws even for limbing. Hopefully we will have some people post some stuff about performance! View attachment 271286View attachment 271287