Cardston
ArboristSite Member
Hi All! I just started a rebuild of Stihl 028 WB and then it occurred to me that there are probably forums where I could post the progress as well as get advice along the way. Google brought me here and I've spent several hours perusing all the great information that can be found here. So yeah, I'm new here 
Background
In 1979 my family moved into a new house that had a wood burning stove. I was 12 at the time and my dad bought a new chainsaw to cut wood for the stove. He would drag me along in the summer and we would fell trees, cut and split the wood and haul it home. I have a lot of good memories from the 3 or 4 years that we spent doing that.
Fast forward to 15 years ago when a windstorm blew down several trees on either end of the street that I lived on, blocking all the cars. The city was inundated with cleanup and it would be several days before they could get to our street. My dad came by, brought his saw and helped me clear the trees. When we were done, he gave the saw to me as he didn't need it anymore. The saw has sat unused these 15 years since that day and I've since moved into a home with a proper fireplace. I've been looking at new chainsaws to stock up on some wood and then it occurred to me that maybe the old saw would be worth fixing, but I figured it had seen better days and probably wouldn't even run.
Condition
I doubt the saw has much more than 100 hours on it, but my father has never been one to really care about taking care of his tools. He would throw the saw in the back of the pickup and I would hear it bouncing the 30 or 40 miles home on our trips. I remember thinking at the time, "that can't be good for the saw". Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, I got the OCD gene and keep all my tools & power tools well maintained. I have a 13 year old Honda Commercial mower that every year one of my neighbors comments on my "new" mower.
I pulled the saw out and it was a real mess. I took the bar and chain off and then pulled the spark plug and looked into the cylinder. I was expecting rust, but it was bright shiny metal! Maybe there was hope. I emptied the old gas out and added some non-ethanol mixture along with a capful of Berryman B12 Chemtool. It took 5 or 6 pulls but it finally choked to life. I could feel good compression on the pulls, so that was a good sign. Thick black & gray smoke poored out of it and it chugged along for several minutes. After about 5 minutes of me revving it, but not to full throttle and then letting it idle, the smoke cleared up and it ran quite smoothly. I worked it up to full throttle. I was shocked by how loud and torque-y (new word?) it was. Honestly, it felt better in my hands than a couple of the new saws I had checked out. And the sound and smell instantly brought back memories with my dad. So I have no choice-I have to restore this baby.
Goal
I'd like to restore it to as new of condition as possible including cosmetically, if for no other reason than I like my tools to look nice. Some parts are no longer made, so that presents a challenge. I may look into getting the frame and tank media blasted and then powder coated. If anybody has experience or insight on re-powdercoating, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
Let's get started
I had already done some clean up on the saw when I thought to look for a forum. So I don't have any pictures from the original condition. Drat. But it was a real mess. Here's where I'm at now.
Pulled the plastics. I had to cut the top one off as the screw attachment to the cylinder head was froze. Once I cut it off I used some pliers to torque the screw out. I didn't strip out the threads-so good. I've done some clean up on the chassis at this point. Pulled the clutch drum and oil pump gear. Pulled the muffler.
Pretty cool. Made in West Germany.
The chains and bar have seen better days.
The chain catcher was broken when I pulled it off.
The chain adjuster bolt was bent too. How does this even happen?
Cleaned up the clutch drum and oil gear. They look almost new. The good thing on the inside of the clutch drum is that there is almost no wear on it. I can't see or feel a groove or depression.
So that's where I'm at. I've started a long parts list and my local Stihl dealer has already placed the first of what I'm sure will be many orders. I'll probably end up paying as much or more in time and money as I would to buy a new one. But from the nostalgia point of view, it doesn't really matter and it will be a fun project.
I welcome all your advice and critiques and look forward to them.
-Dan
Background
In 1979 my family moved into a new house that had a wood burning stove. I was 12 at the time and my dad bought a new chainsaw to cut wood for the stove. He would drag me along in the summer and we would fell trees, cut and split the wood and haul it home. I have a lot of good memories from the 3 or 4 years that we spent doing that.
Fast forward to 15 years ago when a windstorm blew down several trees on either end of the street that I lived on, blocking all the cars. The city was inundated with cleanup and it would be several days before they could get to our street. My dad came by, brought his saw and helped me clear the trees. When we were done, he gave the saw to me as he didn't need it anymore. The saw has sat unused these 15 years since that day and I've since moved into a home with a proper fireplace. I've been looking at new chainsaws to stock up on some wood and then it occurred to me that maybe the old saw would be worth fixing, but I figured it had seen better days and probably wouldn't even run.
Condition
I doubt the saw has much more than 100 hours on it, but my father has never been one to really care about taking care of his tools. He would throw the saw in the back of the pickup and I would hear it bouncing the 30 or 40 miles home on our trips. I remember thinking at the time, "that can't be good for the saw". Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, I got the OCD gene and keep all my tools & power tools well maintained. I have a 13 year old Honda Commercial mower that every year one of my neighbors comments on my "new" mower.
I pulled the saw out and it was a real mess. I took the bar and chain off and then pulled the spark plug and looked into the cylinder. I was expecting rust, but it was bright shiny metal! Maybe there was hope. I emptied the old gas out and added some non-ethanol mixture along with a capful of Berryman B12 Chemtool. It took 5 or 6 pulls but it finally choked to life. I could feel good compression on the pulls, so that was a good sign. Thick black & gray smoke poored out of it and it chugged along for several minutes. After about 5 minutes of me revving it, but not to full throttle and then letting it idle, the smoke cleared up and it ran quite smoothly. I worked it up to full throttle. I was shocked by how loud and torque-y (new word?) it was. Honestly, it felt better in my hands than a couple of the new saws I had checked out. And the sound and smell instantly brought back memories with my dad. So I have no choice-I have to restore this baby.
Goal
I'd like to restore it to as new of condition as possible including cosmetically, if for no other reason than I like my tools to look nice. Some parts are no longer made, so that presents a challenge. I may look into getting the frame and tank media blasted and then powder coated. If anybody has experience or insight on re-powdercoating, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
Let's get started
I had already done some clean up on the saw when I thought to look for a forum. So I don't have any pictures from the original condition. Drat. But it was a real mess. Here's where I'm at now.
Pulled the plastics. I had to cut the top one off as the screw attachment to the cylinder head was froze. Once I cut it off I used some pliers to torque the screw out. I didn't strip out the threads-so good. I've done some clean up on the chassis at this point. Pulled the clutch drum and oil pump gear. Pulled the muffler.
Pretty cool. Made in West Germany.
The chains and bar have seen better days.
The chain catcher was broken when I pulled it off.
The chain adjuster bolt was bent too. How does this even happen?
Cleaned up the clutch drum and oil gear. They look almost new. The good thing on the inside of the clutch drum is that there is almost no wear on it. I can't see or feel a groove or depression.
So that's where I'm at. I've started a long parts list and my local Stihl dealer has already placed the first of what I'm sure will be many orders. I'll probably end up paying as much or more in time and money as I would to buy a new one. But from the nostalgia point of view, it doesn't really matter and it will be a fun project.
I welcome all your advice and critiques and look forward to them.
-Dan
