“I don’t want ANYTHING to do without chainsaws”

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

@trains just found out, the ms 500i has arrived in Oz! 2,000 smackers (1364 usd)

I WISH I needed a saw, I don’t even have any wood to cut up! I would be buying it just to look at, maybe start occasionally, and cut with once a year, but I want one! F-you CAD

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

Something is definitely intriguing about them for sure.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Something is definitely intriguing about them for sure.

They have the nicest look of any stihl saw I think! If I sell my new ms 180 and the 260 i’d Only need.... a a meagre 1500 dollars... hmmmm

I literally need only one good reason to get one, but so far, every reason is why I shouldn’t get one

 

[rogue60]

Anyone else still waiting for Tom to actually fix a chainsaw properly? Lol
Like actually buy new parts to replace parts in an engine that are clearly well past it or been straight gased! and not just sandpaper something and call it good?
Why such bad advice has been given to Tom throughout his 2 thousand thread count learning curve on the matter of fixing/rebuilding chainsaws IDK? (e.g. it's ok to sand a straight gassed piston and rings and reuse it them?) No that would be called dodgy work at best?...
Not having a go at you Tom don't take it the wrong way but just remember if you continue down this path fixing little industrial engine's one day you will have to stand by your work and cutting corners doesn't work in that world...
Keep at it and just remember if a job is worth doing it's worth doing right yeah? stand by your work.
Chinese parts in a Stihl chainsaw? Selling a saw in AU 1st thing anyone will ask you is has it been rebuilt with oem or aftermarket parts? Oem you can state that fact that oem has been used and charge top doller as for aftermarket no matter how good said parts are? is just bottom feeder stuff and most of your time will be spent trying to convince them no really this aftermarket Chinese crank/piston is just as good as oem Stihl?..
A few paths to walk which one you take is your call and no I'm not saying oem or nothing I'm saying if your going to fix something at the very lest fix it properly your reputation rides on this..

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

dont Feel bad I have a 44” tool box little over half is small engine tools

Ahh this is brilliant!

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Her 1st time on a saw (any saw) View attachment 773214 View attachment 773215
The mac adiction.. Thanks Arboristsite View attachment 773216

Had 1 saw when I joined here less than two years ago

I love this!! Good going mate I bet she had a blast!

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Most men like to work on stuff, it’s just the nature of the beast. Chainsaws are probably the easiest thing I’ve come across to work on with the most minimal tools needed to do so. It’s a fun hobby. I’ve got about every tool a man could have in my shop and work on so many different things. I, too, just fell into chainsaw repair. Probably because it’s cheap, so simple my 14 year old can do it, you can easily drink beer as you’re doing it, you can make money from it, and it beats the hell out of staring blindly at a television set.

enjoy the new hobby.

Thanks mate some really great points

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

View attachment 773210


View attachment 773211

View attachment 773212

View attachment 773213

Bahahah Grant you never fail to make me chuckle

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Anyone else still waiting for Tom to actually fix a chainsaw properly? Lol
Like actually buy new parts to replace parts in an engine that are clearly well past it or been straight gased! and not just sandpaper something and call it good?
Why such bad advice has been given to Tom throughout his 2 thousand thread count learning curve on the matter of fixing/rebuilding chainsaws IDK? (e.g. it's ok to sand a straight gassed piston and rings and reuse it them?) No that would be called dodgy work at best?...
Not having a go at you Tom don't take it the wrong way but just remember if you continue down this path fixing little industrial engine's one day you will have to stand by your work and cutting corners doesn't work in that world...
Keep at it and just remember if a job is worth doing it's worth doing right yeah? stand by your work.
Chinese parts in a Stihl chainsaw? Selling a saw in AU 1st thing anyone will ask you is has it been rebuilt with oem or aftermarket parts? Oem you can state that fact that oem has been used and charge top doller as for aftermarket no matter how good said parts are? is just bottom feeder stuff and most of your time will be spent trying to convince them no really this aftermarket Chinese crank/piston is just as good as oem Stihl?..
A few paths to walk which one you take is your call and no I'm not saying oem or nothing I'm saying if your going to fix something at the very lest fix it properly your reputation rides on this..

...Annnnnnnnnd breath mate! You went on a little journey on your own there slagging many people on this forum whilst offering some pretty poor advice yourself, insulting me and talking about project saws that you know nothing about or why the project was started in the first place. Sometimes it’s better to just keep ignorant, incorrect and uninformed thoughts to yourself bud, have a beer, focus on your own projects and chill a little.

 

[Goofaroo]

I started years ago bringing motorcycles back to life. Let’s just say I now have a few bikes. lol

Bikes took up a lot of room so I switched to model aircraft engines. I now have a pretty elaborate collection.

Next came garden tractors of which I now have four.

I started building guitar kits and have always collected vintage instruments but they require climate controlled storage so they are stored throughout the house.

About a year ago I only had two chainsaws. A Craftsman top handle that I bought in the early nineties and a CS 450 that I bought about 10 years ago. Then I was at an auction and bought two vintage Homelites for $10. Got them up and running and got the chainsaw addiction. I picked up a few more at yard sales and estate sales. Then I was at a motorcycle swap meet and met a guy and told him of my interest in saws. He told me he had some in his shop and had lost interest. We exchanged phone numbers and a few days later I went to his house to see what he had. There were about 35 saws and a few other power tools. There were only a couple of newer saws. The rest were all of earlier vintage. David Bradley, Titan, Sears,
Sachs Dolmar, Echo, Homelite, McCulloch, Poulan, Craftsman, etc. I also ended up with boxes of bars and chains. I gave the guy $140 and loaded the whole mess in my truck.

So far I’ve brought about 5 of them back to life but I have about 5 more in process. Of course I have also picked up more saws whenever I come across them.

What I enjoy is bringing things back to life but I also like to do it as cheaply as possible. I very rarely buy a saw for more than $10 and spend as little as possible to get it in top running condition. I probably don’t have more than $50 in any of them and in most cases far less than that.

So don’t feel bad about your saw addiction. There are people out there with a much worse problem.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

I started years ago bringing motorcycles back to life. Let’s just say I now have a few bikes. lol

Bikes took up a lot of room so I switched to model aircraft engines. I now have a pretty elaborate collection.

Next came garden tractors of which I now have four.

I started building guitar kits and have always collected vintage instruments but they require climate controlled storage so they are stored throughout the house.

About a year ago I only had two chainsaws. A Craftsman top handle that I bought in the early nineties and a CS 450 that I bought about 10 years ago. Then I was at an auction and bought two vintage Homelites for $10. Got them up and running and got the chainsaw addiction. I picked up a few more at yard sales and estate sales. Then I was at a motorcycle swap meet and met a guy and told him of my interest in saws. He told me he had some in his shop and had lost interest. We exchanged phone numbers and a few days later I went to his house to see what he had. There were about 35 saws and a few other power tools. There were only a couple of newer saws. The rest were all of earlier vintage. David Bradley, Titan, Sears,
Sachs Dolmar, Echo, Homelite, McCulloch, Poulan, Craftsman, etc. I also ended up with boxes of bars and chains. I gave the guy $140 and loaded the whole mess in my truck.

So far I’ve brought about 5 of them back to life but I have about 5 more in process. Of course I have also picked up more saws whenever I come across them.

What I enjoy is bringing things back to life but I also like to do it as cheaply as possible. I very rarely buy a saw for more than $10 and spend as little as possible to get it in top running condition. I probably don’t have more than $50 in any of them and in most cases far less than that.

So don’t feel bad about your saw addiction. There are people out there with a much worse problem.

Wooo that’s awesome! If I run out of saws, I may look into model aircraft engines or RC petrol engines to tie me over hehe.

With your saws, do you put the cheap aftermarket parts in them for fixing? Or do you buy used OEM in good condition?

Although the latter is better, it would be difficult to source, especially for your old saws right?

Do you have any recommended links or sites to get parts from?

Sure the more expensive and worth while saws OEM, but for those cheaper, “just a bit of fun and a challenge” rebuilds, AM Is probably the way forward unless it’s bearings and possibly seals?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Anyone else still waiting for Tom to actually fix a chainsaw properly? Lol
Like actually buy new parts to replace parts in an engine that are clearly well past it or been straight gased! and not just sandpaper something and call it good?
Why such bad advice has been given to Tom throughout his 2 thousand thread count learning curve on the matter of fixing/rebuilding chainsaws IDK? (e.g. it's ok to sand a straight gassed piston and rings and reuse it them?) No that would be called dodgy work at best?...
Not having a go at you Tom don't take it the wrong way but just remember if you continue down this path fixing little industrial engine's one day you will have to stand by your work and cutting corners doesn't work in that world...
Keep at it and just remember if a job is worth doing it's worth doing right yeah? stand by your work.
Chinese parts in a Stihl chainsaw? Selling a saw in AU 1st thing anyone will ask you is has it been rebuilt with oem or aftermarket parts? Oem you can state that fact that oem has been used and charge top doller as for aftermarket no matter how good said parts are? is just bottom feeder stuff and most of your time will be spent trying to convince them no really this aftermarket Chinese crank/piston is just as good as oem Stihl?..
A few paths to walk which one you take is your call and no I'm not saying oem or nothing I'm saying if your going to fix something at the very lest fix it properly your reputation rides on this..

Now that there folks- that is a born and bred Aussie!

 

[trains]

@trains just found out, the ms 500i has arrived in Oz! 2,000 smackers (1364 usd)

I WISH I needed a saw, I don’t even have any wood to cut up! I would be buying it just to look at, maybe start occasionally, and cut with once a year, but I want one! F-you CAD

I like the idea of 660 power for 360 weight.
Would imagine the fuel burn would be pretty good too.

Still happy with my 660, puts a smile on my dial every time it sends chips flying.
The rest of my body dosent smile after using it tho.

 

[Goofaroo]

Wooo that’s awesome! If I run out of saws, I may look into model aircraft engines or RC petrol engines to tie me over hehe.

With your saws, do you put the cheap aftermarket parts in them for fixing? Or do you buy used OEM in good condition?

Although the latter is better, it would be difficult to source, especially for your old saws right?

Do you have any recommended links or sites to get parts from?

Sure the more expensive and worth while saws OEM, but for those cheaper, “just a bit of fun and a challenge” rebuilds, AM Is probably the way forward unless it’s bearings and possibly seals?

Thanks in advance.

Almost every saw I have was complete when I got them except for a few missing bars. For most of them I just source parts on EBay and can find what I need. If not, I can usually find parts from other internet sources.

The majority of them are just puzzles for me to put together and once I get them running they get drained and put on a shelf. I try to buy factory carb kits but I’m not opposed to the Chinese kits and have actually had good luck with most of them. I have plenty of saws that I use for cutting so I buy most saws just for the fun of making them run.

However, in the large lot that I purchased there were two Sachs Dolmars. The 110 is already being used regularly and I have a 115 that will give me a nice 50cc saw once I get it finished and it will get used as well. If they weren’t complete I would have been inclined to put more money into making them ready to work but it wasn’t necessary. I think I spent around $35 on the 110 for a carb kit and an oil line.

Part of the fun for me is trying to fix things as inexpensively as possible.

When I choose a saw to work on I check it for spark. Then I put a bit of fuel in it and see if it starts. If it starts and sounds healthy I pull the muffler and look at the cylinder and rings. If all looks well I move on from there and pull the carb for inspection, check fuel lines, etc. So far the saws that I’ve repaired haven’t had any major problems. If I come across one that does have major issues I’ll decide if it’s worth fixing or just keep it as a parts saw.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Almost every saw I have was complete when I got them except for a few missing bars. For most of them I just source parts on EBay and can find what I need. If not, I can usually find parts from other internet sources.

The majority of them are just puzzles for me to put together and once I get them running they get drained and put on a shelf. I try to buy factory carb kits but I’m not opposed to the Chinese kits and have actually had good luck with most of them. I have plenty of saws that I use for cutting so I buy most saws just for the fun of making them run.

However, in the large lot that I purchased there were two Sachs Dolmars. The 110 is already being used regularly and I have a 115 that will give me a nice 50cc saw once I get it finished and it will get used as well. If they weren’t complete I would have been inclined to put more money into making them ready to work but it wasn’t necessary. I think I spent around $35 on the 110 for a carb kit and an oil line.

Part of the fun for me is trying to fix things as inexpensively as possible.

When I choose a saw to work on I check it for spark. Then I put a bit of fuel in it and see if it starts. If it starts and sounds healthy I pull the muffler and look at the cylinder and rings. If all looks well I move on from there and pull the carb for inspection, check fuel lines, etc. So far the saws that I’ve repaired haven’t had any major problems. If I come across one that does have major issues I’ll decide if it’s worth fixing or just keep it as a parts saw.

Excellent stuff, it’s exactly what I say. Some like doing jigsaw puzzles, for me it’s taking things apart and resembling / fixing. Just so happens I’m on chainsaws at the moment haha. You really really lucked out with that haul you got!!

So McCulloch old saws seem to have a great rep, the newer ones though? Don’t seem very popular? Do you know why?

 

[Goofaroo]

Excellent stuff, it’s exactly what I say. Some like doing jigsaw puzzles, for me it’s taking things apart and resembling / fixing. Just so happens I’m on chainsaws at the moment haha. You really really lucked out with that haul you got!!

So McCulloch old saws seem to have a great rep, the newer ones though? Don’t seem very popular? Do you know why?

The newer ones are the same crap as the new Poulans, Craftsmans, etc. I’m not sure but I think most of them are built by either Husqvarna or MTD. Someone more knowledgeable might know better than I do who makes each brand.

I’m fairly sure that Husky makes the new Craftsman and Jonsered saws. They sold the Jonsereds through Tractor Supply but they were garbage so they switched over to Husqvarna and they are basically the same saws just branded differently.

 

[Freudianfloyd]

The newer ones are the same crap as the new Poulans, Craftsmans, etc. I’m not sure but I think most of them are built by either Husqvarna or MTD. Someone more knowledgeable might know better than I do who makes each brand.

I’m fairly sure that Husky makes the new Craftsman and Jonsered saws. They sold the Jonsereds through Tractor Supply but they were garbage so they switched over to Husqvarna and they are basically the same saws just branded differently.

Those Husky saws are far from garbage. They arent meant for professional loggers, but rival the Farm Boss, which is extremely popular, in every way and I prefer my Husky 450 to most of my Stihl saws. I don't understand the hate for the Husqvarnas. Maybe they have an aura of lower quality because you can buy them at more than just a dealer, but they are really good saws.

 

[Goofaroo]

I’m not bashing Husky and I am aware that they still offer good saws in their more expensive offerings branded as Husqvarna and Jonsered. They also offer saws branded as Craftsman, Poulan, Poulan Pro, Husqvarna, and Jonsered that are of much lesser quality. There are a few exceptions in the Craftsman and Poulan saws that are made by MTD.

Not sure who makes the new Homelites and McCulloch saws but it’s either MTD or Husky.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

I’m not bashing Husky and I am aware that they still offer good saws in their more expensive offerings branded as Husqvarna and Jonsered. They also offer saws branded as Craftsman, Poulan, Poulan Pro, Husqvarna, and Jonsered that are of much lesser quality. There are a few exceptions in the Craftsman and Poulan saws that are made by MTD.

Not sure who makes the new Homelites and McCulloch saws but it’s either MTD or Husky.

Don't forget- Jonsered also copied some saws like the Partner that became the 2071-2083 family when dressed in red?
They are covering a consumer demand for medium quality saws and a budget price with the homeowner style saws- no matter the brand name they wear.