Dump find Craftsman 18" saw: keeper??

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I have a red jonsered version of this saw. I bought it new in 02 or 03.
I used it a lot for about 10 years, it never idled good from new but always started right up, the crank seals are toast in it now. I also broke the chain brake handle and a derailed chain cut the oiler plate it's patched with seal all.
The saw will still start and run until it's hot then it wont restart due to the bad seals.
I gave up on these junk saws and my go to cheap saw is a 52cc china clone now, they're better in about every way.
 
I have a red jonsered version of this saw. I bought it new in 02 or 03.
I used it a lot for about 10 years, it never idled good from new but always started right up, the crank seals are toast in it now. I also broke the chain brake handle and a derailed chain cut the oiler plate it's patched with seal all.
The saw will still start and run until it's hot then it wont restart due to the bad seals.
I gave up on these junk saws and my go to cheap saw is a 52cc china clone now, they're better in about every way.
Did you ever adjust the carb to try to improve the idle? Just my opinion but if I had a saw that lasted me for 10 years, I couldn't call it junk.
 
Did you ever adjust the carb to try to improve the idle? Just my opinion but if I had a saw that lasted me for 10 years, I couldn't call it junk.
Yup almost every time I used it, it didnt like to hold a tune. The saw annoyed me and I didnt cut wood unless I really had to, the oiler sucked from new, I burned up bars, it ran different every time you started it and I broke the chain brake dropping it.
The 58cc clones I have now (joncutter5800) are much better to run, they never stall or need tuned, oil good and you can bury the bar with power to spare, they're night and day better saws for even less money.
 
Yup almost every time I used it, it didnt like to hold a tune. The saw annoyed me and I didnt cut wood unless I really had to, the oiler sucked from new, I burned up bars, it ran different every time you started it and I broke the chain brake dropping it.
The 58cc clones I have now (joncutter5800) are much better to run, they never stall or need tuned, oil good and you can bury the bar with power to spare, they're night and day better saws for even less money.

Hmm. All the non strato ones I had held a tune very well. I had a strato that I had to tune pretty often. All of them oiled good. I was wondering how the joncutters were.
 
The joncutter is great, stock it's a lot like a husky 55 with cheap plastic lol.
I modded the crap out of mine and it still runs good, it's weirdly well behaved with a giant 372 carb on it. It's as fast as a 550xp just not as nice lol.
My 42cc jonsered from 02 is a strato saw, just like the craftsman in this thread.

If I found a dirt cheap old non strato poulan/craftsman I'd fix it up and use it, they're a lot better than the strato ones.
 
The joncutter is great, stock it's a lot like a husky 55 with cheap plastic lol.
I modded the crap out of mine and it still runs good, it's weirdly well behaved with a giant 372 carb on it. It's as fast as a 550xp just not as nice lol.
My 42cc jonsered from 02 is a strato saw, just like the craftsman in this thread.

If I found a dirt cheap old non strato poulan/craftsman I'd fix it up and use it, they're a lot better than the strato ones.
What kinds of mods?
 
What kinds of mods?
Porting, muffler mod, home made intake, 372 carb, 8 pin .325 sprocket.
You need a different intake to fit the 372 carb, it's so much bigger it wont open on the stock intake and it's longer so the air filter doesnt line up with the cover anymore. The new intake needs to be shorter and fatter. You can buy one on ebay too, it's called a performance intake for 52cc chainsaw.
 
You asked:


. not much experience with the Craftsman saws. i believe this is from around mid-2000s. probably made by Poulan. what say you??

Those type Poulans are really good if you need some Chainsaw experience.
After playing with those you will get enough experience to know a good chainsaw when you see one.

I have a Poulan salvage, take 3 or 4 and make one. I do not spend any money on parts other than fuel line.
I do have some of the old Green S25 Poulans that are really good made saws, back when Poulan was a good thing.
Them are good trading saws to the unsuspecting people that need some chainsaw Poulan experience.

Even on the very front page of the Craftsman owners manual for those saws is "for OCCASIONAL use only"

The occasional is in big bold letters just like I typed.
Now that is a head up clue.
 
Antique junk.
It's good for what I use it for; clearing brush and smaller limbs. I see people using a Stihl MS660 for clearing brush and wonder why..
I don't think the saw I pictured is near to being an antique, it's not that old although I don't think they make them anymore without a chain brake..
 
I log with all my saws! Right now doing storm damage clean-up and saws are getting a real workout! This was one job I cleaned up. Got some logs for my sawmill from this one.
Next one is a big pine tree.
 

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