Homelite SuperXL

[Cruelsun]

Greetings, this looks like an extremely active forum, judging by some of the postcounts. Love me a good forum!

My brother and I each have identical Homelite super XL 'ol blue chainsaws that were purchased by our uncle and father, now both deceased, back in the 60s or 70s. They both run well and have been well maintained.
I have been looking for parts on Amazon and eBay, but other than super XL and old blue, I can't seem to figure out what the exact model number of the saws are. The only number I have found is a mold mark in one of the castings that says 94935.
I currently have a large oak tree (36" diameter) down across my backyard and have been hacking away at it with this 16-in saw but would dearly love to swap the bar for 24-in if possible. I have used other 16 or 18-in chainsaws that did not seem to have the power that these old Homelite have. So I'm hoping I can put a 24 in bar on here.
I did find a 24-in bar/chain on eBay that claims that it would fit. But it looks identical or similar, to many others that do not list Homelite at all or the super XL specifically.

So, questions:
1- Do I need a more specific model number than super XL and If so, how do I find out what it is?
2- What current brand of guide bar might fit on this old saw?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers or advice.
CS

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Square Ground]

Super XL or XLAO are the only model numbers. These were around for a long time in the blue, and red scheme. These saws produced the worst kickback energy of any 3/8" saw on the market in the 80's, and is still used today for certifying low-kickback 3/8" saw chain. The bar mount would be the Oregon D196 mount. There are still some around but you might have to dig a bit.

 

[undee70ss]

Greetings, this looks like an extremely active forum, judging by some of the postcounts. Love me a good forum!

My brother and I each have identical Homelite super XL 'ol blue chainsaws that were purchased by our uncle and father, now both deceased, back in the 60s or 70s. They both run well and have been well maintained.
I have been looking for parts on Amazon and eBay, but other than super XL and old blue, I can't seem to figure out what the exact model number of the saws are. The only number I have found is a mold mark in one of the castings that says 94935.
I currently have a large oak tree (36" diameter) down across my backyard and have been hacking away at it with this 16-in saw but would dearly love to swap the bar for 24-in if possible. I have used other 16 or 18-in chainsaws that did not seem to have the power that these old Homelite have. So I'm hoping I can put a 24 in bar on here.
I did find a 24-in bar/chain on eBay that claims that it would fit. But it looks identical or similar, to many others that do not list Homelite at all or the super XL specifically.

So, questions:
1- Do I need a more specific model number than super XL and If so, how do I find out what it is?
2- What current brand of guide bar might fit on this old saw?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers or advice.
CS

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Saw in picture is the limited edition which was built in the 1990’s. If your interested, Chainsawlady, a Homelite dealer for over 50 years, has NOS Homelite bars for your saw.

 

[undee70ss]

She is a member here

 

[Mad Professor]

Those are only 60cc but torquey little beasts, reed valve motor. I've ran 24" bar on mine and they handle it well if you don't lean on it too much, and file your rakers down too far

I felled my biggest tree ever with that saw, a 52" diameter ash, bucked it up too. That was before I owned any Stihls.

 

[Cruelsun]

Thank you for all the replies.
I was pretty sure that they were used to clear the land for my father's house that was built in the early 80s, but I could easily be wrong as I was in the Navy when the land was cleared.
I PM'd @chainsawlady about the OEM bars. I'm guessing that that picture is showing two 16-in and an 18-in bar. Do we know if home light made a 24-in bar for the saw?
Not that I want to spend a fortune on this project, but considering it would cost me $75 to rent to 24" saw, I can buy an Archer brand 24-in bar and chain that purports to fit for $65 on fleabay.

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[Mad Professor]

Thank you for all the replies.
I was pretty sure that they were used to clear the land for my father's house that was built in the early 80s, but I could easily be wrong as I was in the Navy when the land was cleared.
I PM'd @chainsawlady about the OEM bars. I'm guessing that that picture is showing two 16-in and an 18-in bar. Do we know if home light made a 24-in bar for the saw?
Not that I want to spend a fortune on this project, but considering it would cost me $75 to rent to 24 and saw, I can buy a 24-in bar and chain that purports to fit for $65 on fleabay.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Yes, mine has a 24" homie bar.

Acres bar mount 14

Bar Mount Pattern

Reference:​		14
Carlton:​		20/21
Oregon:​		D196, D096
Windsor:​		UXL or TXL
GB:​		HN
Tsumura:​
OEM:​
Comments:​		HOMELITE

 

[Cruelsun]

I have not yet received a reply from @chainsawlady about the OEM bars.

I have been using chainsaws occasionally since I was in my teens, and now I'm close to retirement. But in my reading on this forum over the past several days I realized that I do not know Jack about chainsaw use or maintenance...
I have been resharpening the same chain for years, Using a small handheld Dremel type rotary grinding tool. I'm sure this is not how the purists do it but it sure seems to have been working reasonably well for me, at least in my limited experience...

So I have a couple additional questions:
-- is there any recommended reading or viewing on bar/chain maintenance and sharpening?
-- do guide bars wear out and what problems would a worn guide bar cause?
-- how do Archer products stack up quality wise? I'm looking at a 24-in bar and chain on flea bay for a reasonable price.

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[Cruelsun]

Bump?

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[Mad Professor]

I have not yet received a reply from @chainsawlady about the OEM bars.

I have been using chainsaws occasionally since I was in my teens, and now I'm close to retirement. But in my reading on this forum over the past several days I realized that I do not know Jack about chainsaw use or maintenance...
I have been resharpening the same chain for years, Using a small handheld Dremel type rotary grinding tool. I'm sure this is not how the purists do it but it sure seems to have been working reasonably well for me, at least in my limited experience...

So I have a couple additional questions:
-- is there any recommended reading or viewing on bar/chain maintenance and sharpening?
-- do guide bars wear out and what problems would a worn guide bar cause?
-- how do Archer products stack up quality wise? I'm looking at a 24-in bar and chain on flea bay for a reasonable price.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Enough reading here about chains/bars, sharpening to keep you busy for a week.

I've used the dremel tool attachments. You have to make sure they are setup proper to get the right profile on the cutter (hook and gullet). The diamond stones are the best.

The Pferd 2 in 1 file holders work decent. I've been a hand filer and just use a simple holder, sometimes just a file with a handle on the tang. Mounting the saw by the bar in a vice will help hold things steady.

For practice, take a sharpie and black out the cutting/filed surface. Then observe when you get all the marker off as you file the cutter. It should clean up to bare metal and have sharp edges. Read up on what a proper filed cutter looks like.

Bars you need the rails true and square, and the groove clean and not hogged out so the chain flops. They make tools to square the bar rails. A vertical belt sander works for really out of shape rails. A large flat file also works; put the bar in the vice and draw file it. You can check the groove with a stack of feeler gauges, check whole length, it should not be much wider than the chain gauge.

 

[Bret4207]

You Tube has dozens of filing videos. Some of them are trash, some are decent. I'd recommend getting a file guide of some sort and a proper sized file with a decent file handle on it. If you're running standard 3/8" chain (what my XL runs) then a 7/32 file is appropriate. I like the Husky roller type guides, but there are other types that work fine. Stihl., Oregon, etc have on line instructions on filing too. As far as the bar, you need to make sure the groove is clean, the oil hole open and the bar rails (the part the chain links ride on) are square to the bar and not burred up too much. Again, You Tube or the online instructions should help. With a sharp chain and decent tuning the XL's are good, solid saws.

 

[Cruelsun]

I have seen Archer mentioned here in at least one other thread, but have not gotten a read on quality.

Any words of wisdom on the relative quality of Archer brand products?

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[Cruelsun]

I have a bit of a mystery here. Or at least some confusion. What I thought was an 18-in bar turns out to be a 16.
The markings on the bar seem to read
16 inch?
38 3/8 pitch?
072 drive links? wouldn't that be a 20-in?
05 .05? Or is that 65?

The chain tells a slightly different story. It is marked 38 (3/8?)on the side of the links, but there are 59 drive links.

So am I reading those markings wrong or is the chain on the saw incorrect?

In a quick search on Amazon I found an Oregon 59 link chain: Oregon S59 AdvanceCut

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[buzz sawyer]

16" bar on that saw would be 59 links. A 20" would be 69 links (just did one). This will vary from one saw mfg to another. A Stihl MS361 w/20" bar takes a 72 link chain. 3/8 is the Pitch (measure across three rivets and divide by two). That will actually give you about .367 but it's called 3/8" - like a 2x4 is really 1-1/2 x 3 -1/2. .050 is the thickness of the driver links - and the slot in the bar. Buy a new chain and practice sharpening the old one until the cutters look like the new one. As already said, lot's of good posts on this site on the subject.

 

[fossil]

Greetings, this looks like an extremely active forum, judging by some of the postcounts. Love me a good forum!

My brother and I each have identical Homelite super XL 'ol blue chainsaws that were purchased by our uncle and father, now both deceased, back in the 60s or 70s. They both run well and have been well maintained.
I have been looking for parts on Amazon and eBay, but other than super XL and old blue, I can't seem to figure out what the exact model number of the saws are. The only number I have found is a mold mark in one of the castings that says 94935.
I currently have a large oak tree (36" diameter) down across my backyard and have been hacking away at it with this 16-in saw but would dearly love to swap the bar for 24-in if possible. I have used other 16 or 18-in chainsaws that did not seem to have the power that these old Homelite have. So I'm hoping I can put a 24 in bar on here.
I did find a 24-in bar/chain on eBay that claims that it would fit. But it looks identical or similar, to many others that do not list Homelite at all or the super XL specifically.

So, questions:
1- Do I need a more specific model number than super XL and If so, how do I find out what it is?
2- What current brand of guide bar might fit on this old saw?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers or advice.
CS

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Oregon still makes a 24" bar for your saw.
Archer chain is somewhat questionable and you would be happier with an Oregon LGX or EXL chain I think

Here's link to the bar

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/powercut™-guide-bar,-24"/p/240rndd196

 

[Cruelsun]

Again, thank you all for your replies.

I am ordering a new 72LPX059G chain for the 16" bar. Oregon 240RNDD196 bar, 72LGX081G chain and a Pferd 17303.

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[Cruelsun]

Hmmm, got the new chain for the original 16" bar the other day, cleaned the bar and spooled up the new chain.
The new full chisel chain is way more aggressive than the existing (original?) Semi-chisel chain. Faster cuts for sure. Cut up several 4"-8" oak logs quick and clean. Way bigger chips.

Even after the cuts, the chain was well lubricated.
However, a couple times cutting through an 8-in oak log the chain stopped if I put a little pressure on it. Bogged the motor slightly but the chain stopped and the motor kept going. I do not recall this happening with the semi-chisel chain that was sharpened by me...
I am now concerned that a full chisel blade on a 24-in bar (on order) is going to be problematic.
I am guessing that there may be some clutch maintenance in my future?

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(Typo fix.. Edited new bar length 12/8/20)

 

[buzz sawyer]

28 is too much for the Super XL but if you must, at least go to skip tooth chain. Yes, that full chisel cuts great until you hit a little dirt. Keep it touched up.
How's your hearing now?

 

[Cruelsun]

What? [emoji4]

So you don't think this is a clutch issue?

So far I have not found any chain with 81 drivelinks and a skip configuration on Amazon. But I did find both Archer and Forrester chains of this description on fleabay for around 21 dollars a piece.

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[buzz sawyer]

What? [emoji4]

So you don't think this is a clutch issue?

So far I have not found any chain with 81 drivelinks and a skip configuration on Amazon. But I did find both Archer and Forrester chains of this description on fleabay for around 21 dollars a piece.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Have you had the drum off to check for damage or oil contamination? I've owned several of these over the years and just don't believe they will handle a 28" bar. Maybe because the engine turns slower the weights don't expand with as much force as modern saws?