McCulloch Chain Saws

[leecopland]

Hi Folks,

It's been a while since I've posted I finally got the carb kit for my 1-42 and went through it last night. Apart it comes.Put it back together this morning. Found a big fat blue spark but couldn't seem to get it to pop even with fuel in the carb and through the exhaust port. Anyway not sure what I was doing wrong but finally fired and away it went. It wouldn't keep running though. I think it was flooding out and there is excess fuel coming back into the carb box. By the way I took it's PSI and found only about 105PSI. The piston looks a little scored, I think more from carbon than being too lean. Cylinder looks good. I seem to be getting intermittent spark as if the plug cap is not 100% making good contact sometimes.

Although I could not replace the inlet seat and gasket because I couldn't remove the old one. Don't have a 5/16 socket with thin enough walls. I just went back to the bench to find fuel leaking all over. So I'm guessing the inlet seat and the new needle aren't meshing well..

The fuel line to the tank has yellow paint on it so I assume it's original but seems sound. The one in the tank is black and also seems good but has no filter upon closer examination

Sounds great through that new stack muffler Mark, thanks for that. I'm hoping to use this as a replacement for my Dad's 380 that I gave away on Ebay before CAD struck. This one seems a bit lighter than he 380. It has a 16" hard nose bar with a.404 chain.

A work in progress!
Lee

OK so I don't have a bench grinder I decided to go back to the old needle and lever as they didn't leak fuel before and the saw ran. Got it all back together and couldn't even get it to pop. I'm thinking that with only 105psi it may not be enough comp to run. It certainly pulls over a lot more easily than a 380 that I once had.
So where is the best place to get rings? And would you recommend Caber?

Thanks.

Lee

 

[psgflier]

McCulloch was constantly tinkering with and improving their product. Sometimes part numbers changed in the middle of a production run. One of the things they changed about this time was the crank. By changing the counterweights they reduced the engine vibrations and were able to increase the rpm some, but basically added more service life. Along with this they change the connecting rod and piston to run without thrust bearings. This was incorporated into the production run, and came in a kit sent out to dealers to install in saws that came in for maintenance.
I don't have access to the service bulletin outlining this right now, so can't give specifics, but, basically, cranks are pretty much interchangeable for the same throw, but you may need to match pistons and rods.

I forgot when I posted this that the 1-70 had points that were operated by a push rod. The lobe that operates the points is probably ground in a different spot on the crank than on the saws that the points operate directly on the crank. The S44,S44a, and 1-80 use the same part number as the 1-70, the D44 and S55 operate the same but have different part numbers.
The service bulletin is for 1-71 to 1-86 model numbers.

 

[Nickolas]

Does anyone know a person that worked for McCulloch way back in the day that is still around? A man could still be alive around 80 or so that could have worked there in the 50's. I would like to know as much as possible about the model 49 saw. There just isn't anything out there I have seen anyway informative about this saw. All I have is an IPL and another paper stating they were made from 2/57 ~ 4/57. Two months isn't very long to make a saw.

A lot were made for a year or longer but two months? What was up with that? An improved 47 from 77cc to 87cc and a carb change basically and then the 77 made for 1/57 ~ 5/59 which is quite a bit longer at 120cc. This may have been touched on before but I didn't see anything really discussed searching so that's why I bring it up. I know it is a sought after saw but it a seems there just aren't any out there to be had or found.

I seen where it was listed in a 1957 catalogue, I'd love to get my hands on one of those if anyone has one to get rid of. So they publicized it in the catalogue and then suddenly after two months of production stopped making this model. Then the more powerful 77 came to be for nearly 2.5 years. At 87cc I would think the saw ran well even with a better carb than the 47. That's why it would be interesting to find an old timer that worked there back in the day and see if he could shed any light on the subject.

Would this be considered THE hardest to obtain of all McCulloch saws for say pre 1970 for example or for all years? I have seen a few BP1 models sell on eBay but not a 49. I'd take a 49 any day over a BP1 but that's just me and my preference. Maybe they made 500 a month for two months and then shut down production for some reason or another. I think the latest serial number to date is 1001. Who knows really how many were actually made and how many are still around today. Anyway that is one saw I just would like to know more about I find it interesting as well as elusive...

Nick

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[ILikesEmGreen]

Speaking of old ones Nickolas, what do you guys think about the 47... the 15... the 33... and the Super 33? Saw a guy selling them for $50/ea

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[machinisttx]

I have a (I think) 1-72 "Project in a Box" that was given to me. I'll have to dig it out of the shed and see what's there, but if you want it, I'll send it to you for the cost of shipping.

I'm definitely interested.

 

[psgflier]

There is two service bulletins that may be of interest for the 1-70. One is for the change in crankshaft design, the other is parts interchange for saws of that period. I can't get the second file to load. It must be too big. I'll try to divide it up when I can get to my editing program.

 

[leecopland]

OK so I don't have a bench grinder I decided to go back to the old needle and lever as they didn't leak fuel before and the saw ran. Got it all back together and couldn't even get it to pop. I'm thinking that with only 105psi it may not be enough comp to run. It certainly pulls over a lot more easily than a 380 that I once had.
So where is the best place to get rings? And would you recommend Caber?

Thanks.

Lee

Hi guys, I would like to get a set of rings for my 1-42. I've found a set of ebay for the std 250 (2.125") will these work for me? They are Caber which I hear good things about. I just wanted to check before I placed an order.

Thanks,

Lee

 

[Nickolas]

Mark, me and you both are after that super pro Mac 850 and don't forget that CP80DX

Mark, me and you both are after that super pro Mac 850 and don't forget that CP80DX

You

You guys really like the Pro Mac 700/800 series saws. Is it the power or because they weigh a lot less than say a 440, 740, 797 and you want a lighter weight saw? Or is it to add to your collection and fill a hole? I hear many a person talk about how heavy the other saws are and don't wanna lug it around in the woods all day. I don't own any of the Pro Mac series saws like the 700/800 or even the 1-,2-,3-10, etc series saws. Anyway to make it short I am just curious as there is always a lot of discussion about these saws in this series.

Nick

 

[joeymt33]

A lot of power for their weight. I don't just collect, I use every saw I've got in a rotation. I just like keeping similar saws that use the same spare parts. It really cuts down on the size of my inventory. I just picked the 82cc 10-series because of the power to weight ratio. I use 20" bars up to 38". I've recently been milling with my DE80 and a 36" mill. I've made some beams for the living room and fireplace mantles.

I suggest you find one and try it out.

 

[Nickolas]

A lot of power for their weight. I don't just collect, I use every saw I've got in a rotation. I just like keeping similar saws that use the same spare parts. It really cuts down on the size of my inventory. I just picked the 82cc 10-series because of the power to weight ratio. I use 20" bars up to 38". I've recently been milling with my DE80 and a 36" mill. I've made some beams for the living room and fireplace mantles.

I suggest you find one and try it out.

Makes sense... I personally like the larger older saws myself but who knows I may run one of those and really like it. I just have this soft spot for the pre-1965 saws or in that general area... I like the BIG saws... 47,49,4-30,73,77 and similar models. I am concentrating on those mainly but may branch out one day.

Nick

 

[Steve NW WI]

I'm definitely interested.

I'll try to get some pics for you tomorrow.

 

[machinisttx]

There is two service bulletins that may be of interest for the 1-70. One is for the change in crankshaft design, the other is parts interchange for saws of that period. I can't get the second file to load. It must be too big. I'll try to divide it up when I can get to my editing program.

Thanks for the info! Might eliminate some head scratching later on.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

i might have already asked this before but bear with me as i have a crs moment. what is the largest bar a 1-40 or 250 will push?

 

[heimannm]

You will get all kinds of opinions here Jerry, a lot depends on what you are cutting and how fast you want to go.

Any of the 80 cc saws in good condition will handle a 24" bar in most of our Midwestern hard woods, but if you were going to focus on hedge or mulberry I might limit it to 18-20".

In the PNW where they cut large softwoods, 28 or even 32" would not be out of the question.

Mark

 

[Nickolas]

I have run a 28" cutting up some red oak with decent results as long as I don't lean on it too much. I think 24" is about perfect unless you are running a super then 28-32" I'll run and lean on it hard and get good results. Like Mark said many opinions and depends on what you are cutting. I been cutting a lot of locust lately and wouldn't even grab a 250 for that wood... I usually grab the 440 or 450 for that type of tree as that is some hard wood. I know a 250 wouldn't do me much good so I don't even bother. I use my regular 250 to cut up the smaller stuff usually...

Now I have a thin ring 250 that will cut circles around my thick ring 250 and the thick ring has more compression. Maybe the earlier 250 is ported different or the flat back carb it has is better than the tillotson on the later thick ring model. All of these saws are different animals. I have a 450 that's 91cc and the 87cc 440 has a lot more umph than the 450. Both have around 150psi and flat backs but the 440 is a beast like a super 250. Very strong saw. It's fun just to go out and cut no matter what saw I grab... I like comparing them to see how they stack up against each other. Now I need a few more saws to do some more comparison...


Nick

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[sawfun]

My super 250 handles a 28" buried in fir about the same as my 800 but a bit slower(not much) the difference is the 250 is pulling .404 where the 800 is 3/8.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

thanks guys. currently the 1-40 has a 17" HN on it. i just thought that's a little too small for what i want. i typically cut oak and hickory so i'm thinking a 24". course i gotta get it running before i put some coin out on a new b&c.
the 250 needs quit a bit of work and a clutch cover xo it might be a while before it even sees daylight.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

sorry, meant to update on the non-firing 1-40.
pulled the flywheel off to check the ignition system.
the condenser passes the DC voltage test.
the points needed a goodly amount of cleaning and filing but looking good. thinking the earlier, sporadic fire i had is probly a thing of the past now.
still haven't gotten to clean and check the coil yet.
betting this thing fires now but won't know for a while since my hands on time is extremely limited and i'm gonna go ahead and do all the cleanup before i try.
one thing i noticed is that when the starter retracts it squeals. anyone experienced that? will a drop of oil or graphite in the right place cure that? havent opened it up and don't really want to but looks like i'll have to.
just sayin

 

[Nickolas]

sorry, meant to update on the non-firing 1-40.
pulled the flywheel off to check the ignition system.
the condenser passes the DC voltage test.
the points needed a goodly amount of cleaning and filing but looking good. thinking the earlier, sporadic fire i had is probly a thing of the past now.
still haven't gotten to clean and check the coil yet.
betting this thing fires now but won't know for a while since my hands on time is extremely limited and i'm gonna go ahead and do all the cleanup before i try.
one thing i noticed is that when the starter retracts it squeals. anyone experienced that? will a drop of oil or graphite in the right place cure that? havent opened it up and don't really want to but looks like i'll have to.
just sayin

Just take the starter off and put a drop or two of oil on it that's what I have done and now they all work fine , no noise and smooth. I usually take the screw out and pull up on the pulley and then put a few drops of oil working it to get it oiled up good, then back together with no issues. You don't have to take it apart but i always take everything apart its my nature I have to know how things work.


Nick

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[redfin]

Picked thus up last weekend. Gave it a quick carb cleaning and a once over and put it in some wood.

I have never heard a saw like this one before.