Restoring old chainsaws???

[gr8mac]

A lot of things in this world are worth collecting. More often than not though, when you alter something; whether it be a piece of antique furniture or a hotwheels car that you remove from it's package you change it, and it usually lowers the value of the piece. This is true with a lot of antiques. My question is this: Are old and vintage saws the same way? When you restore and old saw does it lower it's value??? What is the best way to restore it? Back to complete factory original? Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[eyolf]

I don't specifically know the answer to your questions, at least on a continent-wide scale, but I'll spout off anyway.

First of all, I have sort of a collection of chainsaws in the barn... just old clunkers, really, and I have almost nothing invested in them. Because they were easy enough to come by, my opinion is that they aren't worth a lot. There a couple that I wouldn't part with for love nor money, because they are unusual, rare, or have sentimental value, but Ebay prices notwithstanding, I don't think they're worth a lot.

I seriously doubt if many folks that are serriously into chain saw collecting are considering the investment value, at least not of most individual items. Most are not looking to find a dusty treasure in some shed, sell it and retire. These people just have a thing for them.

So in my view, it is entirely up to the collector. I, personally enjoy seeing restored toys of many kinds more than the rare piece that was found in pristine condition. The collector that has lovingly restored something has more interesting things to say about his treasure, and has substituted TLC for ca$h.

 

[John in MA]

You'd be surprised how many saw collectors are out there. I've sold lots of old saws or parts to folks, and I end up getting cards and stationary from them with "John Smith, chainsaw collector". You're right about it likely not being an investment for most people, but rare saws can get up there.

As far as restoration, it's just like anything else. Totally depends on the value and condition of the saw. If you have something that is in bad shape or not worth anything, restore it. If you have something like a Mac BP-1 that just shows regular light wear, don't.

 

[tony marks]

i can speak to this.. tho from another angle. i get older pro type saws and gettum back to good running condition.
i really enjoy it ,but the public just dont know what they looking at. ive got a partner500,that is fast . faster than the saws they got. runs good,, cranks easy .
ive even askthem to bring their saws up and see the difference,,in speed of cut. now i know its my cut,set up,, thats most of the difference. but the saw looks pretty good also. got several saws like this but nobody wants to pay nothin for them. u can believe im gonna keepum tho.they will pay what a good working saw is worth or the
y stay with me.
in short do it forfun not money.

 

[wak110]

I would have to say the term "restore" is relative. Like anything else old, (cars, motorcyles, boats etc...) restoration would depend on what you want the end result to be. Is it going to sit in a glass case for looks for your enjoyment or are you going to use it for your enjoyment.
I think the "for your enjoyment" part is important because it seems rare that you ever recoup the $$ spent on restoring anything.
Enjoy!

 

[Mike Acres]

There are two schools of thought about collecting. Restore to new condition or find a good one and just clean it up and make it run. I have both in my collection.
http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf
The value of the unit is really up to the collector/owner and it has more to do with the significance of the unit and how rare it is.
Mike

 

[Lewis Brander]

Saw Restoration.

I have an old Disston, model DO-101. The original owner, of the saw, has since died. When he gave me the saw, it was completely taken apart and would not run. I sort of told him, that I would eventually, someday, get it running. I've had the saw about 18 years. I've recently, cleaned and assembled the saw, have gone through the saw and checked it out, replaced just what it needed to get it running, now have it running and the last thing I did was paint it. Its like I have full filled a promise.The saw hadn't ran since 1962. I'll never get rid of it, too much sentimental value to me, the old guy was like a second grandfather to me. I feel that I have restored the saw to running condithion. People have said that I should just put it together in its original condition. I feel that I did, any parts that I replaced, would have, to have, been replaced 50+ years ago to have the saw running. I have saved all the old parts, but the point is the saw is in its original condition. Running and looking good. I've seen pictures of old saws, that people have collected, that look pretty rough and rusty. To me they look pretty neglected. I would not have much pride in showing off those saws. If parts were not available, I would at least clean them up and apply a coat of paint and then display them. OK. that's my 2 cents worth. Lewis.

 

[tony marks]

i add this .. just for taken them to the job. if i didnt have the 372pp , 036,or the 962 olympic. id be able to get along fine with my partner or p26,,along with the 66cc farmsaw . so i guess id have to say my experience has been that buying fixer uppers has been good.
heck if i think about it,, the 036 and the 962 are fixer uppers to ,,so nuff said. for stock saws ill dont think many saws in their class gonna makum look bad.
that said husky -johnsonred or stihl will catch buyers eyes the best.

 

[JimL]

My Stihl Lightning I completely re did, paint and all.
It looks new, and is for the most part.


The stihl blk i did nothing with, it was new when I got it, just cleaned it off and displayed it.




any saws i buy used get tore down and seals hoses replaced, mounts if needed and carb kit.

those are just the user saws.

 

[Bill G]

So if you are going to restore a saw where do you get the paint and stickers. It really pi""es me off when people "restore" saws without using proper paint and decals. Stihl sells gray paint but I cannot find white or orange. What about Homelite red, blue, green etc. What about Pioneer yellow. After the paint is found where do you get the decal ?


Just my random thoughts,

Bill

 

[JimL]

stihl sells the orange and white still.

 

[Lewis Brander]

Restoring Saws

When I painted my saw, I was not sure of where to find the correct paint and color. I did a bit of reserch and received a few hints. I ended up going to several stores that sold paint, NAPA. Wal-mart, etc. and compaired the colors, wheather it was enamel,etc. My main concern was the right primer for the aluminum and the right color for the finish coat. I picked a color that matched the paint, that was left on the saw. That's about all anyone can do for a 50+ year old saw. As far as decals go, I'm still looking for a good source to find something that can be reproduced. I have seen decals or stickers offered for some of the more popular saws, that look great, but have not found what I need, as yet. I've gotten to the point, where I've done all I can do, in the restoration for now and am happy with what I've done, so far. That's all I can ask for, at present. Lewis.

 

[Jacob J.]

Decals can be re-manufactured if you have an owner's manual with printing of original factory insignia or some literature for the saw with some factory emblems or model numbers. I did this for a Jonsered 901 I am restoring, I got the original designs from a Jonsered parts cd made in 1998 and used those as templates for all new decals. In this case, being a modern saw, it was worth that effort. I don't know about the older saws, many collectors I know want to buy thehm "as is".

 

[Lewis Brander]

Restoring old saws, decals or emblems.

Thanks, Jacob J. for the reply. My old parts book does not have a good representation of the engine decal. A fellow, emailed me some pictures he has of emblems, that he has on some old saws, he has, in his collection. His family had a Disston saw dealership and has a few of the old saws, in their original condition, that he still starts and runs. He also has, restored and painted some old Disston, 2 man saws. He sent me some pictures and they look great. I'll attach a picture from my parts book and attach a picture I recieved, of the actuall decal. Lewis.

 

[Lewis Brander]

Saw Restoration.

Here is a picture of the actual decal. You can see some of the detail, but over the years, the decal has yellowed from the clear coat, the gas/oil mix, etc, over the emblem and the colors are a diffrent shade. Lewis.

 

[Lewis Brander]

Saw Restoration.

Here is another one I have of the decal and start run decal. Lewis.

 

[Lewis Brander]

Saw Restoration.

Here's a picture of the saw, after painting. I also have a lead on a 1945, Disston, Model KB7-AY, 11HP. 2 man saw with stinger, that I would like to get. Will have to see what happens. Waiting for more information on the saw and pictures to look at, before deciding. Lewis.

 

[Jacob J.]

Lewis- your detail on the painted Disston saw is fantastic. And it looks as though the colors are a good match to the original. I've seen originals of the decals pictured on Mercury saws, that you have there, and they are complicated and have a lot of printing. With an original Polaroid I could almost reproduce most of the detail exactly. The problem with the printing from that era however, is much like old comic books or pulp magazines, the presses used offset type blocks and many times the text varied from printing presses. So getting an exact match is often difficult. The original Disston saws your friend has would be worth top dollar being in original shape. My grandfather cut timber with many Disston two-man saws, including those with the Mercury-KHR engines. Malls were a big favorite here too, as well as the Titan "Hornet".

 

[Lewis Brander]

Saw Restoration.

Thanks, Jacob J, for the reply. I think the saw turned out pretty well. I'm waiting for replies to emails I've sent out to a couple sourses, on obtaining either an exact copy of the decals to reproduce or mabe an original decal to reproduce. I had one source that took the pictures, I sent him, and said that he could reproduce them, but the price he wanted was way too much for my wallet. When you get a reply and notice the guy, can't spell, you, or at least I, begin to wonder about his work. I don't pretend to be perfect, but 1st impressions to me mean a lot. I've posted here and 2 days later, notice a mistake, glad there's an edit button. I appreciate the reply. I've posted more pictures under another thread. I'll look it up and let you know what the thread was. Thanks, Lewis.

 

[Lewis Brander]

Reply to Jacob J.

I have more pictured posted under my thread, Hi, everyone, a couple pictures of the Disston saw. Posted 10/4/2003. Just scroll down the thread and you'll find them. Thanks. Lewis.