What Stihls to stay away from as project saws

[458_lott]

If this winter contiues to be drab, I may wish to try to grab a Stihl project saw on goofy-bay and tinker. I have only done that with old Homelites. I don't know how far back Stihl keeps parts. My question concerns saws that I should consider or saws that I should definitely stay away from. I am fairly up on Stihl's nomenclature and models. I just don't know what to stay away from. My friend swears by old 041 AV Farmbosses. I was thinking about something in the 031, 034, 038 models. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[timberwolf]

Of the numbers you bring up the 34 and 38 would be the ones I would think best, may be able to go to a 36 from the 34 or 44 from the 38.

The 31 or for that mater 29 and 39 are consumer saws and have limitations as far as a project.

 

[Justin Garrison]

I always had a desire for an 042 or 048 I think they are a sweet looking saw and powerfull to boot. However they are resonobly hard to find and I dont know the avalibility of parts. 056 is another cool saw. I may be working on restoring one of my 031s, but I just dont like them that much. Too small.

 

[Fish]

031 too small? You must be a husky lad, eh?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Why not work on a saw that will be nice to run when you're done, like an 044?

 

[458_lott]

I too, like the 056, but I didn't know the availability of parts. Timberwolf brings up a good point about increasing the size of the jug and piston on the bottom end of the 034 and 038. Hadn't thought about that. I tend to like larger saws also. Anxious to get my MS-460 as it will be the first Stihl I ever owned. It just seems as though I have fooled with them quite a bit but never owned any. Figured I get a Stihl project saw to mess with when the weather is so crappy. I am just concerned about getting something worth rebuilding and not a dinosaur. I seem to always find parts for my Homelites, but don't know what Stihls to stay away from.

 

[bcorradi]

Of the numbers you bring up the 34 and 38 would be the ones I would think best, may be able to go to a 36 from the 34 or 44 from the 38.

The 31 or for that mater 29 and 39 are consumer saws and have limitations as far as a project.

An 034 to 036 conversion can be done very easily. You cannot however go from an 038 to an 044. Your not even able to go from an 038 AV or 038 Super to an 038 magnum. The cylinder spacing on an 038 magnum is different then on an AV or Super.

031's were out before the consumer saw line, so it is considered a professional model. Your able to get 031's fairly reasonable on ebay, but they aren't the friendliest saw to work on. Any of the following model stihs (024, 026, 028, 034, 036, 038, 044, 046, and 066) are very similar in design and real straight forward to work on in my opinion.

I personally would opt to get an 026, 034, or 036 since you can buy them pretty reasonable, and used parts are readily available. Also there is a guy on ebay that sells 026 and 036 piston and cylinder assemblies cheap.

 

[458_lott]

Thank you very much bcorradi. I check e-bay frequently, but only ever bought an old Homey XL-123 and a Poulan 3700 to get the bow. I will look for a Stihl. I don't know what our local Stihl dealers do with their trade-ins etc. Maybe I should check there also.

 

[Lakeside53]

I don't know what our local Stihl dealers do with their trade-ins etc. .

Ha!! they 1) dump the dogs on Ebay, or 2) part them out, or 3) rebuild them for resale...

I agree with bcorradi - get a 26,34, 36 etc. Easy to work on, lot's of parts and as a bonus, you end up with a decent saw. Whatever you do DON'T get a 19T or a 191T... When they work they are o.k., but a real PITA to work on...

 

[Justin Garrison]

I usually buy project saws since new saws or even used saws are alot of money. I bought an 046 that was low on compression, but it was in fair shape otherwise low hours(some idiot put straight gas in it syndrone). I bought the big bore kit from baileys, and got it after waiting a year. Put a maxflow on it and it is my favorite saw. I have abot 300 some dollars in it. And it has a fresh cylinder so it is better than buying a used one that may be questionable. I recently went on a power surge Fish I dont know what you mean by Husky lad but I have the biggest they make it is a 3120xp that was in bad shape. Low hours but had been ran over and is costing a whole heck of alot of money. However I got most of the parts as christmas presents or used christmas money so yippee. Here is a pic of it now alongside my little lombard. Sorry for rambling on but it is raining here and there is nothing to do.

 

[Lakeside53]

Fish I dont know what you mean by Husky lad but I have the biggest they make

You don't want to know what Fish means by "husky lad"...

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I agree with bcorradi - get a 26,34, 36 etc. Easy to work on, lot's of parts and as a bonus, you end up with a decent saw.

Agreed. Parts availability is a big thing in a project saw. Every project saw I've ever had has turned into a bit more than I thought it'd be, and I needed stuff I didn't expect. That's all fine and good, and part of the fun, but it's nice to be able to get the stuff I need, and not have to wait for it to show up on ebay, and then have to fight for it.

Jeff

 

[timberwolf]

Stand corrected on the 038 to 044, that wouldnt work, at least not without more effort than it would be worth. Don't know why I had that in my head.

044 to 046
024 to 026

 

[bcorradi]

Stand corrected on the 038 to 044, that wouldnt work, at least not without more effort than it would be worth. Don't know why I had that in my head.

044 to 046
024 to 026

Ok gotcha.

Converting an 044 to an 046 could be done, but the bolt spacing is different on a 46 then a 44.

Converting an 024 to an 026 is a bit more difficult since the 024 (non super) has a shorter stroke and uses a different connecting rod part # 1114 vs the part #1121. There are also a few other differences like the top shroud, air filter, and air filter cover.
Brad

 

[mrk585]

How big can I get a 026 to go

 

[Lakeside53]

How big can I get a 026 to go

Only as big as it is now...

 

[davefr]

I agree that an 034 would make a great project saw. They're easy to work on, plenty of parts avail (OEM and aftermarket), and you'll end up with a great saw vs. a boat anchor.

I'm converting mine to an 036. (I'm just waiting for a cylinder gasket from my local dealer - they don't believe in stocking parts and orders from Stihl are pretty slow.)

I've already tried fitting it all together and the muffler fits fine if you remove the spacer. The shroud is easily adapted to an 036 with a Dremel.

 

[Lakeside53]

I agree that an 034 would make a great project saw. They're easy to work on, plenty of parts avail (OEM and aftermarket), and you'll end up with a great saw vs. a boat anchor.

I'm converting mine to an 036. (I'm just waiting for a cylinder gasket from my local dealer - they don't believe in stocking parts and orders from Stihl are pretty slow.)

I've already tried fitting it all together and the muffler fits fine if you remove the spacer. The shroud is easily adapted to an 036 with a Dremel.

Stihl ships slow? If the dealer places an order (fax. telephone, or e-sales) with Stihl before 1pm (in our area), and it meets the $25 minimum, it ships that day... We order every day about 12.30pm, and the stuff arrives by UPS next morning.


Muffler : you are lucky to have the spacer version on an 034 - it's quite uncommon... If you want to bring it up to full 036 spec, put in the 036 heat sheild between the muffler and the cylinder.

 

[davefr]

Stihl ships slow? If the dealer places an order (fax. telephone, or e-sales) with Stihl before 1pm (in our area), and it meets the $25 minimum, it ships that day... We order every day about 12.30pm, and the stuff arrives by UPS next morning.


Muffler : you are lucky to have the spacer version on an 034 - it's quite uncommon... If you want to bring it up to full 036 spec, put in the 036 heat sheild between the muffler and the cylinder.

I ordered the gasket, decompression valve plug, a few piston pin clips, and a new pulse line last Monday. I stopped at the dealer Friday and he said they're not in yet and to check back in a few days.

I thought the west coast Stihl warehouse was close to Centralia which should be overnight?? Maybe they had to backorder these parts from Virginia Beach.

I did notice the heat shield after I had already ordered the parts. Is it a must have or a nice to have?

From the IPL it looks like my muffler is either for the Canadian version or an 036. My 034 is a very late model so maybe Stihl used the new 036 mufflers during the changeover from 034 to 036.

 

[DanManofStihl]

project saw

If I was to do a project saw I think it would be a 066 magnum because the parts are readily advailable and pretty cheap. I would try to stay away from the older saws because of the price and advailabilty of parts. An 044 or 046 would also be cheap but fun.