Brmorgan
Addicted to ArboristSite
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,248
- Reaction score
- 348
I picked up this Stihl 08s at a pawnshop last week for a little under $100. To be honest I didn't know much about it when I bought it but it fired right up in 4 pulls, and I thought it would look nice sitting beside the 090. The fact that it can be converted to a cutoff saw or a power auger was a factor too. I dug up an old thread from Blsnelling who was restoring one of these at the time, and I've been slowly browsing through it. All I would really need is new paint though, and even then this one isn't in that bad of shape. One thing I might do is scam the good fuel cap and trade it with my 090 (I think they're the same), which has a fairly good chip out of it.
It's in excellent shape, I can't find even the smallest piece of metal missing anywhere. The only damage other than chipped paint is in the front handle where there are a few dents and one weld repair. If I were to wrap it you'd never know though.
You can't see it in the picture, but the clutch cover / oil tank is actually a brighter white color, like on the newer Stihl saws, whereas the rest of the parts are the older Stihl grey like on my 090. This makes me wonder if it hasn't already lived another life as a cutoff saw or something.
I have to admit, the bar had a major influence over my decision to purchase as I've always wanted one of the old stamped Stihl bars. I know it's not in the greatest of shape, but I think I can improve it.
Damn muffler mounting stud pulled out, the nut was seized up a bit. This was one design problem I have with the old Stihls. The P/C look really good still. I wanted to figure out the model of this saw since there was nothing stamped or printed anywhere on it indicating such, so I tried measuring the piston through the exhaust port. I grabbed two small, long-reach hex keys, put the straight end of one in and pushed it through to the far wall of the cylinder, and then put the hook end of the other in and pulled it back against the close wall of the cylinder. That crude method gave me a measurement of about 46mm, so I'm assuming this is actually a 47mm piston, found on the 08s. Anyone else have any handy methods of piston measuring without having to remove the cylinder?
Also visible near the bottom of this picture is another reason I think this saw may have been converted. There's a bolt hole that appears to have been used to mount something not too long ago, but it's 3-4 inches away from the handlebar, so I don't know what it's for. I haven't seen too many pictures of these saws in cutoff or auger mode to compare though.
Finally, the last cause for suspicion: The recoil cover is clearly a replacement. It has a strange, pinkish-cream-colored layer of paint underneath a top layer of old Stihl grey, and it also has the new-style Stihl logo plate instead of the old logo like is stamped into the bar. Go figure.
This thing has quite a bit of grunt for a ~50cc class saw, though it is heavy and bulky at that. If I can find the stuff to convert it to a chopsaw and/or auger for a decent price, I probably will as it would come in handy with my brother's yard care business. It would find more use that way, I'm sure.
It's in excellent shape, I can't find even the smallest piece of metal missing anywhere. The only damage other than chipped paint is in the front handle where there are a few dents and one weld repair. If I were to wrap it you'd never know though.
You can't see it in the picture, but the clutch cover / oil tank is actually a brighter white color, like on the newer Stihl saws, whereas the rest of the parts are the older Stihl grey like on my 090. This makes me wonder if it hasn't already lived another life as a cutoff saw or something.
I have to admit, the bar had a major influence over my decision to purchase as I've always wanted one of the old stamped Stihl bars. I know it's not in the greatest of shape, but I think I can improve it.
Damn muffler mounting stud pulled out, the nut was seized up a bit. This was one design problem I have with the old Stihls. The P/C look really good still. I wanted to figure out the model of this saw since there was nothing stamped or printed anywhere on it indicating such, so I tried measuring the piston through the exhaust port. I grabbed two small, long-reach hex keys, put the straight end of one in and pushed it through to the far wall of the cylinder, and then put the hook end of the other in and pulled it back against the close wall of the cylinder. That crude method gave me a measurement of about 46mm, so I'm assuming this is actually a 47mm piston, found on the 08s. Anyone else have any handy methods of piston measuring without having to remove the cylinder?
Also visible near the bottom of this picture is another reason I think this saw may have been converted. There's a bolt hole that appears to have been used to mount something not too long ago, but it's 3-4 inches away from the handlebar, so I don't know what it's for. I haven't seen too many pictures of these saws in cutoff or auger mode to compare though.
Finally, the last cause for suspicion: The recoil cover is clearly a replacement. It has a strange, pinkish-cream-colored layer of paint underneath a top layer of old Stihl grey, and it also has the new-style Stihl logo plate instead of the old logo like is stamped into the bar. Go figure.
This thing has quite a bit of grunt for a ~50cc class saw, though it is heavy and bulky at that. If I can find the stuff to convert it to a chopsaw and/or auger for a decent price, I probably will as it would come in handy with my brother's yard care business. It would find more use that way, I'm sure.
Last edited:
