Thurston Blew Up the BP-1

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I only wish I had one, but what I meant was the design is very respectable, considering its age, it was way ahead of its time, kinda like the Edsel.
 
Thanks, Bill, for the pic and the info.

For any of you who may not know, info on most chainsaws is available on the acresinternet site. Info and some more pix of the BP-1 are at:

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...378fb4451b521bbb88256b6100149cd3?OpenDocument

{I hope it's OK for me to post this link here and doesn't violate any forum rules.....}

Sawinredneck: You said: "...an[o]ther couple hundred and you could have a nice shiny new one (Husky, Stihl, Dolmar), just a thought?"

In my 80-90-saw collection I have only one foreign-made chainsaw (an Echo 602VL), and that one only because I had to take it in to make a deal with a guy for an old Root 44HL made in Baxter Springs, Kansas. I respect many of the foreign-made saws, and especially the history behind some of them in the over-all development of the chainsaw, but my own personal preferences are for American-made saws (McCulloch, Homelite, Mall, Root, Eclipse, Wright, and many other American saw-makers), especially the Good Old Mac's.

Actually, I do not have and have never had a BP-1. As RBTree so perceptively said in his post above, ....."even if it ain't the way it actually happened." I just figured this story about Thurston and the BP-1 would be a good way to introduce myself to this forum. I tell stories sometimes.... most of them totally true.... some of them more in the tradition of Jim Bridger.... and whenever I discuss a particular chainsaw, I strive to be always absolutely straight-arrow accurate.... or say nothing.

So far, the responses from other members of this forum to my Thurston story have, I think, helped break the ice a little.... and given me some idea of who's in the forum this past weekend.... and whether any of you share my brand of humor....

Gotta go to work.... more, later....

Ken
 
Speaking of Jim B, he was a distant cousin. My grandma was Molly Bridger. Possibly her dad knew Jim, as he would have been born around 1820-50.
 
Sounds like your clan has been around these-here hills fur a spell....

Got any old b&w pix of early loggin'? ....ox teams? ....misery whips workin' on a tree? ....or just general Western pioneer? Even just old family photos of the Bridger clan are interesting.... He was very much in the middle of exploration of the American West from about 1820's or -30's until the 1860's.... I thought he was born around 1800-1810, about like Kit Carson....

My own clan came in through the Ozarks in the 1850's and Tay-uck-suss in the 1830's and ended up here in New Mexico about 100 years ago....

Your cousin wasn't adverse to stretchin' tha ears of gullible tenderfeet.... :jester:

Now I REALLY gotta go do some work.... more, later.

Ken
 
Again OMG, sorry, I mean no disrespect to the older saws, I just have no use for them, kinda like my old man. He is restoring a model A pickup, it is flat BEAUTIFUL!!!!! A true colletors piece everything is new or newly done! I respect it and admire it, then he tells me I will be inheriting it and CANNOT sell it, it's an "hierloom" or something. Why do I want it? It suits no purpose to me, doesn't go fast, pain in the rear to get parts for, etc., but I guess I will own it, and willl have no ill feelings towards it, but it suits no need of mine!! I figure if I own something it will get used and pull it's wieght or I don't need it!
Does that make some sense?
Andy
 
Andy - I took no offense whatever.... Us Old Mac Guys hafta listen to a lotta talk about all them other saws which, nowadays, have pretty much totally taken over the American market.... If any of us had thin skins on the subject, we'd hafta soon get outta talking with about 60-70% of the other chainsaw fanaticos .

Yes, I can understand anyone not really caring much about antique items in which they haven't much, or any, interest.... kinda like having Aunt Minerva give ya a bunch of her hand-painted porcelain dolls in frilly, hand-tatted wedding gowns and sayin' "I want you to have these and take good care of them after I'm gone...." :rolleyes: But in the case of the Model A pickup..... WOW!!!! You're lucky!!!

In August 1958, my brother Bill and I had just finished working the summer on farms in South Dakota. I was 14, Bill 16. We bought a couple of old Model A's with part of our summer wages ($100 a month and room and board for 6-1/2-day weeks and 12-14-hour days). My "A" was a '28 coupe with rumble seat - $50, Bill's a '29 pickup - $35. We drove 'em home to Albuquerque through South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, and half of New Mexico. Took us a week. Mostly dirt and gravel roads. Lots of fond and humorous memories.... I'd jump at the chance to repeat that trip at the end of this summer.... even with the mechanical brakes.... Any time you or your Dad wanna do it, let me know! Any time ya wanna get rid of the old Model A, let me know!! I'll give ya 20X what I paid for the one in 1958.... tho I don't think that'd even reach 1/10th their market today....

And, yes, I agree with you that when it comes to felling, limbing and bucking some trees into a couple cords of firewood, or goin' out and fellin' some 50-year-old elms that're a nuisance to somebody, you need to set most of the old saws aside and grab something newer.... {Although I know of one guy working an 11-man clear-cut in Missouri this year and using three SP125's, while all the other 10 jacks are using some of those new foreign saws and razzin 'im about his yallar and blacks.} I load a couple of the 610's and the newer 1635 into tha truck (maybe one of the Homie XL12's). They're much quieter, lighter, safer and much easier to carry around over uneven ground and work with. They've got sturdy light-weight cases to protect them in the truck and on, in or under a load of wood, and they're a lot easier to put new chains on..... But I DO enjoy firing up one of the 1950's Old Mac's or my old Homelite 4-20 or one of the other OLD saws out at the woodpile from time-to-time and wailin' through some logs with 'em.... and some of the neighbors and an occassional visitor like to see and hear and watch 'em runnin'.... (but my 85-year-old Mom DID ask me to please not start one up at 10:00 am on Sunday morning any more -- seems I interrupted Brother Wesley's sermon a block away in the Community Church....OOPS!!:taped:)

I guess most of us chainsaw collectors might be kinda hard-put to explain exactly why we like foolin' with the old chainsaws.... or why we have a sorta compulsion to get more of 'em when we already have a dozen or hundred or more.... I guess my best answer is, Welll.... I just enjoy foolin' with 'em.... tinkerin' with 'em.... findin' tha parts to fix tha ones that ain't runnin'... gettin' 'em fired up and workable again.... Probably kinda like your Old Man enjoys tinkerin' with tha ol' Model A..... which, by the way, are really simple and easy to work on.... an absolute delight in their simplicity....

But ENOUGH of tha danged innerspecshun!! Le's jes' talk old chainsaws!! Lemme know when ya wanna get rid of that danged old useless old Ford and I'll go ketch a grey dawg outta Dalhart or call one of mah ex-wives over in Tay-uck-suss ta drive me up there and go over and take it offa yer han's so ya don' hafta worry 'bout it no more an' ah'll drive it home chucklin' and sangin'....

McC:Yer movie is awesome..... Too bad ya got stuck with one of them ol' BP-1's an' didn't turn it back in ta Mac when he issued tha re-call notice.... I hear they can be cantankerous.... hard to find parts for 'em.... even down-right dangerous if tha governor fails on 'em.... Wanna trade yours off for a nice, slow, safe Model A pickup truck.... totally restored.... ta drive in tha Fourth of July Parade?? {Only thang is, ya gotta stay a good distance back behind tha ellyfants with it... them mechanical brakes need a little bit of advance notice before ya plan to stop.....}
 
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I wish it were mine, my cousin owns this and another. I guess getting to use one is good enough for now. Do you have a model A with tracks? I'd find a BP1 for you!
 
McC said:
I wish it were mine, my cousin owns this and another. I guess getting to use one is good enough for now. Do you have a model A with tracks? I'd find a BP1 for you!

Sorry, no I don't! You are BTW welcome to come and drive it any time, but it will b a while before it's done, let alone mine!! I know I am coming off unapprecative, its very nice!!! I just don't "get it"" I guess! Yeah it's simplistic, yeah it's neat, just suits no purpose to me?
Andy
 

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