Wright Reciprocating Saw, pics and overhaul inside....

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The old man claims he has a few packs of new blades for the Wright saws (he owned several of them when they were new... have at least one still around in the shop, maybe 2. There's so much "stuff" in places that haven't seen humans in probably 30+ yrs so who knows. For sure have 1 saw, as it's sitting on display on a shelf in the main part of the shop.
Anyhoo, if I come across them, I'll let you know.
 
ML12, yours is a beauty! As a side project I'm slowly building a powder coating oven. When it's done I'm going to strip and powder coat the bar, the original chrome was in pretty rough shape so I just painted it for now and I would like to do my home made air cleaner to match. I was wrestling with whether to strip and redo the rest of it. In the end I decided the original paint was in ok shape so I left it. Is yours a GS-5020? If it is you could use the gasket scans I put up to help find crank seals and print the gasket scans out and trace it onto gasket paper.
 
Ditto on the great write-up and a great job on the saw.

I have a Wright C50-D (which is sorta rare in its own right..., at least in my neck o' the woods), but one of the blade saws in even halfway decent shape has eluded me so far. They pop up now and again, but either in horrible condition or priced ridiculously high.
 
I didn't think of that but that's a good idea. I had thought of buzzing down a piece of mild steel rod in the lathe but I was worried about damaging the end of the crank trying to peen the pin. My original pin was almost half worn through where the weights pivot so maybe the hardened pin isn't a bad idea.
 
Interesting thread. Thanks for taking the time for the write up.
 
Ditto on the great write-up and a great job on the saw.

I have a Wright C50-D (which is sorta rare in its own right..., at least in my neck o' the woods), but one of the blade saws in even halfway decent shape has eluded me so far. They pop up now and again, but either in horrible condition or priced ridiculously high.

Looking on ebay, the prices on these are out to lunch. Your c50 is a neat old saw and I'm sure would out cut this blade saw without breaking a sweat. In their advertising they call it a safe saw because no spinning chain, and in that sense it does feel safe when using it. other than that unless you like weird old stuff it doesn't beat a chainsaw, which I guess is why the design went away.
 
Great thread. In the early 60s when my dad was logging, he had two saws - a Wright similar to yours and a gear drive McCulloch with a bow. I was 7 or 8, but it was my understanding that he used the Wright for falling. By 1968 he essentially parked the Wright but used the MAC until the late 70s. In 1974, he was away for the summer so I took the liberty of trying to convert the Wright to a go kart motor. I was surprised and disappointed to find the second piston arrangement. I didn’t bother to reassemble it and my dad tossed it when he returned. He’s gone now as well. I regret having brought about the loss of a tangible reminder of him and his hard work to provide for us. I automatically reflect back every time I see a Wright.

Ron
 
Nice story. Your dad must have been quite the man to be able to lug a 25lb Wright as a logging saw! It sounds like these saws costed a fortune back in their day, he must have had good reason to retire it. Still, it's funny how memories like that stick with us.
 
He was plenty stout. I bet the MAC was closer to 35#.

Once again great thread. I would love to hear one run to see if I remember the sound. The old MACs are distinct and loud - but I don’t remember much about the Wright.

Ron
 
Very cool old saws. of course like all the rest of you saw nutz i had to look around.:surprised3: found this on FB marketplace in NJ. $75 for a 115cc saw. looks like there was a meat blade option for some of the Wright saws. :eek:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/448251085621600

I think these came with a three blade set, One for logs, one for fine cuts in lumber, one for meat. They come up on ebay now and then.

I always wondered why my dad had a Wright as it was not particularly fast. I believe you guys may have answered that. Most of my dad’s power tools came from my grandfather. My grandfather had a slaughterhouse and my dad, his s-i-l, helped. The blade or bar of the Wright looked to be stainless steel with machine turnings. When I was young, they were using rented handsaws to quarter beef - very sharp and efficient. I bet that these saws replaced the Wright.

Ron
 
I always wondered why my dad had a Wright as it was not particularly fast. I believe you guys may have answered that. Most of my dad’s power tools came from my grandfather. My grandfather had a slaughterhouse and my dad, his s-i-l, helped. The blade or bar of the Wright looked to be stainless steel with machine turnings. When I was young, they were using rented handsaws to quarter beef - very sharp and efficient. I bet that these saws replaced the Wright.

Ron
did they sell 2 stroke smoked meats?:rolleyes:
 
the only thread on AS that we can get away with saying "Blade" :laughing:

Not worried about purists and chainsaw PC. In my upbringing a blade meant chain or bar depending upon the context. Same with the Wright saw - the blade could refer to the bar or the actual saw blade.

Now let's talk about the fact Wrights had rakers and chainsaws don’t. Upon further thought let’s not.

Ron
 

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