Well, as luck would have it, my Stihl Elasto-Start handle gave up. The inside rubber portion broke in half and now looks like this:
The lower stem separated completely. So, I decided to try and make a replacement in the shop. For starters, I found a scrap of 5/4 quartersawn white oak and traced a rough pattern on it that resembled the original handle:
Then I used about every tool I had in the shop: drill press, table saw, band saw, disk sander, etc. Hand sanding was also very important. After two coats I had this product available for installation:
I added a #10 steel washer inside the counterbored hole at the top that reinforces the hole that the knot kisses. Perhaps the hardest part was shaping the conical projection stem at the bottom that fits into the pull-cord housing. The sides of the stem must have a flat to help hold the handle in the correct orientation with the saw. Here's the final installation with the MS390 I am still restoring:
To test it, I found a strong logger who drop started the saw several times. He couldn't break it and bought me a beer. Then he asked, "How many hours did it take to make it?" To which I responded, "About five, not counting drying time. But, I think I could make about four a day if I started producing them. The hardwood is so comfortable to pull that not having the elastic stretch doesn't seem to mean much."
The lower stem separated completely. So, I decided to try and make a replacement in the shop. For starters, I found a scrap of 5/4 quartersawn white oak and traced a rough pattern on it that resembled the original handle:
Then I used about every tool I had in the shop: drill press, table saw, band saw, disk sander, etc. Hand sanding was also very important. After two coats I had this product available for installation:
I added a #10 steel washer inside the counterbored hole at the top that reinforces the hole that the knot kisses. Perhaps the hardest part was shaping the conical projection stem at the bottom that fits into the pull-cord housing. The sides of the stem must have a flat to help hold the handle in the correct orientation with the saw. Here's the final installation with the MS390 I am still restoring:
To test it, I found a strong logger who drop started the saw several times. He couldn't break it and bought me a beer. Then he asked, "How many hours did it take to make it?" To which I responded, "About five, not counting drying time. But, I think I could make about four a day if I started producing them. The hardwood is so comfortable to pull that not having the elastic stretch doesn't seem to mean much."
