Cheap project saw

[Stihlkickin]

Well, I was walking through the local Lowe's store the other day, when I came upon a pretty sad-looking faded husky saw with no bar or chain, sitting on a shelf with a tag on it. Curiosity got the best of me and I read the tag. It basically said the saw was a return for sale with no warranties whatsoever, Husqvarna model of 141, $10. Against my wife's wishes, I picked it up and headed straight to the checkout. The guy at the counter half-laughed when he saw what I was buying. He felt so bad, he cut the price in half; that's right $5! In my haste, I didn't even pull the rope or look at anything. I thought at the very least, I could part it out on Ebay and get my money back plus more.

I took it to work the next day and pulled the rope- it turned over, good sign. I pulled the plug and checked spark and compression- good spark, 130 psi. compression. I opened the gas cap and there was good gas in it, too! I put it back together, pulled the choke lever and gave the rope a good yank, and it fired right up the first time! I put a little oil in the tank and checked the oiler, too; it works. It was missing a few minor parts (bar nuts, oil cap, chain tensioner nut), but this saw is going to go through a total metamorphosis in the next couple of weeks. I already re-engineered the exhaust system (i.e. remove catalytic converter, and a custom muffler mod). I'll post pics when they're available. I know this is not one of the best saws to own by any means, but for $5 I think it's a hell of a toy!

:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[talcott]

i have a 142e and really like it. i will be looking forward to seeing some pics later.

bestest ree guards

talcott

 

[Stihlkickin]

I'll get 'em on here ASAP.

 

[epicklein22]

That is a great story. The chainsaw gods have touched you.

 

[Stihlkickin]

Lol!

 

[Bill G]

Interesting I have never seen a box store take back a saw that was faded and missing parts:fart: The sell it for pennies.

Bill

 

[OLY-JIM]

Nice!

It's nice running into a deal. Sounds like you found the Super-Deal! Congrats! Look forward to the pics.

 

[Lakeside53]

Interesting I have never seen a box store take back a saw that was faded and missing parts:fart: The sell it for pennies.

Bill

It was probably something they took in for repair, then the owner never showed.

 

[Stihlkickin]

My dad works for Lowe's. You would sh*t a brick if you saw the stuff that store throws away! They are all about keeping the customer happy. Someone probably bought it and used the crap out of it, then returned it. When they gave him flak over it, he just whined a little more and a manager just gave him his money back to clear the air. They don't care. What's a couple of hundred dollars to a billionaire company? That's just a guess, but I'll bet I'm pretty close.

 

[mt.stalker]

55 mods

Slihlkickin, I was wondering what mods you've done to your 55 ?
Thanks'
John

 

[Stihlkickin]

Slihlkickin, I was wondering what mods you've done to your 55 ?
Thanks'
John

This is the thread that I posted about the 55. It has some pics on it, too.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=45785

 

[Stihlkickin]

Done!

Here is the finished product! Modified muffler, juiced carburetor, good cleaning, new bar and chain, and spark plug. I think I have about $50 in parts in it! It runs liked a raped ape on 40:1. I have a question though. Is this illegal? After all, this was a low emissions model. Am I a criminal for making this saw run so good? :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Jack_Shaft]

LOL

Love the dual slash-cut exhaust you have going on there

 

[Stihlkickin]

The exhaust mod does more than that. This model had a catalytic converter. I stress "had"! Also, the two tubes that go through the body of the muffler where the attaching screws are located have been modified. I drilled 12, 3/16" holes into the sides of the tubes. So you see the obvious outlets that I added, but the existing tubes also became outlets. This sucker is loud! I did the slash-cut tube mod on my 55, and even with about 14cc's difference, the 141 is way louder. It sounds good, though.

The carb was designed not to be adjusted, but I took care of that by grinding down the heads of the adjusting screws and cutting slots in them with an air reciprocating saw. Now you can adjust them with a pocket screwdriver. I adjusted the carb to accomodate 40:1. I did this for two reasons. Number 1: the rest of my saws use this mix; and number two: no matter what anybody says, I still don't trust running a high RPM machine with any less oil than that.

The last thing I did was add the bucking spike. This saw really is impressive for a 40cc model. I originally was going to sell it when I was done, but I have decided to use the hell out of it! :chainsawguy:

 

[keith c raymond]

Great job on the muffler.Those are good saws,My friend has 200 tanks through his and he has done nothing but normal maint.and it goes great.

 

[Stihlkickin]

Thanks. If I had more time I might think about offering my services for a fee. But I don't have the extra time.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Really NICE job on the muffler. I just finished reworking a 141 also. The 141 is basically a good homeowner saw that suffers from EPA woes. I had some 41 parts and I swapped out the "how-the-hell-do-I-adjust-that-damn-thing" carb and the muffler (opened it up a bit), threw in a new ring and the thing is a little hot rod. You're right, though, its a lot louder.

I don't think they have the quality of the bigger Huskies but at the end of the day, what do I care? They're light, balanced well, reliable, and they handle 95% of my firewood needs. Those two little Huskies of mine probably cost me less than 50$ each and have cut $1000 worth of firewood.
I put 18-inch bars on mine and as long as I keep the chain sharp and don't lean on them too much they do just fine.