Introduction and Craftsman 3.7 question

[Honest John]

Hello from Southern Oregon !

My problems started a couple of months ago, when I found a good deal on an old Homelite at a garage sale. Once I got it running well I realized I needed a bigger saw so I set about to find another good deal. Well, now the garage has over a dozen saws in it, some are buckets full of parts and some running like new. I keep coming up with this site whenever I search the interwebs with questions, so I figured I might as well sign up and make it official. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, but I'm thinking you guys might be more "enablers" than anything else

My most recent acquisition is a craftsman 3.7 which I guess is really a Poulan ? I picked it up for a five spot and amazingly it seems to be complete minus the air filter. I did notice however, that one of the bar studs is broken off. How difficult is it to replace one of these ? Am I going to have problems finding a replacement ? What's the best method for removal ?

Thanks from a newb

John

 

[fearofpavement]

There were two versions of the Craftsman 3.7. One was made by Roper, the other is a Poulan Countervibe. Which one do you have? Look up Countervibe 3700 to see if that's what it looks like.

 

[zogger]

Howdy! You signed up..hahahahaha! Start building a bigger shop with a good bed in it and a john, you'll be living out there soon when you get kicked outta the house...

When "she" asks how many saws do you have, say something like "these are my retirement saws, it is like a portfolio"! or.."And how many shoes do you have again"? or "Honey, this is a LOT cheaper than restoring and keeping a 60s muscle car"..or...you get the picture....

If your CM is a poulan, just keep scrounging for parts. I make my own airfilters for countervibes, ones like those I use coffee filters on the old mesh, works OK.

 

[Honest John]

Pretty sure it's a Poulan, but I can't quite tell just from my google search. I think I found some bar studs online from sears parts direct, but fifteen bucks plus shipping seems like a lot. The saw looks to be in good shape otherwise, aside from a worn down chain. It's got the walbro carb so I should be able to get parts for that. Pulled it apart today and after a full can of brake cleaner it's starting to look like decent serviceable saw.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

New air filters for a Poulan/Craftsman 3.7 are usually available on ebay for not much.

 

[fearofpavement]

The differences in appearance between the Roper and Poulan versions are significant. A picture would help. The Roper's clutch cover has a deep channel in it and the Poulan has rubber av bushings between the body and the rear handle. If you just look up a pic of a Poulan 3700 see if it looks exactly like yours. If not look up the Roper. They're both pretty solid saws but the Poulans seem more desirable nowadays. Also the part number of the Craftsman saw will start with a 358 if it's a Poulan and I believe the Ropers start with 917 or something similar.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

I take it the saw is red and not black like the craftsman version 3500/3750?

 

[Honest John]

Hey, sorry I stepped away from this thread for a few days. This isn't a pic of my saw, but it looks exactly the same. Thanks for the help ! I took it apart for cleaning, put it back together and it idles rough so a carb rebuild will be in the future, but it still needs those bar studs to safely cut. Thanks for the help !

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

Yep you got a Poulan 3700.

 

[Honest John]

Awesome, well it looks like they are pressed in from the backside. Looks like it's pretty straightforward....pound the old one out and pound a new one in. I'll try and update this thread once I get them replaced. Probably a lot of work for a saw that's probably never going to be in heavy rotation, but it's better than TV right ?

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Awesome, well it looks like they are pressed in from the backside. Looks like it's pretty straightforward....pound the old one out and pound a new one in. I'll try and update this thread once I get them replaced. Probably a lot of work for a saw that's probably never going to be in heavy rotation, but it's better than TV right ?

TV might be better where I am. Yesterday it got around 100 degrees. I did go out to the shop briefly.