Newbie?Best project saw for a first timer

[pitdawg420]

hello everyone


i am new to the site and i would like to put together a saw..what would be the best saw to piece together for my first project?

 

[thompson1600]

A saw where you have easy access to parts. A pro Stihl is easy to work on, just make sure you have used parts available or it gets expensive real fast.

Tom

 

[pitdawg420]

thanks for the advice...

 

[Lakeside53]

yep.. something like an 026 is a great project...

 

[TDunk]

Take this in moderation, but E-bay is a good source of used/parts saws for sale. I saw an 038 mag. for sale, everything was good but needed piston and jug kit, and bar and chain. last I new it was at $75.00. Hope this helps

 

[ericjeeper]

Go to your local dealership./

Take doughnuts, show up and talk with the owner.
Tell him of your interest. Ask him if he has a couple of saws that maybe you could take two and make one out of.. and assure him if you need any new parts, that you will go to him for parts.

 

[omegajim]

What would help a lot would be past projects, past experiences and the like. If you like fiddling with lawn mower carbs, fiddling with chainsaws is for you.

The saw for you might be on E-bay (ask for a lot of pictures, guys here say e-bay is a carpshoot). Also, if there are rummage sales oriented towards equipment you might find someting, being able to put your hands on the saw you could tell if the compression is good and/or if the motor is nearly seized. Saw an old Homelite 150 for $20 that I still kick myself over from time to time.

Chances are if the saw is in good shape, a carb rebuild is usually all it takes.

Oh, and read a lot around here. You'll put the pieces together.

good luck

 

[oldsaw]

Pretty sound advice here. Find a really popular saw so you can find plenty of used parts as needed. I would really like to find a tired 046 to work over when I get the time and money. It would fill a nice spot in my lineup, although I would do an 044 if one crossed my path. That, or a mid sized Husky XP. Buddy of mine has a 257 IIRC, and it is a really nice saw.

Mark

 

[pitdawg420]

i found a homelite 360 for real cheap but i am unsure how difficult parts would be to get for it

 

[Skooks]

I have just finished re-building a 026 and really enjoyed the process. The saw is easy to work on and looks like it will complement my 066 pretty well. I got the saw for free after my neighbour put bad gas into it. I ordered an aftermarket piston and cylinder from Bailey's and it runs like a brand new saw. So far I have just over $100 into it.

Good luck, hope you find a good saw to work on.

-Don

 

[Justsaws]

i found a homelite 360 for real cheap but i am unsure how difficult parts would be to get for it

Homelite 360s have a carb boot that is no longer availible but can on occasion be found. They also have some electical issues that might be difficult for your first saw. If was in good shape and inexpensive it would be a good project but might require some patience tracking down parts.

I would, like many others suggest a saw that still have dealer available parts and preferably one that also has some after market parts available.

Husky, Stihl.

Good luck, it is a lot of fun.

 

[Justsaws]

I would also add that most modern Huskys and Stihls are a lot easier to rebuild in general than many of the older horizontal engines (Macs, Homelites, Ropers, etc.). The electrics are easier without points to deal with as well.