Old Craftsman Chainsaw help

[gocats7]

My grandfather passed away and I was given his chainsaws he used up in the mountains in California. I have been told to just scrap them and buy new saws, but since they were his I really dont want to and after putting some time into them, they are starting up and running pretty good. For the level of use I have, they will be fine if I can get them up to speed.

I should point out I dont know much about chainsaws so I am sure there is more I can do to them than I haven't done. I replaced the fuel lines, blew out the carb, replaced the sparkplugs, changed fuel, bar oil and cleaned the air filters. I am planning to look at the muffler and see what and if I need to do there too.

Info on the first saw:
Craftsman 2.3PS/VL (Green)
It is a "power sharper" saw but I have read to just pull that stuff out.
model 358.350881
s/n S4205949
It has a 1/4" chain with 76 drive teeth and a 14" bar

I checked the sears website and no luck on any parts or manuals, but the model is listed. Oregon has a chain that I "think" will work. It is a 25AP 1/4" chain that has 76 drive teeth. The bar I "think" I need is also made by Oregon and it is a DoubleGuard 25. I just have to determine if my bar end is closed or open and I havent looked yet.

Can anyone help me determine if these are correct for this first chainsaw and tell me what size file to use to sharpen the 1/4" chain? The chain and bar are not bad from what I can tell but I wanted to start fresh and use this bar and chain as a backup once I got it sharpened potentially or once I sharpen it it may be just fine.

The original bar is Oregon too and has a number of 21854 DX on the bar which no one can find or even find the model of the saw listed for that matter at any local or internet parts places I have called. There is a 358.35081 listed but it is not the right one, mine ends in 881, not 81 and the 81 used a 3/8" chain where mine has a 1/4".

Also, if anyone has a manual I would love to get a copy...I will need all the help I can get over the years as it is kinda a quest to keep these running.

The second saw says Sears on it, not Craftsman and it is more of a mystery. It says "easy start" and "automatic oiler" on it, is Orange and white. Has two knobs on top, one for gas and one for the bar oil both next to each other. The air filter is on top under a cover that also has a knob on top. The sproket is exposed. Spark plug is within the handle section and it has a flip level on the backside too that has a "run" and a "start" position in additon to the choke pull knob and a on/off switch between the choke and lever. Looking from the rear, there is a manual oiler push down lever on the left side of the rear. On the side with the pull cord is a knob that I think adjusts the automatic oiler that says open and close.

It looks similar to this saw, but this is only a picture I found on ebay that is similar:

View attachment 52684

All of the numbers I have found on it are:
6815H (stamped on the case by the sproket)
T-1498 (on a tag rivited to the bottom of the saw)
5337754 (on a tag rivited to the bottom of the saw)
3/8" chain, 20" bar (havent looked farther at it.)

I would like to identify the saw and hopefully come up with a manual and go from there.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated. No matter how irrelevant a detail may seem to you, I know very little about chainsaws in general and even less about these so it may help me out a lot! Thanks and sorry this was so long.

 

[habanero]

I have a couple Sears Explorers that are similar to that 2.3PS you have. I run 3/8" LP chain on them and found that to be much better than 1/4" chain. You'll have to change the sprocket, but I highly recommend going that direction.

 

[gocats7]

I'm up for whatever is the best idea in the long run so changing the sproket is ok by me....doing it may be another story but I can figure it out. My question is how do I find a sproket that will fit and then find the right bar and chain? I would rather have a 3/8" chain on the 14" saw so I dont have to fight finding one in the future as they seem hard to come by. Good suggestion.

 

[Wood Hick]

Your saws come up on the Sears website. Go to "related links", then choose parts. It will give you a window for the model #, and: rock away you go! Your bars are common to lots of old saws and are readily available. I might suggest going to a saw shop and tell them what you are after for bars,chains,sprockets,etc. Give your local guy your money instead of the big box, and good luck to you!

 

[gocats7]

I did look on the sears site and there are some parts available, unfortunately of the bar, chain, and sproket only the bar is available.

 

[Al Smith]

It appears to me,a casual observer,that the saw in the picture is 3.7 cubic inch Roper,sold by Sears.If you do a cross reference on Mike Acres site you may be able to comfirm that and if so find a sprocket.Do a "google" for mfg supply ,they have nearly every thing.

Regarding the old Roper,they weren't too bad of a saw for the time period.

 

[rb_in_va]

Do they look anything like this?

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46853&d=1173926134

Here's a thread about my little Craftsmans.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=45669

 

[gocats7]

Yes, the small 14" saw look very similar to that one, . Mine is factory green and doesnt have a guard over the handle but otherwise very, very similar. Someone suggested switching it from 1/4" to 3/8" and I am up for it if I can find the right parts. I have gone to two local repair shops and they all said they couldnt help...to old. Any luck nailing down a poulan model number? Now that I look closer at yours other than what I mentioned and some decals, it looks the same.


As far as the 20" Sears saw, I am trying to find a pic of a Roper 3.7 to see if it is like my saw. I can post pics of my saw if it would help. Mikes site was helpful and I think it may very well be a roper but I still cannot say for sure. I found a air filter on a site for a roper 3.7 that looks like mine I think but I need to go check again when I get home. From what I can tell there are several 3.7 ropers though.

 

[nilzlofgren]

If this Craftsman will help you for parts, you can have it.

 

[Al Smith]

The last two pictures,Rogers plus the other ,were Poulans.

Sears never made a chainsaw but sold Poulans,Ropers,McCullochs,you name it,they sold it.

 

[gocats7]

Thanks for all the replies! I agree that the small saw is probably a poulan. It would be great to get down to a model number that it would cross too.

As far as the bigger saw, I found a filter on mfg supply for a Roper 3.7 that looks similar but my filter is tapered a little to fit the case, not square as this filter appears. My filter does not seem to have a tab on it that the replacement filter does as well. May still be it though which would be nice as it has the starter rewind spring that I need too.

I also found out that the 6815H that is stamped in the case is the sears part number of the case. I looked it up on sears.com, but unfortunately it only identifies the part as a gear case but does not say what saw/saws it fits! I emailed sears parts department to see if they can tell me.

Not certain at this point on either, but getting closer I think. Took some time tonight and finished cleaning them both up. They really do run good at this point. The automatic oiler on the 20" is not working, I took the fitting lose at the bar and oil just barely trickled out of it at 3/4 throttle so I have some work to do there.

 

[habanero]

Try jackssmallengines.com for sprockets, chain, and bars for your 2.3PS saw. They list everything under the Sears model, but you can also cross the part numbers with those listed for Poulan models as well.

 

[MAG58]

I been told that this small saws were Canadian made and sold by lots of brands, got two of them my self, JOBU and SKIL

 

[gocats7]

Yea, that one certainly looks a lot like mine too...looks like it was pretty popular back in the day!

I struckout with Sears, they cannot cross reference the part number of the case (6815H) on the 20" saw (which is a valid sears part number) to a model number...it was worth a shot.

I have no idea how to change the sproket on the small saw to change it to 3/8" versus 1/4" and actually get the right parts to do it. I know it is probably not a big deal, but at my experience level I hate to drop the bucks on parts that I am not sure will work. These are my first chainsaws so I am learning.

Good news is that at this point after spending several hours on them again last night, they both seem to be running good for now. I think from what I have learned so far I could find parts for the 14" if I needed to referencing poulan models. The 20" saw is another story and I have yet to figure it out.

If I posted a pic of it, would it help in identification or has what I've done so far about it and I just need to suck it up and move on and deal with it when it breaks someday?

I do appreciate all the posts and suggestions thus far, they have turned me on to many sites that are and will be very helpful.

 

[Eccentric]

Your 2.3CI Craftsman saw is in the Poulan 25 family. They were made for years and sold by dozens of companies with their names on them. Most everything you'll ever need is still available. The carb is your basic Tillotson HU series. Any saw shop in the world can get you a rebuild kit.

Ditch the power sharp crap. Click on the link (in this site) to the Baileys website. They'll be able to help you get a spocket (get a bearing too), bar, and a loop of chain to convert over to 3/8"LP. You may have to call or email them, but they'll help you out.

BTW- It may sound confusing, but 3/8"LP is also called .365" and .370" by different people, but is the same chain. Just be sure that the gauge of the chain is the same, as the 3/8"LP is used in .043" and .050" gauge.

 

[gocats7]

Good info on the small saw, I feel pretty good about it now and I have already pulled the power sharp mess out of it since I've been reading up on this site. This has been a very helpful site I must say.

I looked up a couple of parts and your dead on that they match for the model 25 and my saw...thanks a lot...that really helps make it easier in the future.

Any advice on the 20" saw? I can post pics if that would help.

 

[Eccentric]

I Think I Found Your Saw...

Try this Sears model #

917.63202

I did some searching using different Craftsman chainsaw model #s and came up with a gear drive saw that uses the #6815H gearcase.

Here's a link to the model profile on Mike Acre's site:

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...c2462c47e4647d9a88256cf100243ee9?OpenDocument

She's a little bigger than 3.7ci. It's a 4.85ci Roper that used a Power Products (Tecumseh) AH49 monoblock type engine. It's roughly equivelant to a Homelite C51G. Heavy, loud, and slow with tons of torque.

The good news is that Sears lists the recoil spring as being available.......The bad news is that they want $29.95+shipping for it!!!!

Of course all this is assuming that I have in fact found the right model #. Post some pics, as we should be able to tell by looking at the saw whether or not I'm close.


Oh, and it's possible that your 2.3 has a Walbro WA series carb instead of a Tillotson HU, as that's what the later Poulans used. I can't believe I didn't remember that earlier, as I've rebuilt 100s of those Walbro's on 2.3 Craftsmans... Yours is probably the Tilly though.

 

[gocats7]

I think your right!That link you posted has a diagram and it looks just like it from what I can see!

I will post a pic this weekend, long day today and another one ahead tomorrow. Thanks man, I appreciate it.

That would be awesome to have identified both saws and have the ability to know what I am asking for in the future to keep them going.

Pic will be here this weekend!