saw shop

[rednecksawman]

just wondering if theres any true saw shops left I remember as a kid up until 20 years ago going in to saw shops that made there own chain loops took links out didn't realy matter what brand of saw you had they could work on them . when you bought a new saw usualy the mechanic sold the saws also took the in the shop gased and oiled them up and cranked them up made sure they were oiling and adjusted the carb as needed and told you to bring it back after 5 tanks of gas to check it. now I see teenage kids selling the saws that don't know anything and they just take it put a little gas and oil in started it and take your name down and that's it also the chains come in prepackaged loops and if you got a odd chain link number your out of luck and if you need a link taken out they just sell a new chain. also I remember buying stihl products that the dealer filled out the 3 part registration card that asked 50 questions and you got a copy kinda like a title to a car.

 

[XSKIER]

People don't buy new products in that manner any more. The lowest price wins, and it takes more money to provide that kind of service.

 

[nmurph]

Yes, there are, but they are the exception to the rule and tend to be concentrated in the PNW and in Amish country.

 

[stihlaficionado]

Madsen's in Centrailia, Washington

www.madsens1.com

And Bob's place(Spike60) : Ashokan Turf & Timber in upstate NY

 

[mike047]

That was also the time when a HANDSHAKE meant something and personal integrity was a virtue not perceived as a sign of weakness.

 

[flyboy553]

Kruse's Stihl Chainsaw Sales in Central MN still has this kind of service, although he is about to retire. They don't work on other brands anymore, just the Stihl's. I get all my chains spun up there, bar work when needed. It is too bad they only sell Stihl saws, or I would a steady customer of theirs.
If you take a chain in to be sharpened, his wife does the sharpening, and will give me tips on how well I am doing with my hand filing. He will take the bar off the saw and check it over, true it up if needed, blow all the crap out of it and put the chain back on. For $5.00!

Will be a sad day when they retire, but Parkinson's is really getting to the old timer.

Ted

 

[old-cat]

Cowlitz River Rigging in Longview WA is an almost duplicate of Madsen's. They do High Performance saws too. The everything saw store and more.

 

[rednecksawman]

the last one we had like that went out of business due to health reasons he opened in 1991 and closed in 1998 he worked for another saw shop for years before starting his own . when he first opened he sold stihl husky sachs dolmar and poulan pro after the first year he just sold stihl and husky but he worked on almost every make there was a complete display wall of chainsaws stihl on oneside and husky on the other the trimmers were on a rack on the middle of the floor probably about 6 different trimmer models and a few blowers and a few snapper mowers but everyday at 3 till 6 he and another guy did nothing but repair ans sharpen logging saws and all day Saturday I have seen the business closed and the lights on in the shop a many late night trying to get saws ready for the next morning. now he did have a real nice looking woman working there that helped customers when he was busy and I think that helped sell a lot of saws lol

 

[heyduke]

Buck's Saw Service, Novato California, Husky, Echo and Stihl

 

[zogger]

Husky dealer I go to is like that. They have a for-real old timey small engine guy wrench, who knows what he is doing, can glance at a saw and know before he touches it what usually goes wrong with that model, etc, a well stocked parts room, a boneyard for used parts, etc. They can lengthen or shorten a loop, etc. Now they don't stock pro chain, but they can order it fast. (been razzing them about that...) They do stock the safety chain they sell on new saws, I think that is a modern saw deal because of lawyers, etc. Carry mixed home owner, farm/ranch and pro saws on the shelf (up to a 372xp) They don't have a bar machine though. So..close, certainly closer to what you are talking about than a home depot or tractor supply or most other small engine shops I have seen around here.

 

[sawfun]

Dicks in Estacada Oregon will repair old saws unlike most local shops.

 

[rednecksawman]

the stihl dealer we have now has teenage kids doing the selling and the mechanics are not much older the service or workshop is no big at all the owner said hes more worried about sales than repairing I thought in the old days the shop is what turned out the most money due to charging for parts and labor due to some repairs is just labor . and at 65 dollars and hour . there was a guy who had a old mac 1010 the other day that just needed a link taken out of a chain it was a almost new chain but it was a Oregon they said the couldn't take a link out because the didn't do Oregon or aftermarket they called it I met the guy in the parking lot and told him to follow me to my house and I would do it I took the link out with my chainbreaker and used one of the old links and respun it with my pocket spinner

 

[mdavlee]

There's not many saw shops left in the east since most logging is going mechanized.

 

[Spectre468]

Yes, there are, but they are the exception to the rule and tend to be concentrated in the PNW and in Amish country.

Yup. Jerry's Small Engines in Forks, WA. Used to spend 5-6 days in Forks every year. I would get up early, and get down there just before opening at least 2-3 mornings. Jerry'd invite me in and we'd have coffee and smoke cigarettes in the shop before opening and shoot the **** about saws n such. THAT was a saw shop! He drop ships a lot of stuff to pro loggers in my area, in pallet lots.

My "local" dealer is pretty great, too, but its just not the same as being in logging country like in Forks. He has a good inventory, but it doesn't compare to all the stuff Jerry has. Stuff you don't see every day, he has. Even though my dealer is roughly 100 miles round trip, he's a lot closer than Jerry!

 

[rednecksawman]

now on the other hand I went into a saw shop one time in Alabama that wasent very big the first thing I noticed was all those stihl awards on the wall for sales I worked for a company we were clearing a right of way and we needed another saw . these 2 college girls wearing stihl shirts asked if they could help me so I bought a stihl 036 and before I could leave I bought a stihl 009l dang I had to explain to company why I bought 2 saws on the company credit card. that was some good sales practice right there lol

 

[Gologit]

SPD in Grass Valley, Ca. Hills Flat Lumber in Grass Valley. Wildwood Saw in Fortuna, Ca. All the latest stuff and old fashioned saw shop service.

 

[rednecksawman]

well here in the south I have noticed since the mills quit taking short pupwood that's when the sawshops kinda just busted . I remember years ago people sold short wood just like selling scrap metal today they had a old 1-2 ton truck with a rack and a winch made out of a car differencial with a swing boom and they just cut it 5-5 and loaded and took it to the mill.

 

[farmer steve]

cedar grove farm store in shippensburg pa. needed a chain brake handle for an 026.lowell the mechanic said he had a used one for me 'cause the new ones were to expensive. i asked how hard were they to put on as i had never done one. he dropped what he was doing and said watch. 5 minutes later the chain brake was on and i learned something. oh yea and when you buy a new saw there you still fill out the 3 page card and they take ya out back and tell ya how it works and if it needs it he tweeks the carb with his little orange stihl screwdriver. thats why i drive 37 miles one way.i have a stihl dealer about a mile away from me but thats another story.

 

[rednecksawman]

and I talk about saw shops autoparts are about the same if its not on the computer or prepackages your out of luck . I needed a combojoint for a old chevy truck I had and I finaly found a old school parts house that knew how to get one.

 

[Guido Salvage]

Don't necessarily *ass*ume that all "kids" don't know what they are doing. No reason to rant, if you can't find a competent mechanic learn to do the work yourself. Like any other business, a saw shop needs to make money, if the demand is not there they will fail.

A friend of mine owns an IH dealership his dad bought in 1945. He now sells more ATV's, boats and lawn mowers than ag equipment.