Stihl 029 - good deal?

[nglauer]

Hi, i was on my way home today and noticed a guy with some saws for sale in his yard. I picked up a solid looking 029 with a 18" bar and bar cover for what i thought was a helluva deal. It fires up on the first pull and came with a full tank of fuel and bar oil too lol. I paid $50.00 for it. How did i do? I know nothing about Stihls, but i figured i couldn't go wrong for the price. It cuts really well and runs smoothly. No cracks in the plastic either... just dirty.

Any info is greatly appreciated. I ended up with a brand new granberg mini mill and almost brand new later model Homelite Super XL a few years ago when i purchased my grandfathers property (they were his and Dad was unclear if he had used either). I didnt need another saw since i have the Homelite SXL, but I couldn't pass up this deal.

Would either be a good saw for the mini mill?

Could i use either on a bigger mill?

How do these saws compare with each other?

I'd also like to cut some boards for a utility trailer and maybe a few boards for occasional wood working projects (small scale).

Any thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated.


Thanks again,
Nick

 

[Dave6390]

You got a righteous deal, I love my 029 it's a solid workhorse!


Dave6390 in WI

 

[idiotwithasaw]

i think you found a heck of a deal, but in the end its all about customer satisfaction. if it puts a smile on your face, and gets the job done, then its priceless.

 

[Ironworker]

That's a sweet deal right there.

 

[Derf]

Great find! A running Stihl for $50 is a good deal. Take care of that saw and it will take care of you. The 029 was 54cc, the 029 super was 56cc. They were later replaced with the ms290, now discontinued. Neither is good for milling anything over 12-14" in diameter, since 50cc isn't a very large engine. Ditto for the Homelite SXL @ 58cc, but that's a solid little worker too. The Stihl will make a good firewood saw, and can run an 18" bar in hardwood and a 20" bar in softwood very well. The Homie can probably run those bars a little stronger if the compression is still good.

The granberg mini mill isn't so much for milling slabs as it is for squaring off a log that has at least one flat side. At least that's how I use mine.

 

[nglauer]

Great find! A running Stihl for $50 is a good deal. Take care of that saw and it will take care of you. The 029 was 54cc, the 029 super was 56cc. They were later replaced with the ms290, now discontinued. Neither is good for milling anything over 12-14" in diameter, since 50cc isn't a very large engine. Ditto for the Homelite SXL @ 58cc, but that's a solid little worker too. The Stihl will make a good firewood saw, and can run an 18" bar in hardwood and a 20" bar in softwood very well. The Homie can probably run those bars a little stronger if the compression is still good.

The granberg mini mill isn't so much for milling slabs as it is for squaring off a log that has at least one flat side. At least that's how I use mine.

My Homelite was as close to new as one could get. We think grandpa bought it and used it once. I have the original receipt from the small store he bought it from new in/around the late 80's early 90's. It had 0 chips, scratches, or even dirt on it, and had 98% of the original paint on the bar... then i played with it lol. This stihl has been worked, but i figured for 50 it seemed like a nice score.

We mainly have popular,sycamore and a few varieties of maple on the property. Could i cut small boards with either? The mini mill i have is missing the track or whatever it it called. If i had one of those how do i use it to square up a log? That alone would be handy

Thanks again!

 

[CoreyB]

I would not sell you my 029 for $50 without the bar and empty. Lol good deal!

 

[fearofpavement]

A decent 029 around here (Atlanta area) would run $225.

I would suggest you dump that fuel out and put your own in. You don't know the history of it and it's not worth the risk. ie, maybe the saw's user died and the wife put some gas in it to demo it and doesn't know it needed to be mixed, etc.

 

[nglauer]

The guy said he used to trim trees professionally, he supposedly hurt his back a few years ago and needed to get rid of some stuff. He was an older guy, seemed honest. I plan on draining it and cleaning it up. I thought about using some simple green, anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[drf255]

It's a solid good saw that don't get much love.

Look up 029/039 muffler mod on YouTube

You did well. That models likely cut more firewood than you can shake a stick at.

 

[Bluefish]

I think that rates a " you suck!" Nice grab man.
Russ

 

[lambs]

Nice score!

 

[1Alpha1]

The guy said he used to trim trees professionally, he supposedly hurt his back a few years ago and needed to get rid of some stuff. He was an older guy, seemed honest. I plan on draining it and cleaning it up. I thought about using some simple green, anyone have any other suggestions?

WD-40 works great on the plastics w/o harming them. For the heavy-duty stuff, like grease and baked on oil, I just use some pre-mix fuel and a good parts brush. But, use it outdoors and don't smoke.

Take compressed air to it first to blow off most of the crud.

 

[nglauer]

I'm going to replace the oil, fuel, and air filter, and spark plug. Is there anything else i should change while doing this? Are the "aftermarket " kits any good? Parts on ebay aeem really cheap, wasn't sure about quality though. Lastly... i couldn't find anything on the muffler mod. What does that do? Should there be a guard on the muffler? They seemed cheap on ebay as well.

Also forgot... where can i find a manual?

Thanks again!
Nick

 

[nglauer]

Air filter does look pretty dirty. Any way to determine year?



The mill does look like it was used, although lightly. No clue where the aluminum rail for it is. I have a garage that is roughly 40×80, my grandfather managed to cram it full of stuff from 1940 till the day he passed... so im sure its here somewhere with all of the other stuff i inherited when i bought the property.

Thanks again,
Nick

 

[Derf]

Milling puts a lot of strain on the engine because you are ripping along the fibers of the wood instead of across them. Also, a milling cut is long, instead of just a few inches through a tree. So the strain on the engine running at max throttle for extended periods adds a lot of heat and strain. You could try it, no reason not to. I've seen videos of people freehand milling but they make many shallow cuts instead of a single pass.

The track is just angle iron, but it can be nailed to a board. I think Granberg sells it. The whole mini kill at Baileys isn't too expensive though.
After you've cut one face of a log you'll have a flat side (on top). Mount the mini mill track to that side and run the saw vertically to square up the two sides. Then go back to the horizontal mill and rip boards. There are youtube videos to see.

Simple green works. Just be careful where you get water. Don't power wash it or soak it. It is an engine you know.

With a Stihl, all the aftermarket stuff is crap. Unless the piston was scored and someone used a meteor piston instead of OEM. But you get what you pay for. But then Stihl parts are expensive for what they are.

Don't go crazy throwing money at the saw if it runs. The fuel filter I can see, the oil filter and spark plug are probably not necessary. I'd change the air filter and muffler bearings

Muffler mods show how to gut the internal baffles and/or add extra exhaust holes so that the engine flows air better. It will give it more power so the saw feels stronger without having to move up in engine displacement.

Manuals are in the "beg for manual thread". Just ask.

 

[drf255]

 

[nglauer]

Thanks! I probably won't mess with the muffler mod unless it makes a noticeable difference. I do want to clean it up though. I'll add some simple green, an air filter and a fuel filter to my shopping list for the week. I think i have spare muffler bearings in the cabinet with my blinker fluid, but I'll need to check

 

[nglauer]

Hmmmmm.... maybe i will do some of the mods for ***** and giggles... looks like it might be fun. I won't be using the saw very often... atleast for now. In the near future I'll be cutting some stuff on the property to help clean it up.

 

[huskihl]

Thanks! I probably won't mess with the muffler mod unless it makes a noticeable difference. I do want to clean it up though. I'll add some simple green, an air filter and a fuel filter to my shopping list for the week. I think i have spare muffler bearings in the cabinet with my blinker fluid, but I'll need to check

I've seen the above video. It's worth every minute you put into it. It's definitely a noticeable mod. Make sure you retune the carb afterwards. You'll be allowing more air through the engine so it needs more fuel or it'll burn up. No biggie. About 1/8 turn out on the "h" screw