MCCULLOCH The official McCulloch thread

[sawfun]

I found out at the PNW gtg that big saws & big wood & long bars need aggressive teeth. Stock raker height .404 chisel would not clear chips adequately on my 797g with 72" bar. The same thing happened with my 895 and 60" bar last year. Anyone trying this should run 1/2, preferably chisel, or rakers way down on .404.

After giving it more thought, any of my big Stihls (088, 090, 090g) ported and when not, will cut great with a stock .404 chain. My 101b, as well as the big gear drives mentioned (895, 797g), running 50+ inch bars, must really have some massive torque in order to require large tooth or moddified rakers just to cut worth beans. Those Mac's just refuse to clear chips. I feel it is akin to running 1/4" chain on a 372.

 

[Willard]

Happy Independence Day to all you guys in the USA!!!

 

[Willard]

After giving it more thought, any of my big Stihls (088, 090, 090g) ported and when not, will cut great with a stock .404 chain. My 101b, as well as the big gear drives mentioned (895, 797g), running 50+ inch bars, must really have some massive torque in order to require large tooth or moddified rakers just to cut worth beans. Those Mac's just refuse to clear chips. I feel it is akin to running 1/4" chain on a 372.

Bob Walker who built my brother's Mac in above post had great success running the old 1/2" chisel bit on these Macs. That was on Vancouver Island, B.C. and the mainland.
But out here on the plains cutting 10"×10" spruce 3/8" worked just fine at the time.
Today I would run Stihl .404 high tooth on those saws.

 

[heimannm]

Willard - What is the hose coming off the pipe?

Mark

 

[Willard]

Willard - What is the hose coming off the pipe?

Mark

Mark, the hose pressurizes the chain oiler.

 

[Bigmac]

After giving it more thought, any of my big Stihls (088, 090, 090g) ported and when not, will cut great with a stock .404 chain. My 101b, as well as the big gear drives mentioned (895, 797g), running 50+ inch bars, must really have some massive torque in order to require large tooth or moddified rakers just to cut worth beans. Those Mac's just refuse to clear chips. I feel it is akin to running 1/4" chain on a 372.

Are you talking cut speed in referring to “clearing chips” or are you talking clogging?

 

[sawfun]

Are you talking cut speed in referring to “clearing chips” or are you talking clogging?

Well kind of both. The saws don't plug up or slow down like Stihls or Huskys. It's just that they seem to have the chips ball up and not allow the teeth to cut very well. However the chain isn't slowing down nor is it dull. And with 36" bars this isn't an issue, stock .404 works well in that length. But those saws were made for a hell of a lot more than a 3 foot bar.

 

[Bigmac]

Well kind of both. The saws don't plug up or slow down like Stihls or Huskys. It's just that they seem to have the chips ball up and not allow the teeth to cut very well. However the chain isn't slowing down nor is it dull. And with 36" bars this isn't an issue, stock .404 works well in that length. But those saws were made for a hell of a lot more than a 3 foot bar.

Ok, I get what your saying, just wanted to be sure! Do you run skip or full comp .404? I have had similar experiences over 42”+ myself and really bad if the bar is buried, I noticed a lot chips and strings coming off the top side, like the chain is carrying it all the way around! And when watching videos I see my Mac’s throwing chip off the top side of the bar tip in bucking cuts were the bar clears, and it way more noticeable than others saws!

 

[Heavy]

The story goes Bob McCulloch lost a fortune trying to get into the marine outboard motor industry before dying a few years later.

Here's a happier story. Yesterday my brother Dennis got his McCulloch 125 Kart saw running, for the first time in 30 years.
It's a "Bob Walkerized" built saw from the 1980's.
The flywheel keyway was gone, reason why it sat on the shelf for this long. Last week I gave Dennis a can of valve grinding compound and he successfully lapped the crank stub and flywheel together.

She rips in the 16K rpm range. Its got either a 34 or 36mm Tillotson HR snowmobile carb, balanced and welded crank and the pipe has a inverted stinger inside.
He's 71 now and I don't think he has plans to race again so it might be going up for sale.
Last pic is Dennis running it 30 yrs ago in 1989.
View attachment 189164 View attachment 189165 View attachment 189166

Hi, could I make more pictures of the other side by the way is equipped with points and condenser or has an electronic system? regards

 

[Willard]

I don't have any more pics at the moment, my brother may send more later.
This saw has electronic ignition.

 

[sawfun]

Ok, I get what your saying, just wanted to be sure! Do you run skip or full comp .404? I have had similar experiences over 42”+ myself and really bad if the bar is buried, I noticed a lot chips and strings coming off the top side, like the chain is carrying it all the way around! And when watching videos I see my Mac’s throwing chip off the top side of the bar tip in bucking cuts were the bar clears, and it way more noticeable than others saws!

I run full skip on any bar over 25 inch unless I somehow get a good used full comp. The Mac's that are doing this have new full skip, square chisel .404 chain. My 101b does this, however my none of the 125's ever have. It's sure not a question of power or clutch slipping, in fact, quite the opposite.

 

[Bigmac]

I run full skip on any bar over 25 inch unless I somehow get a good used full comp. The Mac's that are doing this have new full skip, square chisel .404 chain. My 101b does this, however my none of the 125's ever have. It's sure not a question of power or clutch slipping, in fact, quite the opposite.

I can really see the need on the gear drives! It’s odd that the ported 090g doesn’t, I am not disputing, it’s interesting! It must be s design difference on the gear drives, your 137cc ported 090g I am guessing has some torque too! On the 101b have you tried larger sprockets? I have seen some old kart saws that ran gem kart chain catchers and completely cut up oem cover to help clear chips.

 

[sawfun]

I can really see the need on the gear drives! It’s odd that the ported 090g doesn’t, I am not disputing, it’s interesting! It must be s design difference on the gear drives, your 137cc ported 090g I am guessing has some torque too! On the 101b have you tried larger sprockets? I have seen some old kart saws that ran gem kart chain catchers and completely cut up oem cover to help clear chips.

That particular (small SDC20 carb) 101b is odd as it didn't like an 8 pin .404 with 36" bar but really did the 7 pin. I dunno what to make of its 50" bar performance. It seemed to want lower rakers but not an increase in chain speed. Maybe the 0o0g would pull 1/2" As good as .404? I dunno what to make of that either as it has to have as much or more torque as the 797g. The 090g pulls and clears chips with a 96" bar like an 044 does a 20" bar. But the Stihls, 076 super, 088, 090's do fine with stock .404 chisel as do 125's. So why the special Mac's don't clear chips seems, well unclear. Raker height was mostly what I came up with. Back in the day the old growth loggers had different chain for different wood from what I'd read. Raker height was their adjustment. Maybe the Stihls power curve is an improvement? I just don't know. But performance with stock .404 chisel is quite underwhelming in my 896, 797g, and 101b Mac's running long bars in big 60 + inch wood.

 

[Bigmac]

You are correct, they used to have a lot of different chains out there for different wood!! I have some old .404 that was lower profile than standard, and it cut really well. I switched to skip an preferred it, it runs smooth and clears better, the 125 clutch cover is really tight in the back and instead of a river of chip the chips spray everywhere, the homelite 750 has a large cover opening and sends a river of chips, Might be worth modifying a clutch cover out the back a little bit to get it to clear more chips easily, there’s plenty a room if you’re using the puck directional muffler, I should probably do that on one of my junk covers or modify a 250 cover, just to see. I personally feel like the 101B saws are more short bar saws, and lack some down low torque, and can’t breathe well enough to take advantage of the more aggressive port timing to be as effective for long bar use, I would like to epoxy the transfers on a 101 to lower the timing and increase blowdown, my initial measurements make it clear that there are timed for a pipe

 

[sawfun]

I'm inclined to agree that 36" is the limit for performance on the 101's. Mine feels like it has less torque above that bar length than a 125. However mine is a full circle crank so I attributed the lack of long bar torque to that.

 

[Bigmac]

I haven’t tested mine with a long bar, it had a stock crank, and feels like it has less torque down low and wants to rev more, it wants to hold more rpm, but it feel like it could fall off the power curve, were a stock 125 will keep chugging

 

[Bigmac]

@sawfun do you have any video of the 797g and 101b

 

[sawfun]

@sawfun do you have any video of the 797g and 101b

Unfortunately I do not. If I end up going back down to Springfield layer this year I will get some. That is the only large wood I have access to right now.

 

[Bigmac]

Unfortunately I do not. If I end up going back down to Springfield layer this year I will get some. That is the only large wood I have access to right now.

Would really like to see them run!

 

[sawfun]

Would really like to see them run!

They are embarrassing with the chains the way they are. I will try to get them .035 down.