MCCULLOCH The official McCulloch thread

[Al Smith]

The left hand start models are not too bad to rewind the spring .The right hand start models will try anybody's patience .

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

I probably had the right hand start down pat and didn't even know it!

 

[Al Smith]

You have to get that damned thing stuck in the hole and get the cover on it .You need at least three hands ,small ones at that .

 

[heimannm]

Mark

 

[Steve]

Those are some clean saws! 8200 and 800/805?

How did the sp81 turn out?

 

[hseII]

View attachment 120785

View attachment 120786

Mark

Wow!

 

[heimannm]

I would put all the recent projects together for a group photo but the PM850 is already boxed up and ready to ship to NY. The back story is I had several PM800 saws and the PM8200 in the attic, they'd been setting for a couple of years. All seemed to be basket cases with no compression, clunky noises, sort of the usual. I finally got around to looking at one in search of a good used full wrap handle and discovered the insert in the flywheel broke free.



That led me to look into that saw further and one piston later I have a PM800 saw with over 180 PSI compression. Thought I should keep looking, the other two both had good cylinders and pistons so with rings they are also ready to go. One had the same flywheel issue, and the other had a sheared key.

The PM8200 looked good on the outside, but turned out to be the only one not worthy of resurrection, the piston had some severe scoring, there was a deep scratch/chip in the cylinder, and the oil tank/bar mount was broken due to someone horsing the saw I reckon. I found a number of little "modifications" on that saw while tearing it down. I had a PM8200 short block assembled and ready to go in the attic so making a whole PM8200 was relatively easy. So, I now have three (actually four since I have another in the little garage) PM800 saws and the PM8200 available for anyone interested in one. I can provide more details to anyone that is interested.

While I was working on these, hsell contacted me about rebuilding a PM850 which went pretty well though it did require quite a few parts. After that came the SP81.

And what about the SP81 in question? Photos will come a bit later when I get on the other computer. This one does not have enough juice to power the portable hard drive to allow me to download them here...

Mark

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

I'm still baffled by the flywheel insert concept. It just seems like a point of failure waiting to happen by design. Is it common among saw manufacturers and I've just never realized it before? Or is it a McCulloch thing..., or maybe just more common on older saws?
I sure wouldn't want to be running a saw that had an insert failure.

 

[heimannm]

I think all of the older McCulloch saws had an insert. The only ones I have ever seen with a problem are the 18 fin flywheels on the PM800 and related saws.

Mark

 

[hseII]

I would put all the recent projects together for a group photo but the PM850 is already boxed up and ready to ship to NY. The back story is I had several PM800 saws and the PM8200 in the attic, they'd been setting for a couple of years. All seemed to be basket cases with no compression, clunky noises, sort of the usual. I finally got around to looking at one in search of a good used full wrap handle and discovered the insert in the flywheel broke free.

View attachment 120840

That led me to look into that saw further and one piston later I have a PM800 saw with over 180 PSI compression. Thought I should keep looking, the other two both had good cylinders and pistons so with rings they are also ready to go. One had the same flywheel issue, and the other had a sheared key.

The PM8200 looked good on the outside, but turned out to be the only one not worthy of resurrection, the piston had some severe scoring, there was a deep scratch/chip in the cylinder, and the oil tank/bar mount was broken due to someone horsing the saw I reckon. I found a number of little "modifications" on that saw while tearing it down. I had a PM8200 short block assembled and ready to go in the attic so making a whole PM8200 was relatively easy. So, I now have three (actually four since I have another in the little garage) PM800 saws and the PM8200 available for anyone interested in one. I can provide more details to anyone that is interested.

While I was working on these, hsell contacted me about rebuilding a PM850 which went pretty well though it did require quite a few parts. After that came the SP81.

And what about the SP81 in question? Photos will come a bit later when I get on the other computer. This one does not have enough juice to power the portable hard drive to allow me to download them here...

Mark

Awesome! I saw this after I sent the PM a few moments ago.

So there’s now a few PM800/8200s available in great condition?

These Will Be Nice, I’m sure of It.

 

[hseII]

I'm still baffled by the flywheel insert concept. It just seems like a point of failure waiting to happen by design. Is it common among saw manufacturers and I've just never realized it before? Or is it a McCulloch thing..., or maybe just more common on older saws?
I sure wouldn't want to be running a saw that had an insert failure.

To be fair, many of the taper lock sheaves in the power distribution industry are of the same principle: granted they aren’t turning the rpms as these saws, but balanced is balanced.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

So it's for balance vs. manufacturing convenience? I always thought they were cast, plated, and bored..., or just cast in the case of keyed flywheels. How are the inserts attached to the fan wheel? Simple interference fit that happens to be perfectly aligned? Or are they somehow keyed themselves? Not trying to be contentious here by any means. Just can't get my head around it and am really curious about the reasoning behind such a design.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Don't have a disassembled Mac handy, but had this 288xp flywheel on the bench and I'll be darned...a keyed insert plain as day. Would appear to just be an interference fit. Guess I've simply been overlooking this all these years because I've never seen one come out, or even a loose one for that matter. I'm assuming they have a slight taper opposite the crank taper to keep from totally flying off in the event detachment? Would almost have to, or be prone to coming apart when using a conventional puller.

​

 

[Al Smith]

That's interesting .Truth of the matter I never really paid much attention to the flywheels except for one on a 6-10 that ruined two or three crankshafts . I think I've got one good crank left on the bones of a 10-10 righty .

 

[heimannm]

I am pretty sure the insert is placed in the mold and the flywheel is die cast around it.

Here is the group photo.



The only flywheel cover I could find for the last saw completed was a ratty old black one off a junk DE80 but it is almost done. I will have to give that fuel tank the Red Kote treatment as well, it was weeping at the seam.

Mark

 

[heimannm]

I found the photos of the saws the day they came home with me.





Mark

 

[hseII]

I found the photos of the saws the day they came home with me.

View attachment 120919

View attachment 120920

Mark

I wonder how a PM800 compares to those going to NY?

 

[heimannm]

I would say the one with the new piston would certainly hang with them, I haven't been able to run the others yet but I expect they will all be pretty nice saws.

Mark

 

[hseII]

I am pretty sure the insert is placed in the mold and the flywheel is die cast around it.

Here is the group photo.

View attachment 120917

The only flywheel cover I could find for the last saw completed was a ratty old black one off a junk DE80 but it is almost done. I will have to give that fuel tank the Red Kote treatment as well, it was weeping at the seam.

Mark

@Adirondackstihl /gnome

 

[hseII]

I would put all the recent projects together for a group photo but the PM850 is already boxed up and ready to ship to NY. The back story is I had several PM800 saws and the PM8200 in the attic, they'd been setting for a couple of years. All seemed to be basket cases with no compression, clunky noises, sort of the usual. I finally got around to looking at one in search of a good used full wrap handle and discovered the insert in the flywheel broke free.

View attachment 120840

That led me to look into that saw further and one piston later I have a PM800 saw with over 180 PSI compression. Thought I should keep looking, the other two both had good cylinders and pistons so with rings they are also ready to go. One had the same flywheel issue, and the other had a sheared key.

The PM8200 looked good on the outside, but turned out to be the only one not worthy of resurrection, the piston had some severe scoring, there was a deep scratch/chip in the cylinder, and the oil tank/bar mount was broken due to someone horsing the saw I reckon. I found a number of little "modifications" on that saw while tearing it down. I had a PM8200 short block assembled and ready to go in the attic so making a whole PM8200 was relatively easy. So, I now have three (actually four since I have another in the little garage) PM800 saws and the PM8200 available for anyone interested in one. I can provide more details to anyone that is interested.

While I was working on these, hsell contacted me about rebuilding a PM850 which went pretty well though it did require quite a few parts. After that came the SP81.

And what about the SP81 in question? Photos will come a bit later when I get on the other computer. This one does not have enough juice to power the portable hard drive to allow me to download them here...

Mark

@Adirondackstihl