Old Poulan chainsaw from hell

[The Ice Man]

I found this old chainsaw in the inorganics rubbish collection on the side of the road the other day.
The bloody thing looks like some thing you'd see at motat, however it looked very good & bloody massive, I just couldn't leave it there. (I have a cuple of chainsaws, the biggest has a 20 inch bar, this thing just dwarfs that)

Anyway I got it started (without replaceing anything) damn thing gave me pins & needles for a week.
Anyway it's a Poulan F 200 & I'd say in it's day it was the sh!t.
I used it for half an hour on a big pine & it ate it up like nothing, this thing doesn't make saw dust it makes kindling, however that was it, she/he stoped after that. (doesn't like getting hot, started again after it cooled)

So I was woundering if there was any old bikers out there who might know where I can get some parts or anything that can help me restore this old beast to it's former glory.
I know nothing about this saw other than what it is.
I can post a picture later if it will help.

I can make whatever gaskets it needs, the motor runs sweet so there's no problem there.

If anyone out there has the same saw lying around buried in a barn or knows someone who might know a thing or two about these old beasts, I'd like to buy parts, whole saws or whatever. Any info would be good.

I just want to restore this saw to it's former glory.
And blow a few ppl away every now & then & bring it out & ring any damn tree that might be laying down. (old school of corse)

Cheers

[Winston001]

I'd suggest cleaning out the air filter for a start. Maybe a colder plug? Mind you it mightn't start :sick:

Good fun and great to hear about recycling the old saw.

[Blackbird]

I think they came out in the 1940's and may be quite a collectors item. There may be some American vintage machinery collectors websites that might have info on them.

You mentioned pins and needles. Just think how they affected the old bushmen after using them for a few years! Virtually all of them suffered Vibration White Finger (Raynaud's Syndrome) due to permanent damage in small blood vessels from the vibration. It even happened with 80's chainsaws and we had a lot of bushmen from our logging gangs leave the bush and work in our pulp and paper factories.

[Steam]

Is it something like this? What a monster!

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1242682685036708355jUGzzX?vhost=rides

[Timber020]

Sounds like the usual coil problem. poulan parts are very hard to get now (especially for a saw first made in 1958), as all they sell is throw away saws of dubious quality in epic numbers. And old poulan parts, unless is a common part found in other machinery, are all but extinct. Just finding the 404 or half chain it might run could be tough enough. If you get really desperate, I have a few chainsaw nut mates in the USA they could help.

My advise is clean it up, but dont use it. The damage your doing to yourself with every minute you use it will come back to bite you later. Whitefinger isnt a joke, it will take away the ability to feel the two most wonderful things in this world, breast and throttle.
Not to mention just how dangerous they are to use without chainbrakes or chain catching fittings to stop a snapped chain tearing your arm and hand to pieces. Throw $250 at a Poulan next time your at mitre 10, it will be a better option in the long run.