Ported 33cc homelite

[isaaccarlson]

This story is from 2 years ago.....
My father in law gave me a 33cc homelite and it was the most pathetic saw I had ever used.  I mean this saw had absolutely no power, was hard to start, and didn't want to stay running once it did start no matter how I tried to tune it.  If you could get it to rev up, it would die as soon as the chain touched the wood.  I was going to throw it away but decided to port it and see if I could at least make it serviceable.

I tore it down and had a good look at things.  It was full of carbon and the ports were hardly ports at all, just little tiny holes.  The piston had windows, but those were so small you could hardly get a toothpick through them.  I looked at it and looked at it again, deciding what to do.  I finally decided to port the snot out of it.  After all, it wasn't going to cut any wood in it's current state.  All I had to do was find the dremel and my safety glasses.

I used a round end carbide burr and started hogging aluminum.  I knew how far I could go without free porting it, and I went right to the limit, leaving 1-2 mm for sealing surface against the piston skirt.  I carved out some decent sized windows in the piston that would provide enough light for a large doll house.  The intake spacer was opened up to match the port and I made sure the transition was nice and smooth with no sudden changes.  The muffler was bored right through the center to ensure free flowing exhaust.  I left the transfers alone, since they were already plenty big and looked like they would flow the Mississippi at flood stage.  Any flashing was trimmed and things were smoothed out and chamfered properly.  The hardest part was cleaning up all of the aluminum shavings that covered my desk, floor, computer, and clothing. (do this in a shop or garage far away from computers and with a concrete floor that is easy to clean, not carpet) : :D  The parts were hosed out with dish soap and hot water to remove any debris, and the saw was put back together.  I used the original seals and some permatex #1.

I filled it with fresh mix, set the choke, and pulled the cord.  The sweet sound of a ported 2 stroke filled the air.  I tuned the saw, which was very easy now, and let it warm up and mate the new surfaces.  I found a nice log in the wood pile that looked to be about the right size for this saw and put the chain to the wood.  The saw ran great, but the chain didn't want to cut and made the saw feel weak.    Keep in mind, this saw would normally die at the mere sight of wood and I didn't know what to expect after porting.  The original safety style chain was still on the saw and I didn't like it much, so I ground off the safety humps and gave it a decent sharpening on the chain grinder and took the rakers down a bunch.  I put the saw to the wood again and it was more than happy to slice right through that log and promptly asked for more.  I found a nice big log and buried the bar.  It still cut!  I used up the whole tank of gas cutting whatever logs I could get out of the wood pile and had a grin from ear to ear.  That saw sounded like an angry bee.

It doesn't have 142.7 hp, but it is WAY better than it was before.  I did not expect it to cut with the entire bar buried in hardwood, but it does.

I have used this saw for 2 years now, and it still runs like crazy.  It makes a great limbing saw.  I need a new chain for it after letting someone use it to help me cut some wood for a friend.  They filled the gas but not the oil and roasted the chain.  It is a good excuse to buy full chisel chain...and a new sprocket.

I don't have any video of it yet, but here are some pics I took while the saw was apart.  I didn't get before pics because there really was nothing there to see.
Piston

Intake

Exhaust

[Al_Smith]

Interesting transfer design

[dougand3]

Good project. What's the Homelite model #? I want to look at the IPL.

[sawguy21]

Good for you, I wouldn't have given that saw the time of day. ;D

[isaaccarlson]

It was a Ranger

[isaaccarlson]

I am pretty sure this is it.  All the parts look right.

[isaaccarlson]

I need to get a video of that ranger cutting!  I just looked on youtube for ported rangers and got a bunch of dull chains or untuned saws.
Time to set the record straight.

[dougand3]

I like that genre of Homelite - esp, compared to current Homelite saws. It's fairly sturdy. (if you see a new Homelite with hard plastic pull handle - run away!). I have a Ranger in a box needing oil pump work and looks like the jug has to come off to change oil pump - now, that's a pain.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Very nice! Can you post a pic of how the chain looked after you filed off the safety humps. I have been thinking of doing this on 2 chains I accidentally bought recently.

The only mistake I think you made was letting someone else use your saw.  :D

Jon

[isaaccarlson]

Jon- that is the only saw I let anyone use and they have to be with me when they use it.  I figured the guy would know to fill the oil since he has chainsaws at home. :

The chain looks like normal chipper chain with the safety humps removed.  I found this picture on google showing safety humps vs none.  I just ground the safety humps down to the level of the tie links and called it good.  It worked great, but chipper chain cuts slower than full chisel, so I will be going to full chisel.

[thecfarm]

Good job and good story!!

[red]

I bought the same saw at a garage sale for $20 . Then found a second one at a flea market for $30 . 

[isaaccarlson]

I finally got a video of the ranger in action.  I am sorry that it got dark on me, but I had to help my wife with a few things first.  She comes first and in return she supports my chainsaw hobby.  I was cutting dry pine, not the best, but it worked.  The teeth on the chain are almost gone, just the little tiny back corner and almost no rakers.  I left the log on the ground and the chain hit the dirt on the second cut so the third cut didn't go so well.  Enjoy.

Edit:  I think it was running out of gas too :D

http://youtu.be/XA8tKsxzNiY

[XP_Slinger]

Sounds good!  I bet that was fun to grind on.  Nothing to lose...lol