Jonesered chainsaw refurbishment

[jkrubi12]

I am in the planning stage of refurbishing my Jonesered 2050 Turbo chainsaw and have posted some pics here; I'm interested in user advice or suggestions for this small project.

I've owned it for over 20 years, but haven't used in the last ten; during that time it has been stored un-fueled in my garage. Owner's manual is (for now) MIA. It's got an 18" roller-tip bar and is basically completely 'stock' other than it's 3rd chain & 1 spark plug. I haven't tried starting it but I'd bet that it probably would. I'm also interested in suggestions for related chainsaw forums to lurk for additional info.

I considered just buying a new Stihl or Husqvarna but haven't researched that yet. I'd like to install a new 16" bar with 3 new chains and am seeking advice from knowledgeable members on this plan . I'd also like to hear from members on specific procedures for disassembly/reassembly and what new parts might be advisable. I'll probably re-use the original muffler (rusty but intact), new spark plug, etc., etc. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[MOOTS]

JONSERED - Jonsereds

Figure we need a Jonsered thread around here as well.

opeforum.com

This is a forum I frequent, here is the Johnny red thread... Lots and lots of smart people on there.

 

[jkrubi12]

THANKS MATT!!

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Not one of Jonsered's better saws, it seems. Might not be worth putting much effort into it. But if you can get it running easily, why not?

Jonsered 2050 Turbo ??

Any info on these??? http://cgi.ebay.com/Jonsered-2050-Turbo-Chainsaw_W0QQitemZ190178601612QQihZ009QQcategoryZ20538QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem .

www.arboristsite.com

 

[DustyRusty]

It is difficult to get parts for a 10-year-old saw, and trying to get them for a 20-year-old saw is going to be difficult. I purchased some spare parts for my Husky while they were still available. The dealer that I bought them from has asked me if I would be interested in selling them back to him since he hasn't been able to get a lot of parts to repair the saws that come through the door. He takes the old saws in trade and sells them a new saw, and then cannibalizes the old ones for parts to fix other saws.

 

[Yooper]

Wouldn’t surprise me if it ran. The one thing I would be concerned about is the diaphragm in the carburetor being dry and stiff and not pumping fuel.

 

[jkrubi12]

Not one of Jonsered's better saws, it seems. Might not be worth putting much effort into it. But if you can get it running easily, why not?

Jonsered 2050 Turbo ??

Any info on these??? http://cgi.ebay.com/Jonsered-2050-Turbo-Chainsaw_W0QQitemZ190178601612QQihZ009QQcategoryZ20538QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem .

www.arboristsite.com

Thanks much for this link Mark_BX25D, very useful information there

This saw has less than 30 hours of use so it's a decent candidate for refurbishment. Not really looking to 'rebuild' it, just clean, inspect and get it up and running.

 

[Flintknapper]

A good site for chainsaws in general.

Arborist, Chainsaw & Tree Work Forum

Arboristsite is a forum & classifieds website for arborists, chainsaws, tree worker and firewood processing. Forums for all aspects of tree work, chainsaws and tree equipment. Classifieds for chainsaws & arbor tree equipment.

www.arboristsite.com

With only 30 hrs. run time....you should have excellent compression on the saw still.

Just disassemble the housing to a point that will let you reach everything that needs cleaning/inspection. Clean it up and run it.

 

[Boatman]

I have a Jonsered 630 my grandfather bought ~1989. Its a tank and will start every time. Sat for over 10 years before I picked it and started up pretty easily. These days it only gets used when my Stihl won't start or I have something big to block.

 

[pigdoc]

Hey jk, If you're on the "right coast", I'd recommend giving Bill Yerkes a call with your Jonsereds questions.

I have run a 451E since about 1981. I bought my first one new and ran it until the piston seized and tore the cylinder off the crankcase. That was about 2018, after I had cut about 150 cords with it. Then I bought another, from Yerkes. He has a whole room full of vintage Jonsereds stuff, and most of the new parts you might need.

Here is his contact info:
William Yerkes Small Engine
147 Gallagherville Rd
Coatesville, PA 19320
610-518-3433

Love that 451E!
-Paul (in Reading, PA)

 

[jkrubi12]

@pigdoc, thanks much for the contact info, I'll definitely keep that number handy!

Finished my 'refurbishment project, saw is running great, just gotta figure out a minor oiling issue (doesn't seem to be getting any oil on the chain, just all over the bottom of the case). I must have missed cleaning out the oil port!

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Sweet!


Might want to run some kerosene through the oil system to flush out any old crud that's hanging around. Or a really light engine oil like a 5w or 0w synthetic. Just to clean things up.

Better too much oil than too little!


Just don't make the mistake of trying vegetable oil, and don't ask me how I know that's a bad idea!

 

[jkrubi12]

@Mark_BX25D, that's a great idea, I'll drop a little 0w20 in there and see if that helps - TY

 

[pigdoc]

Saw looks SWEET! I would almost be tempted to paint the bar. [Never done that before!]. Or, maybe polish it! <evil grin>

Anyway, on my 451E, the bar is clamped between two stainless plates. The one on the inside has a slot that matches up with the oil delivery passage. The one on the outside does not have that slot. You might check to make sure the two plates are properly positioned to provide an open passage to the chain groove in the bar. If the plates are swapped, or installed upside-down, you won't have oil delivery to the chain groove in the bar. [Not sure its even possible to install them upside down, the way they're shaped.]

Sorry if that's way too basic for your experience!

Also, the hole in the bar that lets the oil into the chain groove can get tightly packed with sawdust in use. When I tear mine down to clean everything up, I often have to pick the sawdust out of that hole. That hole is maybe 2mm in diameter.

I'd have to look again, but I'm pretty sure that you can adjust the oil delivery rate. I think there's a smaller screw under that big screw on the bottom of the saw that you turn to change the oil delivery rate. What I look for in use is a thin line of oil slinging off the tip of the bar, and painting whatever it hits.

When I tear my saw down, I take one of the stainless plates, wrap it with a paper towel, and run it down the chain groove lengthwise. It's amazing the amount of sawdust that gets packed down in the bottom of the chain groove!

Do you flip your bar periodically? I do on my saw about every week of use. I know it's time to do that when I feel a burr along the bottom of the bar at the edges. I file that burr off when I flip the bar.

I sharpen my saw chains myself, by hand, by eye, using no guide. I clamp the bar in a vice to do that. Even if I don't hit a rock, I'll touch up the edges twice a day with heavy use. Just takes a few minutes, like 3 or 4 file passes on each tooth. Once in awhile, I'll also take a couple of passes with a flat file across the tops of the depth gauges. But you can't be too aggressive with that, unless you have brutish power on tap. Trying to cut with a dull chain is SO fatiguing!

Old chainsaws are SO freakin' cool!
I have several 1960s vintage Clinton chainsaws. [I was born in the town where they were manufactured.] A couple of them are NOS. They have 5 or 6 hp two-cycle motors on them that are torque monsters! Kinda heavy but a TRIP to cut with, and you wanna wear ear plugs, for sure!

Getting WAY off topic, the same basic Clinton motor used in the chainsaws (and boat motors) was a go-karting superstar for a long time. If you're interested, google "Clinton E65" So, there are lots of hot rodding tips for that little two-cycle. For instance, you can cut the ports to change the timing and fuel delivery as well as air flow. Very similar to porting heads and changing cams in an OHV motor. When you radically modify one of these motors that way, it sounds like a string of firecrackers going off when its running! Then, you can "tip the can". Some RC fuel is 15% nitromethane! Buy it off the shelf at any hobby store.

I'll post some pictures sometime...

-Paul

 

[Mark_BX25D]

@Mark_BX25D, that's a great idea, I'll drop a little 0w20 in there and see if that helps - TY

A pipe cleaner in the port doesn't hurt, either.

 

[dan_m]

Check out ereplacementparts.
I hope this is your saw- https://www.ereplacementparts.com/jonsered-2050-199412-chain-saw-parts-c-511202_511205_511816.html .

I've had success finding parts and part numbers on ereplacementparts. If they don't have the part, then i ask professor google for the part number and find places that have that part in stock. I have had luck with old craftsman power tools doing this. Also, sometimes, other makes/models use the same part and by clicking on a specific part on ereplacementparts, they will list other makes/models that use the same part so you can expand your search using that make/model to up your chances of locating hard-to-find parts for older equipment.

Also, you can find more info and some used parts saws on various forums (think forestry forums when it comes to chainsaws) or on craigslist/ebay/facebook market place.

At a minimum, the diagrams from ereplacementparts are very handy.

Dan

 

[jkrubi12]

Well I just ordered an Oregon 'Speedcut' bar (16") & several 95TXL narrow-kerf chains and before I tear into the oiler I'm gonna install the Oregon setup and see if that works. I'll double-check to ensure that any oil passages behind the bar/clutch area are free of grunge.

With the amount of oil appearing on the bottom of the case I feel that the oiler is functioning, but the oil isn't getting to the chain; must be some sort of blockage in there.

I did flip the bar last time I installed a new chain, and I re-installed the bar flipped this time (after a careful file session and groove cleanup) and I'm thinking that the flipped bar may be an issue affecting the oiling. Looking at one of my disassembly pics I see that there's what I think is an oil hole in the bar, but it's only on one side of the bar. I wonder if installing the bar flipped has possibly prevented the oiler from functioning properly (it's the original Jonsered 18" bar). The Oregon bar looks to have a really effective oil port on the bar.

The sharpening method described by pigdoc is basically what I'm going to do when I get to sharpening these chains; a sharp chain makes a world of difference in the way the saw cuts, makes sawing so much easier too, just like pigdoc said.

In the future, I may get into the cylinder & do some polishing, as well as cleaning the piston. I want to get some run time on this saw now that I cleaned it up so I have a better idea of what I want to do with the ports; probably just polishing. I thought about exploring a muffler mod as well, but I have no experience (yet) so I'll run it stock until I get brave enough to get a Dremel wire brush in the ports

Thanks @dan_m for that link to eReplacementparts; I agree on the diagrams, very useful!

 

[MOOTS]

Muffler mod is easy peasy. Open up the factory outlet as much as you can. Or pop another hole in it, some like to braze a deflector on too.

 

[pigdoc]

Hey jk, I think you're right on to carefully scope out the oil passages feeding the bar. I was dreaming about this issue last night as I slept, and it occurred to me that, if the oil is not getting all the way out to the chain groove, it's going to spill out the bottom, as you had noticed earlier.

Doing engine machine work on a 2-cycle is very intimidating to me. Not much room for error!

-Paul

 

[dan_m]

Since my eyecrometer isn't very reliable, I DO use a jig to sharpen my saws. I use the timberline - it's not cheap and since I've owned it found knockoffs for sale on amazon.

Do post a picture or better yet, some videos of that old saw in action after you've gone through it.

On a related note i went back through emails and found https://www.arboristsite.com/
I've found the folks there to be very knowledgeable about chainsaws.

Dan