I found a Sally Saw - any one have information?

[economypowerkingfan]

hi
i found this sally saw in this old barn at my uncles farm. the barn was caved in and i had to crawl through it to look for stuff i got to the middle and found this old sally saw original paint and it was not stuck! i know the barn hasnt been used in close to 40 years so im figuring it is pretty old its a four stroke you have to wrap the cord around the fly wheel it has a wico ignation and it says cummings mach wks sally saw boston mass. on it, it has approx a 18'' circular saw blade im trying to figure out how to upload pics theres really nothing on line i found 1 link with a photo just go to google go to images and its the first one with a pic there is a bounch of other saws in the pic i just want to know what it was used for how much its worth and when it was made around any help would be great
my email is aausmc1987@yahoo.com
thanks
alex

[Bruce B.]

Congrats on a nice find!

While the concept of a chain saw is now a century old (the cover of the January 22, 1910 issue of Scientific American magazine features a large picture of a primitive chain saw cutting redwood logs), I think the Sally Saw dates back to the 1940's. An old family friend used one of these saws "back in the day"; I have a blade from it hanging up on the wall in the garage. (But sadly, just the blade -- no saw.)

The Sally Saw is powered by a four-stroke engine. This presents some difficulties in forestry: to fell a tree requires a horizontal cut, and to cut the felled tree into stove lengths requires vertical cuts. A four-stroke engine will not work on its side (not for long, anyway; while in that position the crankcase oil flows away from the bearings that require lubrication, and this oil starvation spoils them in short order). To deal with this, the inventive minds at Cummings Machine Works in Boston devised a system where a logger could fell a tree with a horizontal cut, then shut down the saw and turn the blade a quarter-turn (90 degrees). He could then re-start the saw and make the necessary vertical cuts. Not the most convenient system, but it was a lot easier (and faster) than an axe or a two-man crosscut saw.

Take a look at this Antique Chain Saw Display to see a picture of the Sally Saw amidst other antique chain saws. I recognized the display instantly: the picture was taken at the museum on the grounds of the Fryeburg Agricultural Fair in western Maine (which takes place the first week of October every year -- definitely worth the trip).

And take a look at a close-up of the nose end of the saw.

There was some discussion of these saws six or eight years ago on "that other site," and somebody there mentioned a manual, but I don't know what (if anything) ever came of it. You might try to check through the archives there and see if any of the e-mail addresses are still valid; perhaps you can get in touch with somebody out there who can provide more in-depth info to help you with your find.

As for value, the fact that it came from your uncle's farm makes it unique, and only you can assess what it is worth to you. While doing some research I did see a Sally Saw advertised on the Kansas City (MO) CraigsList (sale posting #1052510084, which has since been removed); asking price was $100. I know I'd give a C-note for an operable Sally Saw with original paint.

And lastly, be careful crawling around under fallen buildings. No engine is worth getting hurt (or worse).

[Peter]

We now have over 70 distinct conversation forums on Harrys. I dont know if we have 70+ corresponding moderators to police the content. Some seem more rigid about content than others. There are some interesting engine posts lurking in the far flung and sometimes obscure forums.

There is now chain saw forum. This posting would probably best be placed in the chain saw forum, which is a subset of the small engines collection. Link:

http://www.smokstak.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=106

I have a running sally saw, or it was running a few years ago. I would classify this as one of those totally useless POS ideas and I would question the stm that it was faster than a buck saw. Neat collector item, for sure.

I agree with bruce's pricing info. They dont seem to bring a lot of money. I think thats becasue hardly no one knows about them. I sure never take a lousy 100 (or 3)for mine, but I belive I did buy it for 100.

[Motormowers]

Alex I just talked to someone last week who sold a Sallysaw to someone in Sweden for $1500.00! Dont give that thing away!

[Peter]

Looks like we got two threads in parallel?

Here is a my picture I posted for the thread over on the farm forum. I did that because now when I log on I search
for new posts instead of perusal of individual forums.