Antique Chain Saws

Antique Chain Saws WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Saws 23-6-23 People often tell me they've never seen saws like these before and are surprised at how big they are," says Bob Blin of Marion, Iowa, who displayed his unique collection of antique "Mall" chain saws at the recent Farm Progress Show near Amana, Iowa. Blin exhibited eight different models dating back to the late 1940's. All of them were made by the Mall Tool Co. of Chicago, Ill., which sold its products through Montgomery Ward Blin has an old 1947 Montgomery Ward catalog with a lot of information on the saws. "Mall was a big company back in the old days. There are other people who collect antique chain saws, but I don't know of anyone else who collects just Mall models," says Blin. Two-cycle, rope-start gas engines power all of his saws. His oldest and most unusual one is the Model 7, which was designed to be used by 2 people. It has a 36-in. long bar with a 3/4-in. pitch chain and has handles on both ends. The saw was made in 1949 and weighs about 50 lbs. Blin, who operates a small engine repair shop, takes the saws to various shows. "I get most of my information from people I meet at the shows. One guy told me that he used these saws to clear air strips during World War II. Another guy said that he used them in the 1940's to clear power lines for the Rural Electrification Association. "Using these saws was hard work. In fact, in the early days the manufacturers didn't even mention the saw's weight. Later on, as they started using aluminum and the saws got lighter, the companies did start to talk about their light weight." "Chain saws date back to 1905 when a 2-cyl. marine-type motor was tested on a cutting chain at Eureka, California. There were a lot of different manufacturers during the early to mid 1900's. Mall wasn't the first company to make chain saws, but it was one of the larger and more popular chain saw manufacturers. I don't know how many different models Mall made, but they made many more than what I've got. Remington bought out the company in 1957. I don't know what happened to them after that." Blin's collection started by chance. In 1982 he started his own small engine shop and also worked part time for a tree service business that sold and repaired saws. He worked on several different brands and got interested in the older models. Oilers were optional on the early models. "If you didn't order a saw with an oiler you had to have an assistant use an oil can to oil the chain. That's all he did," says Blin. "Later models had an oil reservoir so you ran out of fuel and oil at the same time." All of his saws are designed so that the gearbox and cutterbar can be quickly detached and replaced with various attachments including outboard motors, flexible shafts, generators, water pumps, drills, grinders, etc. "With the outboard motor attachment you could actually use the saw to power a boat." For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Blin, Bob's Small Engine Repair, 505 5th Ave., Marion, Iowa 52302 (ph 319 377-3339; fax 1247; Website: www/bblin@bser.com).

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