Dangerous Vintage Reciprocating Saw, 20 years in a Barn 

That cover with nothing behind it is a grease box. It's filled with heavy grease that as things get warm lubes the plunger and without fuss. The grease gets refilled something like every 50 or 100 hours of use, I forget how often. Been a few decades since the old man who told me how that worked passed... Old design idea indeed - British seagull used a similar grease box for the gearbox on many early models of their iconic outboards.

I used a Wright when I worked for the local township as a teen, it was a REAL treat when it would hang in the wood, like trying to hang on to a paint shaker

My dad worked for Bell Telephone They used saws like this to cut creosote treated telephone poles. A chain saw would gum up where these would not. I used one when I was about 12. Yes I’m from the generation that drank from the garden hose

My Dad owned a landscaping and tree service company and, back in the 60's & 70's, he used Wright saws exclusively in his business. He valued them for the smoothness of their cut, which he felt was less damaging to the trees when making large pruning cuts. That said, Wright saws were always treated with respect and, surprise, no one lost any fingers, arms or legs while using them. 🙂 Thanks for your video... and thanks, too, for that jaunt down memory lane. Super channel, Mustie!

We had a Wright saw in our fire dept back in the 70s. The saw was originally purchased in the early 60s for cutting downed trees during storms. It was also used as a vent saw to cut roofs in conjunction with an axe. It was taken out of service in the late 70s.

Used one for years, but never thought of them as any more "dangerous" than a saw with a chain.

We used a Wright saw for years. However it was not for what you would think. As farmers we butchered our own hogs every year and dad would use a Wright saw to split carcasses down the spine for cooling and before cutting them up. It was easy to clean the cutter bar and blade so that the meat was not contaminated with oil and it would not tear up anything like the returning chain on a chain saw might. Worked really well for that. I never saw it used for anything else.

The "kerf" is the cut in the wood. The "set" is how far the teeth are spread

This was manufactured by Thomas Industries in my hometown of Sheboygan, WI. I recognized the TI logo on the pull start cover. They made pumps when I was a kid. I remember where their headquarters was. Their old headquarters is now American Orthodontics. Thomas has gotten bought out multiple times, they are now owned by Ingersoll Rand. They still have a small factory located in Sheboygan. Very cool saw. I love seeing you bring these old machines back to life and taking us along for the ride. Keep up the good work.

The Wright reciprocating saw was the inspiration for the Sawzall, which was originally designed as a mini-Wright, for women & children.

I had an earlier version of one of these that I restored a few years ago. The gas tank was cylindrical and sat up on top. Surprisingly it had been drained out and the diaphragms in the carb were still pliable. It took me a while to figure out the stop switch is actually built into the trigger! I only ran it a few times and cut one or two chunks of firewood with it. Within a week, a customer of mine came by and offered a substantial amount of money for it, and quickly became the new owner!😂

You know when you hear the words "Hey guys, how's it going" you're going to be entertained for an hour. I look forward to this at midday on a Sunday (Edinburgh, Scotland).

That was fun and something new - thanks and thank you to Bill for providing it.

G'day, Mustie1! Really enjoyed the video! Wright Blade Saw. It's a B520, 115.7 CC's. (year: 1963) They had several styles of blades, a butcher blade, one for cutting big square beams, and an all purpose one. They really weren't made to cut logs and fire wood. Because the blade goes back and forth, it never clears the sawdust, so as it's going back and forth, (reciprocating) the user has to pull it back almost clear of a log, in order to clear the sawdust. People now think they are a bad design, because they don't know what they were made for. Wright was a division of Beaird Poulan, (Shreveport, LA.) back when Poulan made some of the biggest, badest, gear drive chainsaws out there. Cheers! ❤✌🏻🛠😊 P.S. Wrights ran direct off the crank, no clutch, so the blade is constantly moving back and forth, (reciprocating) even if setting in place. On a little side note... The Amish love them for butchering meat. If you really want to sell, (in the future) find a Amish butcher shop, and ask if they need one. Lol!

I worked for Ma Bell as a lineman in the Newton and Watertown area down in Massachusetts for about 5 years back in the mid seventies. These are the saws that we used to cut poles during various work assignments. They used to work OK once you get them started. The reason we were told that the phone company used this type of saw, was that there is less danger of kickback. I later transferred to the Vermont and New Hampshire area where we used a standard chainsaw for our tasks.

I absolutely loathed Tillotson carbs. When I was a child we lived on an island in Norther Ontario and had to use ancient snowmobiles back in the 70s to get to the mainland. I was taught how to work on these when I was 8 or 9 years old as we had to be self sufficient and I just hated them lol. I LOVED it when I had a snowmobile with a Mikuni carb on it as it was such an easy thing to work on. Most of the time we were dealing with ice in the carbs and had to just clean them out. The diaphragms would stretch a bit if to much water was in the fuel and froze inside the carbs. Brought back a lot of memories watching you work on this one. Thanks :)

Used a lot for ICE and butchers used them also

Thanks from Norway. I really like your practical approach fixing things. You are teaching me a lot :)

Throttle trigger has 3 positions,1 start closest to handle 2 stop position goes to stop automatic when trigger is released3 is idle move foward and to left.

Wow. I cut timber and had a sawmill for 30 years. Never saw anything like that. Awesome as usual!!! Thanks Mustie.

Yep, when we were told to go outside and play that meant you better not step back in the house unless you needed stitches so when you got thirsty a water hose was usually your only option. If the hose was new we might unscrew it from the water spigot to bypass that new hose taste but that rarely happened.

I used one of these about 50 years ago. My dad's friend was building a campground in Belmont NH. It cut great . I still have the three scars on my left knee to prove it. His kid got the Homelite, I got the Wright. Thanks for the memory!! Lol

Good morning all from Lincolnshire UK 🇬🇧

For radio control airplane fuel tanks, that weighted fuel filter is called a clunk which keeps the fuel line in the fuel no matter what position the airplane is in, so maybe this one is also referred to as a clunk.

Thanks Bill for letting Mustie get this thing going. Good time as always.

In my younger days, we used the little tab on the points cover as a gap tool. The manual never mentioned what the gap was. It only showed a picture of the cover with an arrow pointing to the gap gage. One of my guys at work told me he didn't know what points were. Kids.

Anyone else notice the little spring go flying when Mustie took the pin out of the carb?

Found your channel about a month ago and can’t watch enough. Seem like a nice guy and good at what you do! Thanks and look forward to seeing more.

That empty chamber is meant to be full of oil to oil the piston and blade guide. That's why it had a seal on the cover.

I LOLed when you said EASY when the bit went flying 😂😂😂. I enjoy your conversation.

That "roladex in your mind" is part of your genius.

This is like the carving knife your dad used to divvy up the turkey on Thanksgiving, except it runs on gas and it cuts logs instead of meat.

There's a RU-vid video where a guy demonstrates that the throttle trigger lock button on his Wright reciprocating saw also serves as the kill switch.

The screw knocker you used we call “the old man” in aviation. It’s a life saver for panel screws that’ve been gorilla torqued. Especially when there’s 20-30 of them. We also commonly use valve grinding compound for a little extra bite.

Back in 65 and 66 I worked in a Lawn Mower Shop. I was cleaning out a huge scrap pile and found one of these. Asked my boss if I could have it. He said yes so, I rebuilt the engine as a gift for my dad. It ran super strong but my dad was not very patient and broke a couple blades, (expensive). He traded it in for a Homelite Saw. Bummer! I was proud of that saw.

👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🗽🙏🏻 Enjoyed! 60+ years ago we had one of these Wright saws on our Iowa farm. It worked good and we cleared a lot of trees around our place. Our hired man burned wood and he cut up all the trees we cleared, he used a huge (front tractor mounted) saw (must have been 3ft in diameter) that had a table that moved manually back and forth to cut the logs into firewood lengths. The saw was powered by a big wide belt that ran along the side of the tractor to the saw. Dad always said the Wright saw was less dangerous than a chainsaw, the thing I remember is it was heavy and not very well balanced. It beat an axe though! I noticed when you showed the name plate it had the name Poulan on it!

While not quite antique-old yet, this looks like it would fit in well at the Deerfield Fair’s tool display amongst all the old chainsaws and other equipment. Having this video on a loop near it would make for a neat and informative showing.

It would be good cutting through logs to make boards. Nice old saw. Thank Bill for allowing us to experience this unique item. Thank you for sharing it with us

First of your videos I’ve seen and this was really interesting. So many useful and widely aplicable skills demonstrated during this deep dive into a pretty oddball tool. Love it!

I still have at least two (maybe three) of the Wright saws motors, multiple blade bars, and many blades from my dad bringing them home in the late 50's when the company he worked for quit using them. I've had them stored back since then thinking they might be a novelty someday. I did have one working back in the seventies when I bought some land and needed to clear some dead trees. It worked for almost a year before something went south in the gearbox area.

As a kid I had a BSA Bantam D1 motorcycle. That didn't have an engine kill switch either. The owners manual said that to stop the engine, you close the throttle as far as it goes and the engine should stop due to fuel starvation. The manual also warned against coasting downhill using engine braking, as being a two-stroke, the engine would be starved of oil.

When I was just a kid, like 45 years ago, those gas powered drills were used in the maple syrup industry for drilling holes in maple trees for the spout. The spout direst the dap from the tree into the bucket for collection. Now days battery powered drills are used snd instead of buckets the sap flows in tubing to a collection point or clear to the sugar house.

Hey Mustie, I am willing to bet that the cover you took off may be where you put lubricant for the blade cam.The gasket was extremely robust to house nothing.

Perfect timing, I had a 60’ tree fall in my yard last night, and I’m on break after limbing it with my battery saw and about to switch over to a gas saw for the firewood. It landed on 2 tractors, a garden cart and my trailer without damaging anything significantly. Everything is out except my loader tractor. I need to stabilize it and do a little cutting to get that out. This is a great distraction. The button by the throttle is high idle for starting. The air hammer driver is nice. I use an impact screwdriver. Attach bit, twist left, and hit it with a hammer. It drives the bit in and loosens it at the same time.

We used those type of saws for cutting telephone poles down to use as corner posts for fencing. I kinda forgot how terrifying they are.😂

The little "tab" on the points cover is your "feeler gauge"

I have a Skil chain saw of mid 60s vintage and the fuel/oil ratio is 16/1. This may be similar. Also, you mentioned a cork gasket. Don't use ethanol in it, as cork uses shellac as a binder and alcohol is a solvent.

Step 6 on the faded face plate reads STOP: release the throttle. It will starve fuel just like you said. Strange beastie. And you got her running. Nice job.

One more for the “why women live longer than men” category.

Mustie1, That was very interesting! Thanks Bill for giving it to Mustie1 to bring life back into it. Two things; it makes a clean cut without all the sawdust that a chainsaw does and no oil needed to lube the blade. Mustie1, I think that kill switch wire was connected to the throttle trigger, but it became disconnected. Plus there had to be another cover over the air inlet and carb anyway. thanks for another good video!

One thing for the shake and break, I've found that the cheaper air chisels with the separate dial for adjusting your power work well. I suggest getting one just for your tool, that way you can set a speed and no matter how far you pull the trigger it'll go at that speed. Harbor freight has one under their central pneumatic brand that ought to work.

Dad used a Wright saw to cut pork and beef into quarters when they butchered. Took 2 days to get it running each time for 10 minutes of cutting. Switched to a smaller electric model 30 years ago and have never been happier.

I don't see the reason for describing this neat old saw as dangerous. Believe it or not there was a time when men were smart enough to use machines like this without cutting off an arm or leg.

That was interesting. I've never seen a saw like this. Thanks for sharing.

It looks like the original paint and has more wear on it from being knocked around from moving it than actually being used . I would mix thirty weight with kerosene in a spray bottle to use on my height trimmers to keep them sappy free and lubricating between rubbing points . Stills using the same cutting bars on one I have over seventeen years . Its the smallest of all I have , but it has it places and times where it works great . I take the cutter apart a couple times a year and run a file over each edge sharpening the complete bar . Taking time to slowly get the angles right and sharp .

There's a number of youtube videos with various models of Wright "blade saws" (50's and 60's), including one from Taryl. This might be a B316. They show how the kill switch was supposed to work, and how you set it for starting. Your trigger seems to be missing bits. They're slow cutting (even worse on hardwoods) but do very clean cuts - some arborists liked using them for making their pruning cuts smooth. Several mention that they were popular with Elk or similar hunters for field/rough cutting elk for packing out. Less meat wastage, and probably less spray than chainsaws. Certainly heavier.

Love starting my Sunday mornings with a new Mustie video ! Thanks for another interesting one!

I Inherited one of these from my dad. He used it to build a barn out of old railroad ties. This was pre CCA treated lumber. A local mill sawed the twenty foot ties into lumber. The creosote gummed up a regular saw so he came up with an old Wright saw. I have kept it thinking I would restore it some day.

The Wright company also made their own version of lawn darts. The only thing more dangerous than this thing would be a gas powdered hatchet.

Is there anything more satisfying than using "new" old stock. That carborator kit finally gets it special purpose😮

... and Mustie comes up with another odd one!!! 😁😁😁Love your videos Mustie!

Right for the wright good one mustie. Thanks fot the excellent bids. Love and respect from here in UK.

This episode reminds me of a cleaning lady I knew. She said the people would clean the house before she got there so they didn't think they were slobs. Made her job easy. I think they did the same with this saw. They added fresh fuel and cleaned the plugs before they called you. Maybe tried to start it and gave up?

I saw an advertisement in a Field and Stream from the mid 1950’s for that saw. Their tag line was “No whipping, kicking chain”. It looks like a miserable beast to run.

I had a good laugh when Mustie said it looked like something out of a horror film. I was thinking exactly the same thing.

Hey Steve, in response to your comment regarding handling Montana winter...in '62 while remote from from Thule Air Base ( at usaf transmitter site on North Mountain) a Tech Sgt showed me pictures of his place in Montana...I remember saying " Gee Sarge it looks just like here"...lol. loving the video, and getting to see some " big sky" country. Really looking forward to see what unfolds with the TFC Ford Cab, and Chapel. Our church has supported that ministry for years.

A frightening tidbit; the manufacturer offered a "Meat Cutting" blade for these. Hard to believe these never made a staring appearance in a horror film. (That I am aware of.)

Very interesting, ran fairly well after you were done with it and I was surprised just how well it cut 4. Pretty neat . Great Job with the video. Thanks

At 37:39…anyone else notice something flying out of the carb when Mustie was taking out the needle???

While I was helping my friend. A pickup truck passing by stopped and a guy got out and was just watching me. When I was done the guy said to me " that's the first time I ever saw one of those running"

They are cool , and feel weird using them . That one still seems pretty solid .

Cool. I have a Wright Bladesaw, model B316. It's one of the funkyest pieces of equipment that I have ever seen. The reciprocal action comes from a rod that is part of the piston. Nothing is driven off of the crankshaft. Weird machines

Looks like a super deluxe AVE cardboard box opener

Next to your channel, I really like the " Hand tool rescue " . Between the 2 channels, I have learned a lot and gathered LOTS of information. Thank you for being you.

The kill switch in in the trigger. Below the idle stop is off. I remember this from a close looking motor on a gas drill.

Great video , I really appreciate the attention to detailed explanation on all your content !!! Thumbs up for that and all the great close up shots you provide !!!! Keep Up the great work !!!

It has a worm in the fuel... did someone fill it up with Tequila?

The Wright reciprocating saw..Billed as The Wright way to cut wood!. was used a lot for ice and butchers work. I have the older model. that one is a b-520 probably 1963 vintage. points are 0.020 setting. the engine runs as you thought basically it's an opposed cylinder engine with a blade hooked to the one piston the back piston provides power the front one runs the blade the kill is on the trigger. full release should kill the saw then there is a notch it sets in to run. that's why the trigger seems so floppy it's meant to move back and forth to hit the notch. and hit the wire to ground the coil and kill spark. also when your cutting with it you need to move it back and forth in a sawing motion to clear the chips from the blade it doesn't work like a chainsaw.

Mustie1, the housing that you said may be clutch, wonder if it was design to be filled with heavy gear oil or something to slowly lube the reciprocating link.

Wow, what an odd ball machine. The blade attached directly to the crank seems like a dangerous setup. If that front pin ever let go, this machine could become real exciting real quick. I'd hang it on a wall for sure. Great video as always !!

I knew an old man that ran a U-Rent in San Diego back in the late 40s. He said Wrights were used quite a bit at the time for cutting palm trees. Also, your blade does say US Palm as well.

Fun fact, Taryl did one of these 8 yrs ago, video called, Taryls toys 1960s reciprocating saw

Wonder if that empty panel was to be filled with grease for the blade?

New Sub here, After I retired from Firefighting I had my own Saw Shop. It's Called a Slabbing Saw and they are great for slabbing driftwood or any wood that might be sandy or dirty and would dull a chain fast or foul the bar with dirt. Mine was a PUCH Brand and typically there is a On/Off Toggle Switch in that open hole in the Cowling above the Rope Pull. Weak or no Spark replace the Condenser. The blade gear box takes 90wt gear oil or use a medium wt grease like white lithium grease. That was Fun. Thanks

I watched a video before I got too far into this. A guy had a running one that was a few years older than this one but still the same. Just the cover was more 56 Buick looking. He had a new blade that had been used a little. He cut several poplar pieces of log that were five ir six inches in diameter . It cut pretty good. He then cut an 8"-10" seasoned ash log. It was slower than a chain saw .The idea was that it could be used for undercutting a log. It will run upside down

@Mustie1 Thank you again for your videos. I just figured out why my zero-turn didn't have any power thanks to you. I started it up, let it warm up, and one of the valve covers was cold. Yep, it was running on just one cylinder. No spark on that side, spark on the other. Cleaning the coil and resetting the gap to the flywheel didn't fix it, disconnecting the kill wire didn't fix it, swapping the two coils swapped the dead cylinder, so I just ordered a shiny new coil and I'm confident that'll do it. Thanks so very much. I'm in your debt. ... now if I could just figure out your knack for getting free-or-almost-free broken stuff. :) The free piles aren't as fruitful down here in my neck of the woods.

Coffee, a joint and mustie, a good way to start a sunday!

The Edsel of portable saws

That thing takes a real man to crank, and a good mechanic all day long, cool brother

Most of the older things were choke kills. Otherwise it would be a flip switch toggle. I've used a lot of older machines and most of them were choke kill. On/off switches/toggles weren't super common.

My father had one of those. It looked exactly the same but I remember it being a tan color. The only time I ever saw it run was when he used it to cut some railroad ties because he didn't want to use his new chain saw. That had to have been in the late 70s.

Is the little tab on the metal cover (@19:47) for setting the point gap?

I so enjoyed this. Nicely filmed . Worthwhile bit of fun. Cheers

Man that saw is amazing.

That laugh at first life! When it starts to run, we hear that laugh, means "it's a runner, game on!"

What tool(s) did you use for those stripped flat heads? I have a hand impact screwdriver, but was that like a special attatchment for an air hammer or its own tool?

That worm you took out of the gas tank was probably excess sealant where somebody had previously split the gas tank halves and sealed it backup

In 1963 my dad almost got one of those I remember they said it was a safe saw

I get here a mere hour after it's posted and 10,000+ other people were already here before me. Definitely in the running for Best "Television" show.

Looks like a powered ice saw