Villiers engine on a Chainsaw.

[bigbadchainsaw]

Not exactly a bike question but I hope you can help

I have a vintage chainsaw with a Villiers 2 stroke engine.

The saw was made by the Liner concrete company.
On this page
http://www.villiersparts.co.uk/help.html
is a picture of the saw (mine is still in bits) 25A 2 Stroke front part of 2 man chainsaw.


From what I have been able to research it seems to be 1940’s/50’s One website http://www.seagullparts.co.uk/ignition2.html
Has a picture of my magplate and dates the ignition unit as mid 50’s latest


So that’s all I know about this bad boy saw. Can anyone tell me anything more about this engine, saw, Liner company, anything else relevant.

Many thanks in advance

Oh and the saw in the picture has a brass fuel tank cap, mine is mundane mild steel. If anyone has a brass one they would be wiling to part with I would be pleased to buy it to add some sartorial elegance to my project

[33d6]

Hi bigbadchainsaw,
Sorry to be slow to answer but I've just got back from a long holiday.
The 25A Villiers engine was a one of their industrial stationary engines based on their prewar 250cc motorcycle engine but rejigged for the different role. Rather than develop high BHP as you'd want on a bike it is set up to provide more torque (grunt) being what is needed for your chainsaw.
The two man chainsaw didn't last long as it required great care in use to avoid nasty accidents and if you compare it with a present day saw you will notice the complete absence of safety precautions. Like a lot of things what seemed a good idea on paper didn't work out that well in practice.
So, you have a standard 25A Villiers engine fitted with a standard Villiers ignition system that was used from the 1920's up until they went out of business.
I can provide a certain amount of info but whether it is enough would depend on how much you already know about engine stripdown and overhaul.
Given the survival rate of these things I would suspect you live in Australia or Canada, they weren't the sort of machinery found in the average English suburban garden!
Cheers,