Homelite Bar Scabbard Questions

[w30bob]

Hi Guys,

  I've been wondering about those old red rubber bar scabbards Homelite used to sell. Anybody know anything about them........can you answer these questions?

1. Did they come in many sizes?  I see folks saying on eBay they're either for the smaller SEZ type saws or a bigger 5" wide version, I'm guessing for larger saws.  Were there other sizes?

2. Is anyone reproducing these scabbards today?  I see customchainsawparts sells them without the Homelite logo.....but anyone seen a repop with the logo?

3. Has anyone seen a clear rubber scabbard?  I like to display my saws with nice NOS bars and wouldn't want to cover them up, but like the safety of having a scabbard on.  A clear scabbard would be perfect, as it wouldn't scratch the paint on the bar like a clear hard plastic scabbard would.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

regards,
bob

[blythkd]

The one in the picture looks like the only style/size I recall ever seeing. It would cover a 16" bar and it bottomed out on a 20" without quite covering it. Red was the only color I recall ever seeing.

[w30bob]

Hi kid,

I was thinking that too........they only made one......but I keep seeing folks list them for the smaller saw bars, and the bigger bar size would look pretty silly on a skinny smaller bar. I'll keep looking and maybe someone will post dimensions. I have a bigger one, so maybe I'll just buy a smaller one to see if it's real or not. I also checked AliExpress to see if someone in Chinka already makes such a scabbard in rubber, but so far they're all hard plastic. I might also look into having some made, as I see folks advertising for custom low volume polyurethane molding in colors or clear. Would be a nice touch for displayed saws. I just don't want to overthink this or reinvent the wheel here.

;O)

[ibmike]

I have one that came on one of my 330's with a 16" bar. It looks to be more of an orange color, maybe faded some, and the print is much larger and not boxed in.I like them better than the plastic ones .

[charliec]

Just off the top of my head, have you thought about making/cutting a scabbard out of Polycarbonate (i.e., Lexan (1/8" - 3/16" thick))? I would not use simple Plexiglass as it would scratch/ding/chip up too easy. This would allow you to show off the bar (i.e., clear) and you can make it any size you want. I can see it held together with equally spaced screws counter-sunk with some form of 1/2" long (3/8" O.D.) barrel/rod shaped spacer to provide the space for the bar and chain. I am not sure if polycarbonate/Lexan comes in rod shape but if it does that may be a good choice. One concern I might have about the spacer material it the ability to drill and hold a screw especially in a 3/8" O.D. size without breaking apart/cracking. You may want to go to 1/2" O.D. as a precaution. Second thought, if someone makes a good glue that would make drilling/screwing a moot point. Then the question becomes.... how good/strong is the glue. You could also just cut a "U" shaped (3/8" wide) piece of material to go along the entire border of the scabbard and sandwich it together (i.e. three thickness all laminated together) with the center layer being thicker due to the width of the bar and chain) vs. using barrel shaped spacers.

If you have a small piece of scrap Lexan laying around you may want to test it out by rubbing it up against the bar and chain to see if it scratches up. Personally, I would only go this route for a "show" piece as I do not think polycarbonate would be a good choice of material for a "work" saw due to the expense and/or durability over the long haul (e.g., hundreds of On/Off cycles).


Just a thought.
Charlie

[ronaldt]

I know they made at least a couple different sizes, maybe more. I have one that fits nicely on a small bar (top handle saw) and another that fits a large bar on a C series saw.