Evil Dead Homelite Saw Build

[Omni]

Enough with the lurking for me, it is time for my first build!

I first took notice of the RPF because I had heard Adam Savage mention it - because really, everything he does is cool. I quickly found a build that I got excited about - Evil Dead II/Army of Darkness replica chainsaw. jimmydellamorte and the others that contributed to the thread did such an amazing job on their saws I setup a Google alert for Homelite in my area. A few months ago I picked up a Homelite 2 Super and I am now ready to give it a new life.

I will be using many of the great ideas I have seen here and I hope to credit them along the way. I intend to contribute to the community by providing as much detail as I can for the things I end up winging in case others are curious. I also have a surprise 'feature' planed for the finish (as a hint it is not an interactive element .

START:



The body of the saw is not the same model as the one in the movie but I could find little to no difference in the exterior details for the exception of the stock handle. This doesn't pose much of a problem though because it is the first thing to cut off!




I lost the pictures of taking the saw apart but they really aren't required for someone that wants to do this. Just a basic socket set and screwdriver will do the trick. The case is held together with four bolts, then a number of screws seen from the outside hold the engine inside.



Once I had the casing empty I masked off where I was going to cut so I could draw some cut lines. I opted to cut as little off as possible.



I picked up a Dremel Saw-Max that made very short work of cutting through the case. Because of the size of the tool I roughly cut the handle off so I could do nice clean cuts where it counts.



For where to cut I tried to follow the natural lines where the handle attached to the case.



On the hand port side I measured 1cm in from the left side, 1cm from the top and flush with the bottom of the case.



The straight cuts were made with the Dremel Saw-Max, the rounded cuts were done with a standard Dremel and a cut-off wheel. After this cut was done I realized that the hole was not going to be tall enough for my wrist to be vertical. Getting the tools back out I got rid of the top 2cm lip to match the bottom, this gives enough room to turn my wrist upright in the opening.



To be more accurate I ground off most of the top lip but left some of the original height on the right. If I were to do this again I would remove only what I need to on the top lip as I feel I will need to fill in that area later so the hole isn't so obvious.

Cost : $15 for Saw

Time: 1 hour

More tomorrow!

 

[bigbisont]

Very cool. I am in the middle of one of these as well. I got all the parts and did much of the hacking, but I'll be going for the AOD saw, so I need to fab up a new top. I have been dragging my feet on that. Way to go though, and can't wait to see how yours turns out!

 

[Omni]

Excellent! Post some pictures if you get the chance! I would like to see how you fab up the top of the saw, that looks tough.

Sort of related question: Has anyone taken a saw like this to a con? I would like to be able to take it with a dull chain, though I have seen someone use a bicycle chain before and that would do. Any issues bringing in a metal construction like this if there is no sharp parts?

 

[Omni]

Day 2 - Top Cover

Parts:
1 Sheet 22 gauge Steel
1 3 inch zinc narrow hinge (3 hole because I couldn't find a 2 hole, but I just won't use the 3rd to match the movie)
3 6-32x3/4 machine screws
3 6-32 nylon lock nuts

Note: the 6-32 machine screws were chosen to fit the hinge so that they sit flush in the screw holes. The screw size will have to be adjusted for different hinges.

Going to a fastener company would have been cheaper to pick up the nuts and bolts but I was in a rush so I donated to my local big box chain and ended up with more than I needed.



I lined the top of the hinge up with the top of the saw case and put the flat side of the hinge against the case (if you look at the profile of the hinge you can see the pin sticks out on one side).



With the hinge in place I used cardboard to figure out what dimensions were needed for the top plate.



The overall size of the piece was 8.5cm wide and 26cm long. The wide is just big enough to cover the case seam and the length includes a little extra in case your wrist opening is smaller. The cardboard was also used to mark where the sheet would need to be bent. For the top lip that folds over the hinge 2cm gets the job done (again depends on the hinge purchased). The dimensions were then transferred to the sheet metal and it was cut with the saw-max.




To bend the sheet I used a heavy vice and a hammer. I paused for a moment when I started hammering because it was leaving marks and messing up my nice clean sheet metal.. But of course this is what I was going to do in the end when weathering anyway. This really is a great first project because it is so forgiving, some sort of scifi, shinny future prop would be so much more work to keep clean and pristine looking



I did some of the more gentle bends by hand and others using a piece of wood and the hammer. To get the final fit to the case the hinge was attached to the case with the three 6-32x3/4 machine screws and nylon lock nuts.





Next up - attaching the hinge to the top plate.

Cost : $5.99 for sheet metal, $3.48 for hinges, $2.97 for box of 6-32 screws, $0.18 x 2 for 6-32 lock nuts
Total: $12.80
Grand Total: $27.80

Time: 1 hour (2 hours total)

 

[Crom]

This looks intriguing. Bookmarked to see how it turns out.

 

[Omni]

Day 3 - Top cover attachment and start of handle

Parts:
2 10-24x3/4 Machine screws
2 10-24 Nylon lock nuts
1/8" x 1" x 48" Flat steel bar
1" x 48" Oak dowel

Note: the 10-24 screws were chosen because I wanted a larger nut showing from the outside. They were the largest screw I could find that would fit through the holes in the hinges. I knew ahead of time the heads of the screws would not fit flush, nothing a cut-off wheel can't handle!

From the movie stills it is clear there are only two nuts holding the top cover on so only two of the hinge holes will be used. I also reamed out the two holes to let the larger machine screws sit a little deeper.



As you can see when the top cover is closed the screw heads stop it from closing all the way. A cut-off disk was used on a dremel to turn the excess into dust.





Next up is the top handle. I marked on the stock bar where the first bend was to go - 25mm from the end. From movie stills it appeared as though the forward upright was canted back a bit. As the end was bent I tried to follow the front angle of the saw so that it looked continuous (less than 90 degrees). The next bend was marked at 75mm from the top cover.




A square was used to line the back of the handle up with the back of the saw. Then the final bend was made and the excess cut off.




The wood for the handle was measured to fit between the steel bends and came out to 185mm. This was cut in half on a band saw. The handle for the pull start was also cut at 90mm long, then was put to the belt sander to smooth and rough things up.




Putting the pull start handle on was an easy affair. Then some tape to see how everything looks.




Next up - attaching the wooden bits, securing the handle and trimming the side grip

Cost : ~$6 for steel bar, $2.97 for box of 10-24 screws, $0.30 x 2 for 10-24 lock nuts, ~$8 Oak dowel
Total: $17.57
Grand Total: $45.37

Time: 1 hour (3 hours total)

 

[Omni]

Update

My "special feature" was time sensitive so my posts were put on hold while I sprinted to get as much done as I could. I'm back on track now but I will still try and hold off to the end to show why I went through the trouble of making the top cover open and close.

 

[Omni]

Day 4 - Attaching the handles

Parts:
2 Carriage bolts
2 Nuts for Carriage bolts
1 Machine screw
1 Nylon locking nut for machine screw

Note: In hind sight I would have gone with a smaller carriage bolt to more closely match the movie - but it does look nice and beefy with the larger ones.

Holes were drilled in the dowels which were then lined up on the steel bar and drilled there to.



When buying the carriage bolts I didn't check to see if I had a drill bit the size of the head in order to recess the bolt. In an effort to keep working without the needed drill bit I tried to dremel out the hole but this was taking way too long. So I made another trip to the hardware store and bought a set of forstner bits to drill nice round holes. (I get to mention Adam Savage again because I learned about Forstner bits from one of his tested videos.) The holes for the bottom dowels were drilled in the same way so the nuts sit recessed.





Lesson Learned: Starting the holes with the forstner bit, then drilling through with the regular bit is the way to go. I had trouble centering the forstner bit over top of an existing hole.

Next I drilled a hole in the steel bar and a matching one on the top cover.



It was then I realized that the nut under the top cover would stop the cover from being able to open and close. The clearance wasn't there. (The photo shows the nut taped in place to see how much material was in the way.)



Out with the dremel again and I was able to shave a groove into the top of the saw so the nut would clear.



Lastly I pulled the rubber of the side handle and cut a bit off the top so the two ends were in line. Then put it all together.





Next up - The cuff and latching the top cover down
Cost : Need to find receipt
Total: Coming soon..

Grand Total: $45.37
Time: 1 hour (4 hours total)

 

[Omni]

Day 5 - The Cuff

Parts:
2 1"x1/2" right angle brackets

6 10-24 Machine screws
5 Nuts for machine screws
5 lock washers for machine screws
1 Wingnut for Machine screw
1 3"OD to 3"ID Automotive Exhaust coupler
36" x 3/4"x 1/8" stock steel bar

Note: I chose the size of the exhaust coupler based on what I could fit my hand through. It would have been nice to go smaller to have a tighter looking fit, but the 3"ID end was as small as I could go.

At this point in the build I have not yet found a T-bolt clamp. I have tried a number of automotive stores around here but everyone says the same thing - that they haven't seen anything like that. However my "special feature" is time sensitive so I needed something. I went with this exhaust coupler because I needed something ridged for the top cover to latch onto when it is in it's closed position. I want it to be solid feeling and a pipe clamp wouldn't do that. I also noted from screen shots that there is a wider flange under the t-bolt clamp - and it is that flange that I am trying to replicate (though I think it needs to be skinnier now). When I find my t-bolt clamp it will go over top of this cuff.

To make the cuff I cut 30mm off of the larger end of the coupler.



Unlike the movie I needed the top handle to be attached directly to the top cover so that I could open and close the top cover using the handle. To do this I cut a small strip of steel from left overs and shaped it into an L bracket. The rivet is there because initially I thought I would put a wing nut on the horizontal bolt in the picture. This would allow me to easily remove the bolt (removing any connection to the cuff) which would allow the top cover to be opened. Later on however I decided to make the horizontal bolt permanent and instead make the removable bolt one that goes through the cuff into the L bracket. TLDR - Ignore the rivet, it wasn't needed in the end.



To attach the handle to the top of the cuff I used a 1" x 1/2" L bracket. I used another one of these brackets (hammered and bent) for the side mount (seen on the left in the picture below) - I believe these to be the parts used in the movie as they look identical.




(Photo taken out of sequence)

To attach the bottom of the cuff I used two pieces of 3/4"x 1/8" stock steel bar cut to 80mm each. They were then hammered and bent into shape so they conformed to the body of the saw. 10-24 machine screws with lock washers were used to hold it all together.



Lastly on the inside of the saw I did a little test for the "feature".



Next up - Oil, gas and heat-sink details

Cost : $0.60 right angle brackets, $3 10-24 screws, nuts and washers, $0.16 Wingnut, $6 Exhaust coupler, $3.80 3/4"x 1/8" stock steel bar
Total: $13.56

Grand Total: $58.93

Time: 2 hour (6 hours total)

 

[Omni]

Day 6 - Exterior Details

Parts:
3D printed heat sink
Silicon caulking

Time for some details to make this look more like a saw. I started with the 'heat sink' to make use of the new 3D printers at my local library (free to use, just pay for materials! Oh and they are 3DS stereolithography printers to boot!). In Sketchup I spent 5 minutes to whip up something basic. The design is based on one that I initially saw on the forum by PeteVenkman seen here. I am thinking I might redo it to make the corners round like PeteVenkman has.. but haven't decided yet because I don't mind the sharp edges as much once it was painted.



$7 and one day later I had the part.



Cleaned up I hit it with a coat of metallic paint and used some silicon caulking to stick it to the saw.



Next up I cut the top parts off of the oil and gas tanks.



After cleaning them up really well I used the silicon again to glue them to the inside of the body, and here comes another lesson learned. When fabricating the top cover I did not take into account the fuel and oil caps. With the tank necks in place the top cover would no longer open and close, once the lids were on there was absolutely no way to open and close the cover.



The solution was to cut just enough off the edge of the top cover to clear the caps.



With the cover closed and the caps on the cut-out isn't noticeable unless you are looking for it (and with weathering it will be even harder to spot). I don't think I would change how I did this because I like the width of the top cover and how it covers the seem on the saw body.



The switch was also attached to the top cover and a hole in the body was cut so the cover would continue to close.. and open.. to show off a nicely shined up spot..



Next up - Bar mount and interior handle.

Cost : $7 for 3D print
Grand Total: $55.93

Time: 2 hour (8 hours total)