A chainsaw ‘guru’

Town of Bern resident Bobby Framke still possesses the crosscut saw that his late father, Carl Framke, and late uncle, Norman Framke, used in the 1960s to make cuts into white pine logs in sawing competitions.

Although Bobby never used the crosscut saw in a competition, he began utilizing twostroke engine McCulloch chainsaws in competitions when he was 16 years old in the 1980s. He developed his passion for McCulloch chainsaws from his father who was a self-employed logger and McCulloch ehainsaw and parts salesman.

Bobby recalls the story of how his father bought a McCulloch chainsaw from a dealer in Medford in the late 1960s that blew up right away. Carl attended what Bobby calls a “logging congress” in Antigo in 1969, which he said was an event for loggers similar to the present Farm Technology Days for farming enthusiasts.

Carl told Bob Huff, a McCulloch chainsaw field manager at the event, that the Mc-Culloch chainsaw he had just bought blew up right away when he tried to use it. Huff gave Carl a new McCulloch chainsaw and convinced him to become a salesman for the company. Carl was chosen in 1973 to attend an event for McCulloch chainsaw dealers in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., where he won the McCulloch Super Pro 105 door prize.

Bobby still proudly shows people a framed photo of his father with Robert Paxson McCulloch at the 1973 dealers event.

McCulloch founded McCulloch Motors Corporation in Milwaukee in 1943 and moved his operation to California in 1946.

McCulloch also founded the city of Havasu City, Ariz., in 1964 when he built a factory and housing for his workers. The company went bankrupt in i 999 and it is now owned by Husqvama.

Bobby inherited the McCulloch chainsaw parts after his father passed away. He bought out a couple McCulloch dealerships to increase his inventory before starting Framke Saw Shop in a garage on the property where he grew up with his parents in the town of Bern, Bobby said he is well known throughout the world as the “guru” of McCulloch chainsaws.

He is a member of Facebook sites like “McCulloch Chainsaws of North America,” where people can fill out a form to ship their broken McCulloch ehainsaws to Bobby so he can refurbish them and mail them back. He fixes the chainsaws and then applies seven to nine coats of expensive paint to each one. He gives each chainsaw a glossy shine.

“Ninety percent of the chainsaws that I refurbish go on a person’s shelf because they remember their father or grandfather having one of them,” Bobby said.

A sign inside the Athens Memorial Hall shelter commemorates the Carl Framke Family & Friends Lumberjack Contest from 1983-2004 on the Thursday night of the Athens Fair. Bobby is pleased that the Athens Lions Club started having a chainsaw competition during its annual Fourth of July Celebration three years ago.

“Chainsaw competitions died off for a while there but now they are coming back,” he said.

Bobby and his nephew, Geoff Framke, compete in the Athens Fourth of July friendly chainsaw competition along with Geoff’s fiance, Rebecca Kohl, and Geoff’s daughter, Maisie Framke. Other local chainsaw competitors are Mike Nowacki and Greg Mader of Athens and Austin Steines of Stratford. Geoff Framke fixes one-hander McCulloch Mini Macs chainsaws.

Bobby is a lifetime member of the North Central Wisconsin Antique Steam & Gas Engine Club. Two years ago he was invited to display his McCulloch chainsaws and have a chainsaw competition at the annual Edgar Steam Show. He does the same thing at the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club’s show in Baraboo.