Chainsaw History

[Woodcutteranon]

I was bored and did some research on my four favorite chainsaw companies. I used my existing literature and internet sources for these brief summaries. If you can add anything, or more chainsaw companies...or if you see any corrections please toss them in. Its always nice to know where we have all come from.

Husqvarna became a manufacturer of equipment in 1689 in Sweden. The factory was built on the banks of the Huskvarna river. They made a wide variety of things ranging from guns, farming equipment, and bicycles. Not until 1959 did they make their first gasoline powered chainsaw.

Stihl is properly known as Andreas Stihl AG & Company and was founded in 1926 in Germany by Andreas Stihl. Their first chainsaw was electric powered weighing 140 pounds. In the mid 1970's Stihl expanded production into the United States opening a factory in Virginia Beach employing 2000 people.

Dolmar began as E. Lerp & Co. in Hamburg Germany and claims to have produced the first gasoline powered chainsaw in the world in 1927...the Type A. The Type A was a two man saw and was named "Dolmar" after the Dolmar Mountain where it was first used to cut timber. E. Lerp & Co. eventually changed the name of their company to Dolmar after the success of their saws.

Poulan Chainsaw co. was founded in 1946 by Claude Casper Poulan in Shreveport La. Poulan's were at first a saw made from existing parts from other chainsaw makers. In 1951 Poulan began to develop and manufacture their own 2 stroke gasoline engines for their saws.

 

[Teddy.Scout]

NICE!!!

Like the info!!!!

I repped you recently!!! Wish I could again!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[galde]

I read somewhere that the Husqvarna name originally stood for HOUSE-MILL, with hus being the swedish word for house and qvarna being the word for mill. The mill must have been water-powered, hence the river's name.

I would really like to hear the real inside stories of what happened to all of the good old companies that are no longer around.

 

[johnzski]

I bought a book from Bailey's called Chainsaws-A History.Has a story about every make you can imagine.Lot's of pictures too

 

[Philbert]

I bought a book from Bailey's called Chainsaws-A History.Has a story about every make you can imagine.Lot's of pictures too

Great book.

There was also a looong thread here on AS a year or two ago, which went into STIHL history in great detail - very interesting. Just looked , but I coul not find it. Maybe someone else can.

Philbert

Here it is!
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=59173


Also try:

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Andreas-Stihl-AG-amp;-Co-KG-Company-History.html

 

[pyromaniac guy]

NICE!!!

Like the info!!!!

I repped you recently!!! Wish I could again!!!!!!!!!!!!

got 'em for ya...

 

[hoss]

A nice short easy to reference piece of info there. Thanks.

 

[Shifty Eyed]

I find it interesting that Poulan used other manufacturer's parts to make his own saws. It's a perfect example of American ingenuity and Southern creativity.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

I find it interesting that Poulan used other manufacturer's parts to make his own saws. It's a perfect example of American ingenuity and Southern creativity.

I thought of AMC after learning this. My 1976 Hornet had Ford electrical components, GM alternator, Chrysler transmission and rear end...!

 

[Philbert]

I find it interesting that Poulan used other manufacturer's parts to make his own saws. It's a perfect example of American ingenuity and Southern creativity.

A lot of the earlier companies used whatever small motors they could find, which is how I think Homelite got into it - they were making small gas powered water pumps for farmers and people kept using their engines for saws.

Philbert

 

[ae4461tma]

Homelite

In 1921, entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson of Port Chester, New York, invented a lightweight, portable, gasoline-powered electrical generator. His newly founded company, the Home Electric Lighting Company (later abbreviated to Home-lite), made it possible for thousands of rural farms and households to enjoy the convenience of electricity, where it would be years before land lines would reach many of these remote areas. In addition, many of Mr. Ferguson's generators played a significant role in the war effort, providing portable electricity on demand for the troops during WWII.

In 1946, Homelite manufactured its first chainsaw, an electrical model, and in 1949, released another power-equipment innovation in the form of the first chainsaw that featured one-man operation (previous saws were generally too large and bulky to be operated by a single individual). By the mid 1960's Homelite had been firmly established as one of the largest manufacturers of chainsaws in the world, with models ranging from small brush cutters, to the most advanced professional logging saws. The year 1963 saw the induction of the world's first "lightweight" chainsaw, the magnesium-alloy framed Homelite XL-12; the numeral twelve denoting that the power-head weighed a mere twelve pounds. This saw is widely regarded as one of the most recognizable and well-known chainsaws of all time. In addition, the XL-12 achieved infamous notoriety among horror film aficionados as being the one of the chainsaws used by "Leatherface" in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series


This is from wikipedia. There may be a better source.:monkey:

 

[ae4461tma]

Echo

ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment was founded in Northbrook, Illinois, in 1972 as Kioritz Corporation of America, and was officially established under its present name in 1978. Echo was originally an importer of high-performance 2-cycle engines and 2-stroke, engine-powered hand-held products for Kioritz Corporation of Japan, but its foray into the engineering and manufacturing of products would be an important first step for the company. In 1979, Echo began initial production and assembly operations in a Wheeling, Illinois facility, and produced its first lawn care product in the USA, the GT-200 Grass Trimmer. Soon after, Echo broadened its product offerings to include chain saws, straight shaft trimmers and brushcutters, backpack and hand-held blowers, grass trimmers and hedge clippers. In 1984, Echo Power Equipment Canada was created as a branch of Echo, Inc., and in 1985, Echo established its present-day U.S. corporate headquarters in Lake Zurich, Illinois. In addition to its headquarters, Echo's Lake Zurich location also houses a manufacturing facility, which was expanded by 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) in 1988 to meet increasing consumer demand.

In 1994, Echo began its relationship with Home Depot as a provider of professional-quality hand-held outdoor power equipment for the residential homeowner market. Although it had sold premium equipment to the consumer market for years through its extensive dealer network, this value-added partnership helped to broaden Echo's market presence. Echo's second production expansion was completed in 1995, when the corporation purchased ten more acres adjacent to its existing facilities and created a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) addition. Not only did this expansion increase production capabilities, but it enabled Echo to build a state-of-the-art emissions facility in which to conduct critical emissions testing. In 1997, Echo saw even more growth as it acquired Technic Tool Corporation and transferred production of the TT Power Pruner product line to Illinois. In 2000, Echo's third and most recent expansion was completed, establishing Echo's 155,000-square-foot (14,400 m2) Distribution Center. Echo, Inc. is a subsidiary of Kioritz Corporation of Japan, and has thirteen distributors serving the U.S. and Canada, as well as eight additional distributors worldwide

Also from Wikipedia, but almost word for word from the Echo web site.:monkey:

 

[tdi-rick]

ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment was founded in Northbrook, Illinois, in 1972 as Kioritz Corporation of America,
[snip]

Also from Wikipedia, but almost word for word from the Echo web site.:monkey:

Really only relevant for the North American branch, Kioritz (originally Kyoritsu Noki Company Limited) has been manufacturing in Japan since 1947 and started saw production in 1963.

http://www.echo-worldwide.com/about/history/index.html

 

[046]

Yup... history and performance is why I purchased an old Husqvarna .270 rifle. old Husky rifles are renowned for their smooth actions. evidently they licensed the design from Mauser.

Chuck Hawks raves about his custom Husqvarna rifles and advices to jump on one if the opportunity ever comes up to acquire one.

 

[Tzed250]

Great book.

There was also a looong thread here on AS a year or two ago, which went into STIHL history in great detail - very interesting. Just looked , but I coul not find it. Maybe someone else can.

Philbert

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