The Greatest Decade in Chainsaw History...

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What do you feel were the "golden" years of chainsaw manufacturing and development?

  • 1950-1960

    Votes: 5 5.3%

  • 1960-1970

    Votes: 20 21.3%

  • 1970-1980

    Votes: 19 20.2%

  • 1980-1990

    Votes: 19 20.2%

  • 1990-2000

    Votes: 12 12.8%

  • 2000-present

    Votes: 19 20.2%
  • Total voters
    94
procarbine2k1

procarbine2k1

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What do you feel were the "golden" years in chainsaw manufacturing, and development? Vote by what decade you feel has been most critical to the industry. Feel free to chime in after you vote. Thought this would make a good thread and some good reading. It should also be interesting to see the results.
 
Last edited:
PHP:
ms460woodchuck said:
My vote comes at the end of one decade and the beginning of another. Later half of the 70's and earlier half of the 80's.

Could'nt vote because well ya know why.
Click to expand...

Then pick 1970-1980. May not be totally accurate, but cant divide up the timeline due to number of poll options.
 
I'm prolly wrong, but I think from 2000 to present.

BTW, really neat thread Pro. I'll certainly rep ya when I get re-loaded. :)
 
ms460woodchuck said:
Alright then, I'm goin with 70-80. Some of the best firewood saws ever invented from them years!
Click to expand...

I agree. I was torn between the 70's and 80's as well. I went with 1980-1990. Not to isolate saws built in this decade, but I feel many of them are still at the top.. even with todays standards. Also, ergonomics changed for the big in these years.
 
I picked 60-70. Chainsaws were modernized into nearly the present form in that time period, technology like electronic ignition, chainbrakes, and AV came into being, European makers established themselves in the US, and the great American brands hadn't started to decline yet. I see the current state of the chainsaw as having been born in that time period.
 
procarbine2k1 said:
I agree. I was torn between the 70's and 80's as well. I went with 1980-1990. Not to isolate saws built in this decade, but I feel many of them are still at the top.. even with todays standards. Also, ergonomics changed for the big in these years.
Click to expand...

Has Husqvarna always had that great AV? I really have no idea as you can tell about chainsaw history lol. Look over me man.
 
MacLaren said:
I'm prolly wrong, but I think from 2000 to present.

BTW, really neat thread Pro. I'll certainly rep ya when I get re-loaded. :)
Click to expand...

I definitely dont think that there is a wrong answer on this one! Especially with yours... Perhaps the engineering of stratofied technology was in the 90's (not sure), but the manufacturing ability to produce saws with low emissions and still have the performance (perhaps even better performance than the previous) is definitely in the 2000's and beyond. Part of me thinks that we are in the "golden" years.
 
MacLaren said:
Has Husqvarna always had that great AV? I really have no idea as you can tell about chainsaw history lol. Look over me man.
Click to expand...

I think Husky started separating themselves from the rest of the field when they got into spring dampening vs. rubber isolators (even though rubber isolators have worked well for other manufacturers, especially Stihl).
 
there are some great old saws out there no doubt about it. but i feel we have only seen the tip of the iceberg with this technology thing. i fully agree with the "if it is not broke don't fix it" saying. but i for one can't wait til we see an ultra-lightweight-high performance four-stroke saw. or what about fuel injection, i really believe these things are closer than we think.
 
STIHLTHEDEERE said:
there are some great old saws out there no doubt about it. but i feel we have only seen the tip of the iceberg with this technology thing. i fully agree with the "if it is not broke don't fix it" saying. but i for one can't wait til we see an ultra-lightweight-high performance four-stroke saw. or what about fuel injection, i really believe these things are closer than we think.
Click to expand...

Thats awesome man. I agree. I mean the way things go, and with technology advancing daily.......it's possible! It's like Procarbine said, we may very well be in the "golden age" of chainsaws.
 
The Golden years were 1965 to 1975, innovations were rapid, almost everything after 1975 only showed improvements to existing designs. This is also the muscle saw era, by 1980, saws started to get bland and pale, neutered and overly complex.
 
RandyMac said:
The Golden years were 1965 to 1975, innovations were rapid, almost everything after 1975 only showed improvements to existing designs. This is also the muscle saw era, by 1980, saws started to get bland and pale, neutered and overly complex.
Click to expand...

Well men, sounds like we got a winner. Hard as heck to argue against that answer. It just makes sense. ....unless they come out with something weve just never seen before, then its basically like Randy said, its an improvement.
 
60's to 70's, Horse power wars between the American and other
manufacturers. Some of the most inovative and powerfull saws were
built back then.




Lee
 
leeha said:
60's to 70's, Horse power wars between the American and other
manufacturers. Some of the most inovative and powerfull saws were
built back then.




Lee
Click to expand...

Yup. late 66-70 the first "lighter weight" one man saws from Homelite, Lombard and Mac showed up and quickly displaced the one/two man heavy saws from the previous ten years.
Power to weight, automatic oilers, the S-70 chain and 404 3/8 325 pitches,
light weight roller nose bars, and the famous and maybe longest lived Tilly HS HT diaphram all position diaphram carbs were giants in American saw design. Bet a few of you remember Omarks 60 day guarantee replacement/repair of their saw chains.

70's gave us piston porting, higher power to weight and high rpm, anti-vib and the chainbrake.

Btw, in the mid-late 60's Omark-Oregon offered plastic wedges. Falling in 7 1/2 and 10 inch lengths. Bucking in 5 1/2 and 7 1/2 inch lengths. Good in extreme heat or below zero work.
 
I say most pro saws from 1970 on are the first real modern saws. Less weight, more speed, AV, less noise, more reliability and streamline design. Sorry the saws before may have cut a lot of timber, but they were heavy, underpowered, overweight POS for the most part. From what I've seen it was a godsend when Stihl and Husky came along, Pouland had some innovated saws as well. Now I like the old McCulloch and Homelite saws, but I can't see running one all day.:potstir:
 
Andyshine77 said:
I say most pro saws from 1970 on are the first real modern saws. Less weight, more speed, AV, less noise, more reliability and streamline design. Sorry the saws before may have cut a lot of timber, but they were heavy, underpowered, overweight POS for the most part. From what I've seen it was a godsend when Stihl and Husky came along, Pouland had some innovated saws as well. Now I like the old McCulloch and Homelite saws, but I can't see running one all day.:potstir:
Click to expand...

Must be the night for it.

You are an idiot.:hmm3grin2orange:
 

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