The Genius of Stihl, an Amazing Story

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

THALL10326

The Champ
Joined
Mar 6, 2004
Messages
20,509
Reaction score
2,011
Location
..
2007 is history now and 2008 begins. However history itself remains one of the most interesting topics of all time. Millions spend countless hours everyday researching history. That said I'm gonna start 2008 off on AS with a history lesson on one man, the man of Stihl, Andreas Stihl himself. This thread is for those of you that come to read and never seem to post, I know there are many of you. You've seen plenty of fun, non-sense and wealth of information on this site. You've seen the sometimes bitter brand wars and fun and play wars over chainsaws of all things. This thread is for mere reading for those interested in more than chainsaws. This is about one mans life long work that gave us what we know today as the modern chainsaw we all enjoy arguing about, fussing about and sometimes even agreeing about. Enjoy.


Andreas Stihl was born 11/10/1896 in Zurich. His father was a small time trucker/farmer and his mother was a orphan. Having strained relations with his father Andreas Stihl leaves his parental home at a young age. He obtains his leaving certificate from primary school in Switzerland and goes to live with relations in Germany. He attends secondary school in Singen am Hohentwiel, then grammar school in Dusseldorf-Oberkassel.

At age 19, in 1915, WW1 is raging. He is sent to the front line. He is wounded four times, seriously injured in 1916. The last injury leaves him with a disabled lefthand and only partial use of his arm. For this reason Andreas Stihl is discharged from military service in 1917. After leaving the service he decides to study mechanical engineering. In 1920 he passes his state examination in mechanical engineering at the Technical Institute in Eisenach, where he is staying with an aunt.

This is followed by three years with various reowned firms, as he later writes. Among other positions, he works as an expert for a steam engines, which were ofter used in sawmills in those days. He see's first hand how strenuous the work is in sawmills becaused the logs have to be taken to the sationary saws. The idea of developing a portable power saw comes to Andreas Stihl during this period.

{more to come}
 
Cool. Sounds interesting. Is there anything about Dolmar in there? :cheers:

Oh yes, there seemed to be alittle Stihl/Dolmar spat at one time. This interview was done with the Stihl family. The writer is getting his info from within the family itself, pretty good book. Alot of dealers have this book. I thought I would share it with the readers on here. Its a pretty amazing story and all true.
 
Teacher Tom...Next chapter please!

Jim this book is 300 pages of stories and facts about Stihl himself and the company he left behind. Its gonna take me months to type all this but I will. Its a story worth knowing for anyone that likes a chainsaw.
 
Tom keep the pages turning............:cheers: :cheers:





.

ha, what I'm gonna do is write a good size post and then I'll be able to quote it and continue the story so everyone with be able to see it progress from post to post. I wish I used more than one finger to type,LOL
 
Oh yes, there seemed to be alittle Stihl/Dolmar spat at one time. This interview was done with the Stihl family. The writer is getting his info from within the family itself, pretty good book. Alot of dealers have this book. I thought I would share it with the readers on here. Its a pretty amazing story and all true.

STIHL From an Idea to a World Brand Waldemar Schafer
ISBN 13: 978-3-7992-4003-1 2006
Detailed account of the Stihl story, covering eight decades of history,
very informative and enlightening, not available in the US as of
April 2007, but maybe eventually.

Hmm, wonder why it's not available in the US? I'd read it. ;-)
 
Jim this book is 300 pages of stories and facts about Stihl himself and the company he left behind. Its gonna take me months to type all this but I will. Its a story worth knowing for anyone that likes a chainsaw.

Perhaps you could scan the pages onto your computer; that way its just a simple matter of cut / paste, then editing for the parts you want? The meat of it so to speak. What's the book's title anyways?

NEVERMIND...you've already posted it. Sorry about that!
 
Mr.THALL some of us are impatiently waiting for your next installment.

But but, my pinky needs a rest,LOLOL. Trust me ole feller your gonna find this Andreas Stihl guy and amazing man. He flat refused to give up no matter how bad things got and in the end he prevailed. One determind man, wow.
 
Perhaps you could scan the pages onto your computer; that way its just a simple matter of cut / paste, then editing for the parts you want? The meat of it so to speak. What's the book's title anyways?

I thought about that but a piece at a time gives eveyone a chance to chime in. Jim you are now part of the biggest thread AS has ever seen, trust me! Your gonna enjoy how Stihl not only makes a saw but how he goes about traveling the world to sell it, man was a salesman like no other, well maybe cept me that is,LOL
 
uh oh. this is a post of long, epic proportions.....think this might lock the site up and top the 5100 thread? lol.


Lets go Tommy, we all waiting.......
 
Tom,
We are all expecting this story to conclude...
The beginning is great...
Don't just leave us uninformed.
Keep it going man,
 
I thought about that but a piece at a time gives eveyone a chance to chime in. Jim you are now part of the biggest thread AS has ever seen, trust me! Your gonna enjoy how Stihl not only makes a saw but how he goes about traveling the world to sell it, man was a salesman like no other, well maybe cept me that is,LOL

lolololol...nobody can out-sell you Tom! Ole Andreas was never armed with tepid Folgers! :cheers:
 
Back
Top