Most
people believe the electric chain saw was invented
sometime after the gas-powered chainsaw. That
is not the case. Many people will be surprised
to discover Andreas Stihl invented electric
chain saws in 1926, the year before he put
together the first gasoline-powered portable
chainsaws. Today, the portable electric chain
saw is found in many homeowner workshops and
garages.
Stihl was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1896,
and pursued a career as an engineer. He became
an important chainsaw inventor. He invented a
stationary, electric-powered chainsaw in 1926
and followed it up with the first portable, gasoline
powered chainsaw in 1929. In 1931 his company
became the first European company to export chainsaws
to America and Russia. In 1950, his company introduced
the first portable chainsaw that could be operated
by one person.
Stihl
Chain Saws Put Electric Motors On Portables
By
the 1970s companies began powering some models
of their portable chainsaws with small electric
motors. These saws had the advantages of
being lighter, quieter and less espensive than
their gasoline-powered counterparts. Today
Husqvarna chain saws, McCulloch
chain saws and Stihl
chain saws include electric as well
as gasoline powered models.
Homeowners who did not need the bulky gasoline-powered
saws found these electric saws to be a suitable,
lightweight alternative. Powered with one, two
and even three hp motors and made from new, lighter
weight materials, these saws quickly became popular
for the home gardener and commercial landscapers.
They were easy to use for trimming limbs and
bushes. They are easy to use when trimming limbs
and branches overhead as well as cutting small
loads of firewood.
The
small, lightweight chainsaws of today are much
different are much different than the heavy
stationary saws of nearly a century ago. Even
so, it is not hard to imagine that Andreas Stihl
would have been fascinated with the technology
in the modern electric chain saw.
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