Until the invention of the chainsaw, the woodcutter's work was extremely physical, most using only an axe or saw. However, in 1926 a German engineer called Andreas Stihl invented the first chainsaw. Known as a cross cutting saw, it was driven by an electric motor and was extremely heavy. Whilst this could take some of the effort out of the cutting, the fact that it was electrically driven meant that it was not portable and so had only limited benefits.
This drawback was soon remedied, in fact only a year later, when the same engineer devised a new version with a petrol engine. Weighing over 45 kilos, it could still hardly be described as portable, and still required two strong men to operate it.
The early models were quite simple in operation. A gear arrangement, driven either by an electric motor or a petrol engine, revolves at high speed. A chain, with cutting teeth on the outside edge, revolves around a long thin metal plate. As the chain revolves, it is pressed against the wood, allowing the teeth to cut through.
Various problems were encountered in the early years, but most were easily remedied with a little ingenuity. Woodcutting is a very dusty process, and this itself caused problems. Firstly, the chain would quickly become clogged with dust. The early answer to this was to regularly oil the chain, although later models are self oiling. As many motors are air cooled, it is important to keep the air intake free from obstructions. The dust could often block the intake and cause the motor to overheat. This was alleviated by fitting filters to the air intake.
Whilst the modern chainsaw operates on similar principles to the early ones, they are now much more sophisticated. They are fitted with brakes to stop the saw quickly should the machine kick back. Some petrol models are even fitted with electronic ignitions. However, possibly the most important advantage is that they are far more lightweight, many being operated by a single person.
