Homelite chainsaw history: dated facts from two patent records, Norwegian museum catalogues and a Smithsonian trade catalogue record
Dated facts about Homelite chainsaws from 1958 to 1982, drawn from four Norwegian museum catalogue records, two patents assigned to Textron, the company the Smithsonian lists as related to Homelite, and a Smithsonian Libraries record of Homelite trade catalogues.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It sets museum catalogue records and patent records side by side, and nothing here ranks one maker against another. The Norwegian museum texts are in Norwegian: the wording here is our own summary of them.
Dated facts
| Date | What the source says |
|---|---|
| 1958 to 1962 | A Norwegian forestry museum catalogue record describes a Homelite saw named "Homelite Zip", made by the Home Electric Lighting Company in the period 1958 to 1962. The record says the clutch sits in the right hand handle, the choke is brass, and the petrol tank and chain oil tank sit side by side with upward facing screw caps. Most visible parts look to be light metal, probably aluminium. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.11621. |
| 1963 to 1988 | A second Norwegian museum record names a "Homelite Super XL 12" made by Homelite Corporation of Port Chester, New York, and gives 1963 to 1988 as the production period. Source: DigitaltMuseum record HFN 13766. |
| 1972 to 1973 | A third museum record names a "Homelite XL mini" made by Homelite Corporation of Port Chester, New York, in 1972 to 1973. Source: DigitaltMuseum record HFN 13765. |
| 1977 (item year); 1972 (Mini 3E) | A fourth museum record covers a small Homelite saw marked "Super 2" (item year 1977). The record says the handle bars are joined with black rubber gaskets probably to take up some engine vibration, and that rubber joints against hand vibration disease became common on saws from 1970 onward. It says the Norwegian importer advertised Homelite saws as damped with a four point rubber mount, and that the saw has a chain brake lever at the front of the motor housing that stops the chain when pushed forward by the hand. It also says the "VI-Super Mini 3E" was marketed in Norway from 1972 with a 41 cm3 cylinder, a chain speed of 16.7 metres a second, a 13 inch bar and a weight of 6.0 kg with full tanks. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13606. |
| Filed October 2, 1977, granted October 3, 1978 | The patent record for a guide bar mount names Textron Inc as the original assignee and describes pads of vibration damping material between the rear end of the guide bar and the saw case, to cut the vibration and noise passed from the bar, chain and sprocket to the power head. Source: the printed patent, US 4,117,594. |
| Filed December 15, 1980, granted September 14, 1982 | The patent record for a safety saw chain names Textron Inc as the original assignee. It describes a side link with a depth gauge and a sloped drive link, to cut kickback while the chain keeps its ability to bore. Source: the printed patent, US 4,348,927. |
| Not dated | A Smithsonian Libraries record describes trade catalogues from Homelite Corp. of Port Chester, New York, dated only to the 1900s. Its record lists Textron as a related company, and its notes list electric chain saws among portable light plants, pumps, generators, blowers and compressors. Source: Smithsonian Open Access record SILNMAHTL_19657. |
The two patents name Textron as the assignee, not Homelite. The link to Homelite is the Smithsonian record, which lists Textron as a company related to Homelite Corp. The early brake filings that sit beside these are on the chainsaw history timeline, and the vibration and kickback tests that later standards set are on the page about saw noise and vibration values.
To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.
Sources
- DigitaltMuseum, Norwegian museum catalogue record SJF.11621 Motorsag Homelite Zip, read October 9, 2026
- DigitaltMuseum, Norwegian museum catalogue record HFN 13766 Motorsag Homelite Super XL 12, read October 9, 2026
- DigitaltMuseum, Norwegian museum catalogue record HFN 13765 Motorsag Homelite XL mini, read October 9, 2026
- DigitaltMuseum, Norwegian museum catalogue record SJF.13606 Motorsag Homelite Super 2, read October 9, 2026
- US patent US 4,117,594 Guide bar mount for chain saw (Textron, patented October 3, 1978), printed patent read October 9, 2026
- US patent US 4,348,927 Safety saw chain (Textron, patented September 14, 1982), printed patent read October 9, 2026
- Smithsonian Libraries, trade catalogues from Homelite Corp. record SILNMAHTL_19657, read October 9, 2026