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Husqvarna chainsaw history: dated facts from Husqvarna's timeline, a 1974 patent and a Swedish museum record

Dated facts about Husqvarna chainsaws from 1959 to 2018, reported as Husqvarna's own timeline says them and set beside a German patent record of 1974 and a Swedish museum catalogue record of a saw made in 1966.

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 Husqvarna's own account of its saws beside a patent record and a museum record, and nothing here ranks one maker against another. The company timeline is a maker's account, so each claim from it is attributed to Husqvarna.

Dated facts

Husqvarna chainsaw facts in date order, with the page that dates each one
DateWhat the source says
1959Husqvarna's timeline says that as demand for bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles fell, forestry became more important in Sweden, and that 1959 marks the start of its chainsaw production. Its 2018 entry says the saws of its next generation of professional chainsaws are made in the same factory where its chainsaw history began in 1959. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.
1966A Swedish museum catalogue record describes a "Motorhandsåg 103 MT", a petrol hand saw built by a civilian maker for military use. The record gives 1966 as the year of manufacture, lists the alternative name "Husqvarna lätta motorsåg", and gives the fuel as two-stroke oil mixed into the petrol at 1 to 25. Source: DigitaltMuseum record MRKA.000971.
1969Husqvarna's timeline says that in 1969 it became the first company in the world to launch a chainsaw with an integrated anti-vibration system. Stihl's history page dates a different first, an anti-vibration handle, to 1964, so the two claims are set side by side on the timeline page. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.
August 23, 1974 and December 24, 1981A German patent record in Husqvarna's name was filed on the first date and published on the second. It covers a chain brake worked by a pre-tensioned spring held back by a pawl, with a pivoting protective bracket linked to a handle. The text says chain saws with emergency brakes were already known. Source: Google Patents record for DE2440483C3.
Not datedA Swedish museum catalogue record lists an automatic chain brake for chainsaws sold under the name "Tvärniten", made up of four parts that fit certain saws from the maker, mounted on an envelope headed "Revolution med små medel". The record gives no date. Source: DigitaltMuseum record TEKS0040537.
1978Husqvarna's timeline says Electrolux acquired Husqvarna in 1978 and that its outdoor product operations went on expanding through acquisitions such as AB Partner and Jonsereds AB. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.
1980sHusqvarna's timeline lists two acquisitions in the United States in the 1980s, Poulan/Weed Eater and Roper Corp. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.
2007Husqvarna's timeline says it completed its acquisition of the Japanese outdoor power products maker Komatsu Zenoah in 2007, with a range of mainly brush cutters, chainsaws, trimmers and blowers. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.
2015Husqvarna's timeline says a production facility for saw chain opened in Huskvarna, making Husqvarna's own patented X-Cut chain from raw steel to finished product on one site. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.
2018Husqvarna's timeline says a next generation of professional chainsaws was launched in 2018. Source: Husqvarna Group history timeline.

The same features across other makers are on the chainsaw history timeline, and the standards that later set tests for chain brakes are on the page about vintage saws and safety standards.

To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.

Sources