Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
If you’ve ever wondered how steel chainsaw guide bars are made, we’ve got you covered. What looks so simple actually involves a significant process of engineering and manufacturing. A recent visit to the Stihl Plant 2 in Waiblingen-Neustadt, Germany gave us an up-close-and-personal look at how they make these.
About 80 people work in this department making steel Stihl chainsaw bars. Stihl actually uses two different types of guide bars depending on the saw. They have a 3-part guide bar with a sprocket nose for smaller saws and a more stable solid guide bar that works for heavier duty applications. Stihl installs the solid bars in their professional-use saws. Or, you can look at it this way:
In learning how steel chainsaw guide bars are made, we started with the 3-part guide bar process. First, a roll of stainless steel supplies the material for the guide bar. That steel feeds directly into a stamping press which cuts out each of the three parts (two external and one internal). Next, they electro-weld the layers together.
“Electro-welded” sounds like a simple term. In actuality, they have to properly align three pieces of steel. They next go into a welding press. The press applies as much as 20 tons of pressure. It’s at that point they get welded together by means of electrodes. But the process needs one more step. Without precise cooling, the bars would warp. A controlled cooling process keeps the bars straight and even following the welding process.
Stihl automates much of the process. You may, in fact, wonder what exactly the factory workers do. The factory operators’ role deals with changeover processes, quality control, maintenance, and similar duties. Stihl’s people maintain the various chainsaw bar-making machines and keep them running.
Continuing the 3-piece steel chainsaw guide bar manufacturing process, the guide bars also go through an induction-hardening process. That needs to happen before they can insert the appropriate sprocket nose.
An automated machine literally widens the nose and inserts the race-bearing-filled sprocket. It then places a guide piece on top which it fills with rivets. The machine then stamps the rivets into place, locking everything together.
The solid chainsaw bar production begins with a solid bar of steel. The machine laser cuts the steel to the desired basic shape. That includes the outer contour, bores, and elongated hole. Looking at the process, the laser makes very little waste in the cut, and Stihl even reclaims the leftover steel.
Laser welding occurs next which places a Stellite, or cobalt-chromium alloy, onto the nose of the solid bar to make it more durable against wear. After this, a giant belt sander hits the front end to grind it smooth. Afterward, it brushes it clean.
Following this, a high-speed CBN grinding wheel cuts in the side channels.
The last step with how steel chain saw guide bars are made has to do with painting the chain saw guide bar. The painting process is fully automatic. It applies a thin coating of water-based paint without any significant overspray before it goes into the drying process. How thin? The thickness of the dry layer sits between 0.025 and 0.030 millimeters.
Before considering the bar complete and the process finished, a digital inspection system checks for any imperfections. The final manufacturing step has Stihl applying logos and final branding before final packaging and distribution.
Seeing how steel chain saw guide bars are made revealed a largely automated process that leaves little room for error. Stihl has perfected the process. It’s certainly unique since Stihl is one of two major guide bar manufacturers. Instead of grabbing a third-party manufactured bar, the company can customize and design that integral piece of the chainsaw to meet their needs.
For more information, please visit the Stihl website.
When he's not playing with the latest power tool, Clint DeBoer enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader—especially the Bible. He loves Jesus, has a degree in recording engineering, and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.
Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint DeBoer dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.
After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
Crediting God and his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.
Changing A Drill Bit Is Easier And Faster Than You Might Think Learning how to change a drill bit is very similar whether you have a Milwaukee, DeWalt, Black & Decker, Craftsman, Ryobi, or another brand of drill. However, there are several types depending on how you’re using the term “drill”. No matter what type […]
China’s Housing Market Woes Trigger US Real Estate Concerns The process of buying a new construction home has some complications. First, you get a construction loan the general contractor can draw from until it’s complete and then convert it over to a mortgage once you get the certificate of occupancy. Fortunately, the mortgage department at […]
Ditch Gas for the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 8-inch Hatchet Pruning Saw More and more brands are making the switch to adopting exclusively battery-powered tools. This is especially visible in the lawncare and OPE side of the business, where just a few years ago gas dominated the market. Now, states like California are actually banning gas […]
Milwaukee Introduces More Electric Chainsaw Options For Lawncare Pros When you’re cutting down small trees, especially at height, you want a reliable chainsaw that’s going to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel lineup includes a top handle chainsaw, which boasts competitive and pro-grade performance. We give you our take on how […]
I would like to know, what kind of high carbon steel are your chainsaw bars made from?
Thank you, it’s nice to see how steel chain saw guide bars are made. Keep up the good work! :)
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn income when you click on an Amazon link. Thanks for helping us do what we love.
See our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Pro Tool Reviews is a successful online publication that has been providing tool reviews and industry news since 2008. In today’s world of Internet news and online content, we found that more and more professionals researched a large majority of their major power tool purchases online. That piqued our interest.
There’s one key thing to note about Pro Tool Reviews: We’re all about the professional tool user and tradesman!
Copyright ©2008-2022 Pro Tool Reviews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Professional Tool Reviews for Pros