Presenters: Jaret Frafjord and Nathan Frechen

Oregon Tool

Chainsaw bars and chains go through a variety of testing for quality control, new product development, research and development, and failure analysis.  We will give a tour of two of our labs at Oregon Tool – Portland: the Metallurgy Lab and the Performance Analysis Lab.

The Metallurgy Lab consists of metallurgical engineers and technicians who evaluate the metal components within the chain and cutting tools.  They evaluate the chemistry, microstructure, hardness, strength, and fatigue life.  The MET staff uses a variety of microscopes and analytical tools for their investigations.

The Performance Analysis Lab (PAL) consists of mechanical engineers and technicians who evaluate the performance of the chainsaw as a system.  They evaluate cutting speeds, vibrations, kickback, and power draw from different chains.  The PAL engineers need to design and fabricate all test equipment for this unique testing.