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Chase Mills man at SUNY Canton going for patent on better way to lubricate chainsaw blades

Posted 8/26/15

Neil Haney shows parts of his oil pump. CANTON -- A SUNY Canton instructional support associate has invented a new and more reliable way to oil the bar and chain on commercial chainsaws. Neil A. …

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Chase Mills man at SUNY Canton going for patent on better way to lubricate chainsaw blades

Posted

Neil Haney shows parts of his oil pump.

CANTON -- A SUNY Canton instructional support associate has invented a new and more reliable way to oil the bar and chain on commercial chainsaws.

Neil A. Haney of Chase Mills came up with an idea for improvements while building a homebuilt firewood-processing machine. The college and the SUNY Research Foundation assisted him with filing a provisional application for a patent.

His invention uses a positive displacement pump or generated rotor, commonly known as a gerotor, to provide the oil necessary to reduce friction and extend the life of the saw’s cutting parts.

Haney said there have been two other ways of delivering oil to the chainsaw blade, but conventional methods require more maintenance than his solution. “The strength of this design is that you can adjust it to the flow you need and it should be bulletproof for years to come.”

Haney, who is an alumnus of the Automotive Technology program, has worked with the Powersports Performance and Repair program for 10 years. He devised the gerotor as a solution based on his extensive experience with oil pumps used in all-terrain vehicles.

Many of the parts for his chainsaw and the prototype pump were manufactured in SUNY Canton’s Mechanical Engineering Technology lab. Several students have assisted him with the project.

“Neil challenged students to design a bigger and better wood processor,” said Michael J. Newtown, dean of the Canino School of Engineering Technology. “Neil had all the concepts and the students really helped him take it to the next level.”

“Neil is one of the very first SUNY Canton faculty members to work toward patenting an invention through the Research Foundation,” said SUNY Canton president Zvi Szafran. “His vision and innovation is exactly what we encourage at the college. He’s set a wonderful example for our students as future inventors.”

The entire firewood-processing machine is operated via a hydraulic system powered by a used six-cylinder, 90 horsepower diesel engine. It will take a tree trunk, cut a 16-inch section and then split it into firewood.

The provisional patent application establishes a filing date for the invention with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. Haney now has one year to file a patent application. He will be working with the college to partner with interested entrepreneurs and other industry representatives to produce and market the new technology.

Interested parties are encouraged to contact SUNY Canton Grants Coordinator JoAnne Fassinger at 386-7951 or fassingerj@canton.edu.