80 years DOLMAR

Corporate history is often linked with history in general and with developments that make history. E. Lerp & Co., for example, was a Hamburg company from the very beginning. Emil Lerp formed it due to his development of the world’s first petrol chain saw in 1927: The DOLMAR chain saw model A.

Why is DOLMAR called DOLMAR?

Emil Lerp was a modern, forward-looking entrepreneur who knew how to motivate his staff. He organised an internal competition and asked the contestants to come up with a name for his saw. It had to be simple, sound good and easy to pronounce in many languages. It was Emil Lerp’s own wife, Martha, of all people, who was the winner with her suggestion to call the saw DOLMAR. This was because the petrol chain saw of 1927 was used for the first time on top of Dolmar Mountain in Thuringia, which reaches an altitude of 739 metres. Emil Lerp was also a native of Thuringia and Dolmar Mountain was a holiday spot that his family would often frequent.

Our company was named after Dolmar Mountain in Thuringia, which reaches an altitude of 739 m. This is where the first petrol chain saw model A of 1927 was used for the first time.

The saw proved such a success that Emil Lerp soon used the name DOLMAR for his company as well. The saw introduced a technical revolution in forestry all over the world. More innovations followed in subsequent years, one after the other, and they were all far ahead of their time. “Model CL” was launched in 1939. It was produced for almost 30 years and used across the entire globe. In 1935 the company launched the fi rst one-man electric saw, model DB 35, and finally in 1952 the first one-man petrol chain saw. This was followed by the new all-position diaphragm carburetor, which was the first of its kind, the gearlessdirect drive, the dual-mass vibration damper system, the Wankel engine and many revolutionary new developments that set new trends over and over again. The future has a long tradition for DOLMAR.

Historical corporation logos

The company logo of 1928, still with African lilies as a symbol for the saw chains. The company logo of 1950 still shows a two-man saw being used, which was still usual at the time.

Model CL

Model CL of 1939, with its innovative construction, was way ahead of its times. This saw was produced for almost 30 years and was a worldwide success.

Model DB 35

Model DB 35 of 1935, the first one-man saw. This electric saw weighed a mere 22 kg.

Model CP

Model CP of 1953 now weighed only 13.6 kg. The top of the guide bar was already individually exchangeable.

Model CF

Model CF of 1958, with the new all-position diaphragm carburetor. This made the swivelling gear superfluous. The new model weighed only 10 kg.

KMS 4

The legendary KMS 4 from 1975 DOLMAR produced together with Fichtel & Sachs the first chain saw with rotary engine.