Retractable chainsaw guard

A chainsaw guard mountable on a chainsaw having a motor powerhead housing, a drive motor contained in the housing, a saw chain guide bar mounted on the housing, and a saw cutter chain driven by the drive motor and carried on the saw chain guide bar, the chainsaw guard forming a physical barrier that limits access to the saw cutter chain when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the powerhead housing, the chainsaw guard comprising:

• a bracket member mountable to the powerhead housing, the bracket member having a receiving track extending along its length, wherein the receiving track comprises an interior channel of the bracket member, sized and configured to receive and allow the retractable member to slide longitudinally within and through the bracket member, and
• a retractable member movably engaged with the bracket member and designed and configured to sheathe the saw chain guide bar and the saw cutter chain of the chainsaw when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the chainsaw, the retractable member having proximal and distal ends and a top, a bottom, and an elongated side forming an open sheath, and being translatable between and among a retracted position and an extended position relative to the bracket member, and
• one or more compressible springs engaged with one or more guide rods, wherein a first end of each guide rod is slidably received and supported by the bracket member, and a second end of each guide rod is secured to the distal end of the retractable member, the springs having a spring force to position the retractable member relative to the bracket member in the extended position until a force greater than the spring force is applied to the distal end of the retractable member, translating the retractable member towards the retracted position relative to the bracket member;
• when the force is removed from the distal end of the retractable member, the retractable member is moved by the spring force to the extended position relative to the bracket member.

A chainsaw guard mountable on a chainsaw having a motor powerhead housing, a drive motor contained in the housing, a saw chain guide bar mounted on the housing, and a saw cutter chain driven by the drive motor and carried on the saw chain guide bar, the chainsaw guard forming a physical barrier that limits access to the saw cutter chain when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the powerhead housing, the chainsaw guard comprising:

• a bracket member mountable to the powerhead housing, the bracket member having a receiving track extending along its length, wherein the bracket member further comprises a first guide rod support structure extending from an outer surface of the bracket member, and
• a retractable member movably engaged with the bracket member and designed and configured to sheathe the saw chain guide bar and the saw cutter chain of the chainsaw when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the chainsaw, the retractable member having proximal and distal ends and a top, a bottom, and an elongated side forming an open sheath, and being translatable between and among a retracted position and an extended position relative to the bracket member, the retractable member comprises a second guide rod support structure at the distal end of the retractable member, and
• a compressible springs engaged with a guide rod, wherein the first guide rod support structure of the bracket member further comprises an aperture to receive and allow sliding engagement of the guide rod, wherein the aperture of the first guide rod support structure is sized to allow the guide rod to traverse the aperture, but maintaining the spring engaged with the guide rod on one side of the aperture, and wherein the second guide rod support structure of the retractable member has an aperture aligned with the aperture of the first guide rod support structure when the retractable member is slidably engaged with the bracket member, to receive and affix a first end of the guide rod, and wherein a second end of the guide rod is slidably received and supported by the bracket member, and the first end of the guide rod is secured to the distal end of the retractable member, the spring having a spring force to position the retractable member relative to the bracket member in the extended position until a force greater than the spring force is applied to the distal end of the retractable member, translating the retractable member towards the retracted position relative to the bracket member;
• when the force is removed from the distal end of the retractable member, the retractable member is moved by the spring force to the extended position relative to the bracket member.

A chainsaw guard mountable on a chainsaw having a motor powerhead housing, a drive motor contained in the housing, a saw chain guide bar mounted on the housing, and a saw cutter chain driven by the drive motor and carried on the saw chain guide bar, the chainsaw guard forming a physical barrier that limits access to the saw cutter chain when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the powerhead housing, the chainsaw guard comprising:

• a bracket member mountable to the powerhead housing, the bracket member having a receiving track extending along its length, wherein the bracket member further comprises a woodchips exhaust extending from an end thereof, facilitating and controlling expulsion of woodchips and other foreign materials from the chainsaw, and
• a retractable member movably engaged with the bracket member and designed and configured to sheathe the saw chain guide bar and the saw cutter chain of the chainsaw when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the chainsaw, the retractable member having proximal and distal ends and a top, a bottom, and an elongated side forming an open sheath, and being translatable between and among a retracted position and an extended position relative to the bracket member, wherein the woodchips exhaust is sized, shaped and positioned on the bracket member so that the retractable member slides over a side of the woodchips exhaust as it assumes its retracted position relative to the bracket member, and
• one or more compressible springs engaged with one or more guide rods, wherein a first end of each guide rod is slidably received and supported by the bracket member, and a second end of each guide rod is secured to the distal end of the retractable member, the springs having a spring force to position the retractable member relative to the bracket member in the extended position until a force greater than the spring force is applied to the distal end of the retractable member, translating the retractable member towards the retracted position relative to the bracket member;
• when the force is removed from the distal end of the retractable member, the retractable member is moved by the spring force to the extended position relative to the bracket member.

A chainsaw guard mountable on a chainsaw having a motor powerhead housing, a drive motor contained in the housing, a saw chain guide bar mounted on the housing, and a saw cutter chain driven by the drive motor and carried on the saw chain guide bar, the chainsaw guard forming a physical barrier that limits access to the saw cutter chain when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the powerhead housing, the chainsaw guard comprising:

• a bracket member mountable to the powerhead housing, the bracket member having a receiving track extending along its length, and
• a retractable member movably engaged with the bracket member and designed and configured to sheathe the saw chain guide bar and the saw cutter chain of the chainsaw when the chainsaw guard is mounted on the chainsaw, the retractable member having proximal and distal ends and a top, a bottom, and an elongated side forming an open sheath, and being translatable between and among a retracted position and an extended position relative to the bracket member, wherein the retractable member further comprises a cutting bar bumper, positioned on an interior and near the distal end of the side of the retractable member, centrally located so that when the retractable member is in the extended position, the bumper does not come in contact with the saw chain, and
• one or more compressible springs engaged with one or more guide rods, wherein a first end of each guide rod is slidably received and supported by the bracket member, and a second end of each guide rod is secured to the distal end of the retractable member, the springs having a spring force to position the retractable member relative to the bracket member in the extended position until a force greater than the spring force is applied to the distal end of the retractable member, translating the retractable member towards the retracted position relative to the bracket member;
• when the force is removed from the distal end of the retractable member, the retractable member is moved by the spring force to the extended position relative to the bracket member.