Special clutch for vibration isolated chain saws

Claim 1

In a portable chain saw, a body, a motor resiliently supported in said body and including a drive shaft, a guide bar secured to said body, an axle supported in said body generally in alignment with said drive shaft and having an end in spaced relationship to an end of said drive shaft but subject to some misalignment, a chain wheel supported for rotation about the axis of said axle, and a centrifugal clutch comprising an inner portion mounted on said drive shaft for rotation thereby and radially expandable with increased speed of rotation, a drum portion rotatably supported from said axle in driving relation to said chain wheel and including a peripheral portion radially spaced from said first clutch portion to be drivingly engaged by said inner portion, and resilient means secured to one of said clutch portions in substantially the same radial plane as said inner portion and said peripheral portion of said drum portion to provide such resiliency in the connection of said centrifugal clutch portions during driving engagement therebetween as to result in the engagement being substantially continuous despite occurrence of misalignment between said drive shaft and said axle.