Many names from the Soviet era have long been the object of irony. The name of the famous chainsaw model is no exception. It would seem a strange idea - to give such a traumatic tool as a chainsaw such a life-affirming name as "Friendship"!
There are many examples of folk etymology regarding this model of a chainsaw. For example, it has been suggested that the name "Druzhba" symbolizes the habit of working together, which was so respected in the Soviet Union. It is more often said that the choice of the name lay in the general mainstream of Soviet traditions, when the overwhelming majority of names included the words "peace", "union", "councils", "victory" or "friendship".
The word was really loved in the USSR, but the choice of the name for the saw was determined by more specific circumstances. To understand them, you will have to remember the history of its creation.
When the Druzhba chainsaw appeared
The chainsaw model, which received such a symbolic name, was developed at the Zaporozhye Machine-Building Design Bureau named after Academician A. G. Ivchenko. The work was completed in November 1953. The launch of the new saw into mass production took place a little later - in 1955, at two enterprises: State Unitary Enterprise PO "Sibpribormash" in Biysk and Machine-Building Plant named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky in Perm.
If you look closely at the dates of the development of the chainsaw and its launch into production, it is easy to see which date was between them - 1954. In that year, the country celebrated an anniversary, very significant for Ukraine, where a new model of the chainsaw was developed - the 300th anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia. The name "Friendship", assigned to the chainsaw, was intended to symbolize this significant date.
There is another version of the origin of the name. According to some reports, specialists from China took part in the development of the chainsaw. In this case, the name "Druzhba" was supposed to symbolize the friendship between the Soviet and Chinese peoples. However, the reliability of this version is questionable, because the deterioration of relations between the USSR and China happened earlier.
The fate of "Friendship"
It can be said without exaggeration that the Druzhba chainsaw was highly appreciated. In 1958, three years after launching into mass production, it was presented at an exhibition of technical innovations held in Brussels. Here "Druzhba" was awarded a gold medal.
Those who used the saw, for example, professional fellers, had an equally high opinion of the saw. The design of the saw allows you to cut large trunks in a standing position, while with other saws you have to kneel down. If Druzhba is properly cared for, it can serve for 30 years. And these are not all the advantages.
Today "Druzhba" already seems to be an outdated model: too heavy, uncomfortable removable starter, lack of a "Stop" button. In 2008, it was discontinued. This is the fate of any technique: some models become obsolete, others replace them. But even today there are still workable copies of "Friendship", and many appreciate them more than modern chainsaws.
The name of the chainsaw has also experienced very interesting adventures. A two-handed saw was jokingly called "friendship", because its work requires the participation of two people. And in the Romanian spoken language, the word "drujba" appeared, which denotes any chainsaw.
