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Kickback
Section 7
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST KICKBACK
Kickback is a dangerous reaction that can lead to serious
injury. Do not rely only on the safety devices provided
with your saw. As a chain saw user, you must take
special safety precautions to help keep your cutting jobs
free from accident or injury.
KICKBACK WARNINGS
Refer to Figures 21, 22, 23.
KICKBACK occurs when the moving chain
contacts an object at the upper portion of the tip
of the guide bar or when the wood closes in and
pinches the saw chain in the cut. Contact at the
upper portion of the tip of the guide bar can cause
the chain to dig into the object and stop the chain
for an instant. The result is a lightning fast, reverse
reaction which kicks the guide bar up and back
toward the operator. If the saw chain is pinched
along the top of the guide bar, the guide bar can be
driven rapidly back toward the operator. Either of
these reactions can cause loss of saw control
which can result in serious injury.
Do not rely exclusively upon the safety devices
built into your saw. As a chain saw user, you
should take several steps to keep your cutting jobs
free from accident or injury.
•With a basic understanding of kickback, you can
reduce or eliminate the element of surprise. Sudden
surprise contributes to accidents.
• Keep a good firm grip on the saw with both hands when
the engine is running. Place your right hand on the rear
handle and the left hand on the front handle with your
thumbs and fingers encircling the chain saw handles. A
firm grip together with a stiff left arm will help you reduce
kickback and maintain control of the saw.
• Make sure that the area in which you are cutting is free
from obstructions. Do not let the nose of the guide bar
contact a log, branch, fence, or any other obstruction
that could be hit while you are operating the saw.
• Always cut with the engine running at full speed. Fully
squeeze the throttle trigger and maintain a steady
cutting speed.
• Follow the sharpening and maintenance instructions
for the saw chain.
• Use only the replacement guide bars and low kickback
chains specified for your saw.
LOW KICKBACK SAW CHAIN
The rakers (depth gauges) (Fig. 24) ahead of each cutter
can minimize the force of a kickback reaction by
preventing the cutters from digging in too deeply at the
kickback zone. Only use replacement chain that is
equivalent to original chain or has been certified as low
kickback chain per ANSI B175.1 for your saw.
Low kickback saw chain is chain that has met the
kickback performance requirements of ANSI B175.1 -
1991 (American National Standard for Power Tools -
Gasoline-Powered Chain Saws-Safety Requirements)
when tested on the representative sample of chain saws
below 3.8 c.i.d. specified in ANSI B175.1 - 1991.
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GUIDE BARS
Generally, guide bars with small radius tips have
somewhat lower kickback potentials.
The manufacturer’s gasoline saws meet the kickback-
reduction requirements of ANSI B175.1 without requiring
small radius tip bars.