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11
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Begin cutting with the saw frame
against the log.
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Keep the engine at full speed the entire
time you are cutting.
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Allow thechaintocutforyou. Exert only
light downward pressure. If you force
the cut, damage to the bar,chain, oren-
gine can r esult.
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Release the throttle trigger as soon as
the cut is completed, allowing the en-
gine to idle. If you run the saw at full
throttle without a cutting load, unneces-
sary wear can occur to the chain, bar,
and engine.
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Toavoid losing control when cutiscom-
plete, do notput pressure onsawatend
of cut.
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Stop the engine before setting the saw
down after cutting.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
WARNING:
Check for broken or
dead branches which can fall while cutting
causing serious injury. Donot cut nearbuild-
ings or electrical wires if you donot know the
direction of tree fall, norcut atnight sinceyou
will not be ale to see well, nor during bad
weather such asrain, snow, orstrong winds,
etc.
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Carefully plan yoursawing operation inad-
vance.
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Cleartheworkarea. You needa cleararea
all around the tree so you can have secure
footing.
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Study the natural conditions that can cause
the tr ee to fall in a particular direction.
Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
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The wind direction and speed.
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The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
sloping terrain. Useaplumb or level to de-
termine the direction of tree lean.
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Weight and branches on one side.
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Surrounding trees and obstacles.
Look for decay and rot. If the trunk is rotted, it
can snap and fall toward the operator. Check
for broken or dead branches which can fall on
you while cutting.
Make sure there is enough r oom for the treeto
fall. Maintain a d is ta nc e of
2-1/2
tree lengths
from the nearest per son or other objects. En-
gine noise can drown out a warning call.
Removedirt, stones, loose bark, nails, staples,
and w ire from the tree w her e c uts ar e to be
made.
Plan a clear retreat path to the rear and diag-
onal to the line of fall.
Direction of Fall
45
_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large trees.
Anotch is cut onthe side ofthe treein thede-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side o f tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the notch.
NOTE:
If the tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch. If us-
ing saw to remove buttress roots, keep saw
chain from contacting ground to prevent dull-
ing of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
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Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through
1/3
of the diameter
ofthe tree. Nextcomplete the notch bycut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final (felling) cut here. 2 inches
above center of notch.
Hinge
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After removing the cutout of wood, make
the felling cut on the opposite side of the
notch. This is done by making a cut about
two inches higher than the center of the
notch. This will leave enough uncut wood
between the felling cut and the notch to
form a hinge. This hinge will help prevent
the tree from falling in the wrong direction.
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
NOTE:
Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut when necessary to
control the direction of fall. To avoidkickback
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.
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Be alert to signs that the tree is ready to fall:
crack ing sounds, w idening of the felling cut,
or movement in the upper branches.
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As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it down,
and get away quickly on your planned re-
treat path.