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11
CUTTING METHODS
IMPORTANT POINTS
S Check chain tension before first use and
after 1 minute of operation. See CHAIN
TENSION in the ASSEMBLY section.
S Cut wood only . Do not cut metal, plastics,
masonry , n on-wood b ui lding m at erials, e tc.
S Stop the saw if the chain strikes a for eign
object. Inspect the saw and repair or re-
place parts as necessary.
S Keep the chain out of di rt and sand. Even a
small amount of dirt will quickly dull a chain
and th us increase the p ossibility of kickback.
S Practice cutting a few small logs using the
following techniques t o get t he“feel” of us-
ing your saw before you begin a major
sawing operation.
S Squeeze the throttle trigger and allow
the engine to reach full speed before
cutting.
S Begin cutting with the saw f rame
against the log.
S Keep the engine at full speed the entire
time you are cutting.
S Allow thechain tocut foryou. Exert only
light downward pressure. If you force
the cut, damageto thebar,chain, oren-
gine can result.
S 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 acutting load,unneces-
sary wear can occur to the chain, bar,
and engine.
S To avoidlosing controlwhencut is com -
plete, donot putpressureon saw atend
of cut.
S Stop the engine before setting the saw
down a fter cutting.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: Check for broken or
dead branches which can fall while cutting
causing serious injury. Do notcut nearbuild-
ings or electrical w ires if you donot know the
direction oftree fall, norcut atnight since you
will not be ale to see well, nor during bad
weather such asrain, snow, or strong w inds,
etc. If the tree ma kes contact with any utility
line, the utility company should be notified
immediately .
S Carefully planyour sawingoperation inad-
vance.
S Clear thework area. You needa cleararea
all aroundthe tree so you can have secure
footing.
S The chain saw operator should keep on
the uphill side of the terrain as the tree is
likely toroll orslidedownhill afterit is felled.
S Study the nat ural cond itions th at can cause
the tree to fall in a particular direction.
Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
S The wind direction and speed.
S The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
sloping terrain. Use aplumb or level tode-
termine the direction of tree lean.
S Weight and branches o n one side.
S 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 room for the tree
to fall. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2 tree
lengths from the nearest person o r other ob-
jects. Engine noise can drown out awarning
call. Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails,
staples, and wire from the tree where cuts
are to be made. Plan a clear retreat path to
the rear and diagonal to the line of fa ll.
Direction o f Fall
45_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches (15 cm ) in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to f ell large trees.
A notch is c ut on the side ofthe treein thede-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the not ch.
NOTE: If the tree has large buttress roots,
removethem before making the notch. If us-
ing saw to r emo ve but tress roots, keep saw
chain from contacting groundto prevent dull-
ing of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
S Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch fi rst. Cut through
1/3 of the diameter
ofthe t ree. N extcomplete thenotch bycut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove t he
notch of w ood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final (felling) cut here, 2 inches
(5 cm) above center of notch.
Hinge
S After removing the wood from the notch,
make the felling cut on the opposite side of
the n otch. T his is done by mak ing a cut abou t
two inches (5 cm) higher than the center of
the notch. This will leave enough uncut wood
between the felling cut and t he notch to form
a hinge. This hinge will h elp prevent the tree
from falling in the wrong direction.