Owner's Manual

9
S Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails,
staples, and wire from the tree where
cuts are to be made.
Direction of Fall
45_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inche s in diameter or larger )
The no t ch meth od i s used to fell larg e
trees. A not ch is cut on the side of the tree
in the desired direction of fall. After a felling
cut is made on the opposit e side of tr ee,
the tree will tend to fall in the direction of
the notch.
NOTE: If tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch. If
using saw to remove buttress roots,
keep saw chain from contacting ground
to prevent dulling of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELL ING TREE
S Make notch cut by cutting the top of
the notch first. Cut through
1/3 of the
diameter of the tree. Next complete
the notch by cutting the bottom. See il-
lustration. Once the notch is cu t, re-
move the wedge of wood from tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final cut here
Hinge
S After r emoving the wood from the not ch,
make the felling cut on the opposite side
of the notch. This is done by making a
cut about two i nches higher t han the
center of the notch. This will leave
enough uncut wood between the felling
cut and the notch to for m a hinge. This
hinge wil l help prevent the tree from fal-
ling in the wrong direction.
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
Hing e 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 avoid kickback and chain damage,
use wood or plastic wedges, but never
steel or iron wedges.
S Be alert to signs that the tree is ready
to fall: cracking sounds, widening of
the felling cut, or movement in the up-
per branches.
S As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it
down, and get away quickl y on your
planned retr eat path.
S
DO NOT use your saw t o cut dow n a par-
tial l y fallen tree. Be extremely cautious
wit h part i all y fallen trees that may be
poorly supported. When a tree doesn’t
fall completely , set saw aside and pull
down tree with a cable wi n ch, blo ck and
tackle, or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucki ng is the term used for cutting a fall-
en tree to the desired log size.
WARNING: Do not stand on the
log being cut. Any portion can roll caus-
ing loss of footing and control. Do not
stand downhill of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT POINT S
S Cut only one log at a time.
S Cut shattered wood very carefully;
sharp pieces of wood could be flung
toward operator.
S Use a sawhorse to cutsmall logs.Nev-
er allow an other person to hold the log
while cutting and never hold the log
with your leg or foot.
S Do not cut in an area where logs, lim bs,
and roots are tangled. Drag logs int o a
clear area before cutting t hem by pulli ng
out exposed and cleared logs first .
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: If saw becomes
pinched or hung i n a l og, don’t tr y to for ce it
out . You can lose cont rol of the saw result-
ing in injury and/or damage t o the saw.
Stop the saw, drive a wedge of plastic or
wood into the cut until the saw can be re-
movedeasily.Restartthesawandcare-
full y reent er the cut. Do not use a metal
wedge. Do not attempt to restar t your saw
when it is pinched or hung in a log.
Use a wedge to remove pinched saw
Turn saw OFF and use a plastic or
wooden wedge to force cut open.