Types Of Cutting; Basic Cutting Technique; Tree Felling Techniques - Craftsman 358.356081 Operator's Manual

TYPES OF CUTTING
A. BASIC CUTTING TECHNIQUE
1. IMPORTANT POINTS.
a. Cut wood only. Do not cut metal, plastics,
masonry, non-wood, building materiels; etc.
b. Stop the saw if the chain strikes a foreign
object. Inspect the unit and repair or replace
parts as necessary.
c. Keep the chain out of dirt and sand. Even a
small amount of dirt will quickly dull a chain and
thus, increase the possibility of kickback.
L_.
KICKBACK WARNING
Kickback can occur when the moving chain contacts an
object at the upper portion of the tip of the guide bar or
Whenthe 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
f_S_,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 personal injury.
2. UNDERSTAND REACTIVE FORCES
Pinch-Kickback and Pun-In occur when the chain
is suddenly stopped by being pinched, caught, or
by contacting a foreign object in the wood. This
results in a reversal of the chain force used to cutwood
and causes the saw to move in the opposite direction of
chain rotation. Either reaction can result in lose of con-
trol and possibleserious personal injury.
• Pinch-Kickback
---occurs when the chain, on top of the bar is suddenly
stopped when the top of the bar is used for cutting.
--rapidly drives the saw straight back toward the
operator.
• Pull-In-
-- can occur when the chain on the bottom of the
bar is suddenly stopped.
--pul/s the saw rapid/yforward,
3. PROCEDURE
Practicecuttinga few small logsusingthefollowing techn_
que to getthe 'feel" of usingyoursaw beforeyou begin
major sawing operation.
a. Accelerate the engine to full throttle just before
entering the cut by squeezing the throttletrigger.
b. Begin cutting with the spur against the log.
Figure 20.
c. Keep the engine at full threttle the enUre time you
are cutting.
d. Allow the chain to cut for you; exert only light
downward pressure. If you force the cut, damage to
the bar,chain, or engine can result.
e.
Release the throttle trigger as soon as the cut is
completed, allowing the engine to idle. If you runthe
saw at full throttlewithout a cuttingload, unnecessary
wear can occur to the chain, bar, and engine.
f. Do not put pressure on thesawat theend ofthecut
to avoid losing control when the cut is complete.
g. Stop the engine before setting the saw down after
cutting.
/(
BEGIN CUTTING WITH. THE
_ _rj'. ISPUR=AGAINST LOG.
Figure 20
B. TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
1. PLAN YOUR SAWING OPERATION CARE-
FULLY IN ADVANCE
e. Clear the work area. You need a clear area all
around the tree where you can have secure
footing.
b. Study the naturel conditions that can cause
the tree to fall in a particular direction:
1.) TheWlNDdiroctionandspeed
2.) The LEAN of the tree
3.) WEIGHTED with BRANCHES on one side
4.) Surrounding'TREES and OBSTACLES
c. Look for decay and rot, If the trunk is rotted,
it could snap and fall toward the operator.
d. Check for broken or dead branches which
could fall on you while cutting.
e. Make sure there is enough room for the tree
to fall. Maintaining a distance of 21/2 tree
lengths from the nearest person or other ob-
jects. Engine noise may drown out warning
call.
f. Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails,
staples, and wire from the tree where cuts
are to be made.
g. Plan to stand on the up-hill side when cut-
ting on a slope.
h. Plan a clear retreat path to the rear and
diagonal to the line of fall. Figure21.
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