Felling Large Trees; Notch Cut And Felling Tree; Cutting A Fallen Tree - Bucking - Craftsman 358.350200 Instruction Manual

FELLING LARGE TREES
(6inches indiameter orlarger)
The notch m ethod isused tofeIt l arge
trees. Anotch i scutonthe side ofthe
tree inthe desired direction offail. A fter
afelling c utismade o nthe opposite
side oftree, the tree should fail i nthe
direction ofthe notch.
NOTE: tfthe tree has targe b uttress
roots, remove them before making the
notch, tfusing s aw toremove buttress
roots, keep saw chain f rom contacting
ground toprevent duiting ofthe chain.
NOTCH OUT
A ND FELLING TREE
• Make notch cut by cutting the top of
the notch first. Cut through t/3 of the
diameter of the tree. Next comptete
the notch by cutting the bottom. See
illustration. Once the notch is cut re-
move the wedge of wood from the
tree.
Felling cut here
First cut
Notch -
Second cul Hinge
• After removing the wood from the
notch, make the feIling cut on the op-
posite side of the notch. This is done
by making a cut about two inches
higher than the center of the notch.
This will teave enough uncut wood
between the felling cut and the notch
to form a hinge. This hinge witt help
prevent the tree from faIiing in the
wrong direction.
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fail
Opening
of felIing
Closing of
notch
NOTE: Before feiiing cut is compIete,
use wedges to open the cut when
necessary to controt the direction of
fall. To avoid kickback and chain
damage, use wood or plastic wedges,
but never steel or iron wedges.
• Be alert of signs that the tree is
ready to fall: cracking sounds, widen-
ing of the feIling cut, or movement in
the upper branches.
• As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it
down, and get away quickly on your
planned retreat path.
• DO NOT use your saw to cut down a
partially fallen tree. Be extremely
cautious with partially failen trees
that may be poorly supported. When
a tree doesn't fall completely, set the
saw aside and putt down the tree
with a cabie winch, block and tackle,
or tractor,
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired tog size.
A(_ WARNING: Do not stand on the
log being cut. Any portion can roll
causing loss of footing and control. Do
not stand downhill of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT POINTS
• Cut only one log at a time.
• Cut shattered wood very carefully;
sharp pieces of wood could be flung
toward operator,
• Use a sawhorse to cut small logs.
Never allow another person to hold
the log white cutting and never hold
the log with your teg or foot.
• Do not cut in an area where togs,
timbs, and roots are tangied. Drag
the logs into a clear area before cut-
ting them by pulling out exposed and
cleared logs first.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
4Mi,WAHNING: If saw becomes
pinched or hung in a log, don't try to
force it out, You can lose control of the
saw resulting in injury and/or damage
to the saw, Stop the saw, drive a
wedge of plastic or wood into the cut
until the saw can be removed easily,
Restart the saw and carefully reenter
the cut. Do not use a metal wedge. Do
not attempt to restart 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.
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