Craftsman 358.352681 Operator's Manual page 9

plumb o rlevei todetermine thedi-
rection o ftree lean.
Weight and branches onone side.
Surrounding trees and obstacles.
• Look f ordecay a nd rot.Ifthetrunk is
rotted, itcansnap and falltoward t he
operator.
• Make sure there is enough room for
the tree to fall Maintain a distance of
2-1/2tree lengths from the nearest
person or other objects. Engine noise
can drown out a warning tail
• Remove dirt, stones, toose bark,
halts, staples, and wire from the tree
where cuts are to be made.
_"_. Plan a clear retreat path
"_-e b- .,,,,,_- Direction of Fall
45 ° ..,
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to feII large
trees, A notch is cut on the side of the
tree in the desired direction of fall. After
a feliing cut is made on the opposite
side of tree, the tree will tend to fall in
the direction of the notch.
NOTE: tf tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
NOTCH OUT AND FELLING TREE
• 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
illustration. Once the notch is cut, re-
move the wedge of wood from tree.
Fina!cuthere
First cut
-\
Hinge
. After removing the 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 cen-
ter of the notch. This wiil leave
enough uncut wood between the felt-
ing cut and the notch to form a hinge.
This hinge will help prevent the tree
in the wrong direction.
Hinge holds tree on
stump and helps
contro_ fall
Opening of
felling cut
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 ptastic wedges, but never
steel or iron wedges.
• Be alert to signs that the tree is ready
to fall: cracking sounds, widening of
the fetiing cut, or movement in the up-
per branches,
• As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it
down, arid get away quickly on your
planned retreat path.
• Be extremely cautioL_swith partially
fallen trees that may be poorly sup-
ported. When a tree doesn't fall com-
pletely, set the saw aside and pult
down the tree with a cable winch,
block and tackle, or tractor, Do not
use your saw to cut down a partially
fallen tree,
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
BBUCKING)
ucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired log size,
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 tog 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 altow another person to hold
the log while cutting and never hold
the log with your leg or foot.
• Do not cut in an area where logs,
limbs, and roots are tangled. Drag logs
into a clear area before cutting them.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: If saw becomes pinched
or hung in a log, don't try to force it out.
You can lose control of the saw result-
ing in injury and/or damage to the saw.
Stop the saw, drive a wedge of plastic