Craftsman 358.341161 Operator's Manual page 9

• Study the natural conditions that c an
cause the tree tofall i naparticular
direction; such c onditions include:
• The wind direction and speed.
• The lean ofthe tree. The lean ofa
tree might not b eapparent due to
uneven orsloping terrain. Use a
plumb o rlevel todetermine the di-
rection oftree lean.
• Weight and branches onone side.
• Surrounding trees a nd obstacles.
• Look f ordecay a nd rot. I fthe trunk i s
rotted, itcan snap a nd fall t oward the
operator.
• Make s ure there isenough room for
the tree tofall. M aintain adistance of
2-1/2 tree lengths from the nearest
person orother objects. Noise c an
drown o ut a warning call.
• Remove dirt, stones, loose b ark,
nails, staples, and wire from the tree
where c uts are tobemade.
_,,'_e Planclear retreat
a
path
.... ('_.._, Direction of fall
-t
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large
trees. A notch is cut on the side of the
tree in tile desired direction of fall. After
a felling cut is made on the opposite
side of tree, 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 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 the
tree.
First cut Felling cut here
Notch
Second cut Hinge
• After removing the wood from the
notch, make the felling 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 leave enough uncut wood
between the felling cut and the notch
to form a hinge. This hinge will help
prevent the tree from falling in the
wrong direction.
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
Closing of
notch
Opening
of felling
out
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete,
use wedges to open the cut if neces-
sary to control the direction of fall. To
avoid kickback and chain damage, use
wood or plastic wedges, but never
steel or iron wedges.
• Be alert to signs that the tree is
ready to fall: cracking sounds, widen-
ing of the felling 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 cau-
tious with partially fallen trees that may
be poorly supported. When a tree
doesn't fall completely, set saw aside
and pull down tree with a cable winch,
block and tackle, or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is tile 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 log being cut.