Felling Large Trees; Notch Cut And Felling Tree; Cutting A Fallen Tree (Bucking) - Craftsman C944.411420 Instruction Manual

FELLING LARGE TREES
(6inches indiameter orlarger)
The notch m ethod isused tofell l arge
trees. Anotch i scut o nthe side ofthe
tree inthe desired direction offall. A fter
afelling c utismade o nthe opposite
side oftree, the tree will t end tofall i n
the direction ofthe notch.
NOTE: Iftree has large b uttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
Ifusing s aw toremove buttress roots,
keep s aw chain f rom contacting
ground toprevent dulling ofthe chain.
NOTCH CUT A ND FELLING TREE
• Make n otch c utbycutting the top of
the notch f irst. C ut through 1/3 ofthe
diameter ofthe tree. N ext complete
the notch b ycutting thebottom. See
illustration. Once t he notch i scut, r e-
move t hewedge ofwood f rom tree.
First cut 2-
Notch_.
_ ._..
Soco do .7 j \
Felling cut here
/
2"
• 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
Centre of the notch. This will leave
enough uncut wood between the fell-
ing 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
Opening of
felling cut
Closing .......v
of notch
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.
• 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
cautious with partially fallen trees
that may be poorly supported. When
a tree doesn't fall completely, set the
saw aside and pull down the tree
with a cable winch, block and tackle,
or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired log size.
_ik 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 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 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 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.
Overcutting begins on the top side of
the log with the bottom of the saw
against the log. When overcutting use
light downward pressure.
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