Felling Large Trees - Craftsman 358.360170 Parts List

FELLING LARGE TREES
(6inches indiameter orlarger)
The notch m ethod isused t ofelt l arge
trees. Anotch i scut o nthe side o fthe
tree inthe desired direction offail. After
afelling cut i smade onthe opposite
side oftree, the tree will t end tofail i n
the direction ofthe notch.
NOTE: Iftree has targe b uttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
Ifusing s aw toremove buttress roots,
keep saw chain f rom contacting
ground toprevent dutting ofthe chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING TREE
• Make n otch c ut b ycutting the top of
the notch f irst. Cut t hrough t/3ofthe
diameter ofthe tree. N ext compiete
the notch b ycutting the bottom. See
illustration, Once t he notch i scut, r e-
move t he wedge ofwood f rom tree,
Felling cut h ere
First cut =i
Notch _; _'_- _r
• After removing the wood f rom the
notch, make t he feIling c ut o nthe op-
posite side ofthe notch. This isdone
bymaking acutabout two inches
higher than the center ofthe notch.
This will t eave e nough uncut wood
between the felling c utand the notch
toform ahinge. This hinge w ilt h elp
prevent the tree from falting inthe
wrong d irection.
Hinge holds tree on
stump and he}ps
control fail
Opening of
felling c ut
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 to 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 cabte 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.
_,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 altow 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 tangled. Drag logs
into a ciear area before cutting them
by pulling out exposed and cleared
togs first.
TYPES OF CUTTING USED FOR
BUCKING
4Mi,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. Re-
start saw and carefully reenter the cut.
Do not use a metal wedge. Do not at-
tempt 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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