Craftsman 358.351210 Operator's Manual page 9

• The lean ofthe tree. The lean ofa
tree might not b eapparent due toun-
even orsloping terrain. Use aplumb
orlevel todetermine the direction of
tree 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 and 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 per-
son orother objects. Engine noise c an
drown o ut a warning call.
Remove dirt, s tones, loose b ark, nails,
staples, and wire from the tree where
cuts are tobemade.
,_..Plan aclear retreat path
.... _)--"""_- Direction ofFall
45 °
/
",,,/e¢-
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 the desired direction of fall. After
a felling cut is made on the opposite
side of tree, the tree should fall in the
direction of the notch.
NOTE: If the tree has large buttress
roots, remove them before making the
notch.
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.
• 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.
Final cut here
First cut j
Notch
Second cut Hinge
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
Opening
of felling
Closing 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 of 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.
• Be extremely cautious with partially
fallen trees that may be poorly sup-
ported. When a tree doesn't fall com-
pletely, set the saw aside and pull
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
(BUCKING)
Bucking 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 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.