Craftsman 358.350380 Instruction Manual page 11

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.
Felling cut h ere
First cut I 2-
/
Notch ,,. "- A- "- z
tj _!f
Second cutSf / \ _ge
• 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 be-
tween the felling cut and the notch to
form a hinge. This hinge will help pre-
vent the tree from falling in the wrong
direction.
Hinge holds tree on
stump and helps
control fall
Opening of
felling cut
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 to signs that the tree is ready
to fall: cracking sounds, widening of
the felling cut, or movement in the up-
per 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.
,_k 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 by pulling out exposed and
cleared logs first.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
A
m_, WAR NI N G: 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.
x_Overcutting .4& _(
Undercutting %
Undercutting involves cutting on the
underside of the log with top of saw
against the log. When undercutting
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