Types Of Cutting; Basic Cutting Technique; Tree Fellingtechniques - Husqvarna 23 Compact Operator's Manual

TYPES OF CUTTING
A. BASIC CUTTING TECHNIQUE
1. IMPORTANT POINTS
a. Cut wood only. Do not cut metal; plastics; ma-
sonry; non-wood building materials; etc.
b. Stop the saw if the chain strikes a foreign
object. Inspect the saw and repair or replace
parts as necessary
c. Keep the chain out of dirt and sand. Evena
small amountof dirt will quicklydull a chain
andthusincrease thepossibility of kickback.
A WARNING
Kickback can occur when the moving chain con.
tacts an ob"ect at the upper portion of the tip of
i the guide ar or when the wood closes in and
pinches the saw chain in the cut. Contact at the
f
u perportion of the tip of theguide bar can cause
t e chain to dig into the object and stop the chain
for an instant. The result is a lightning fast, re-
verse reaction which kicks the guide bar up and
back toward the operatoz If the saw chain is
~
inched along the top of the guide bafi the guide
ar can be driven rapidly back toward the opera-
ton Either of these reactions can cause loss of saw
control which can result in serious iniurv.
Figure 16
2.
3.
UNDERSTANDING REACTIVE FORCES
Pinch-kickback and Pull-In occur when
the chain is suddenly stopped by being
pinched, caught, or by contacting a foreign
object in the wood. This sto ping of the chain re-
?
sultsin areversal of the chain orceusedto cutwood
and causes the saw to move in the opposite direction
of chain rotation. Either reaction can result in loss
of control and possible serious injury.
Pinch-Kickback- -
--occurs when the chain on top of the bar is sud-
denly sto peal.
3 ––rapidly rives the saw straight back toward the
operatoz
. Pull-In--
- -occurs when the chain on the bottom of the bar
is suddenly stopped.
––pulls the saw rapidly forward.
PROCEDURE
Practice cuttinga few small logs using the following
technique to get the "feel" of using your saw before
you bean a maior sawing oDeration.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Ac&elerat~ engine-to" full throttle before
entering cut by squeezing the throttle trigger.
~fegii cutting with the saw frame against
5
Figure 16.
Keep t" e engine at full throttle the entire
time you are cutting.
Allow the chain to cut for you; exert only
light downward pressure. If you force the cut,
damage to the bar, chain, or engine can result.
Release the throttle trigger as soon as the
cut is com leted, allowing the engine to idle.
f
If you runt e saw at full throttle without a cut-
ting load, unnecessary wear can occur to the
chain, bar, and engine.
To avoid losing control when cut is complete, do
not put pressure on saw at end of cut.
Stop the engine before setting the saw down
after cutting.
B. TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
1. CAREFULLY PLAN YOUR SAWING OPERA-
TION IN ADVANCE
a.
b,
c.
d.
e.
– 12-
Clear the work area. Clear the area all
around the tree so you can have secure footing.
Study the natural conditions that can cause
the tree to fall in a particular direction.
1.) The WIND direction and speed.
2.) The LEAN of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or slop-
ing terrain. Use a plumb or level to deter-
mine the direction of tree lean.
3.) WEIGHTED and BRANCHES on one side.
4.) Surrounding TREES and OBSTACLES.
Look fordecay and rot. Ifthetrunk is rotted,
it can snap and fall toward the operator.
Check for broken or dead branches which
can fall on you while cutting.
Make sure there is enough room for the
tree to fall. Maintain a distance of 2 1/2 tree
lengths from the nearest person or other objects.
Engine noise can drown out a warning call.
f. Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, staples,
and wire from the tree where cuts are to be made.
g. Plan to stand on the up-hill side when cut-
ting on a slope. Figure 17.
h. Plan aclearretreat nathto therear and dia~-
onal to the line of fall.""Figure 18.
\
4&
'%8
-----
0
t-
45°
/
'MA%#~
Direction
-+-
Of Fall
Stay On Uphill Side Of
/v
Tree When Felling
—. .— —.
Figure17 Figure 18