Craftsman 98023 Operator's Manual page 13

zLWARNING:
Read and understand all instructions. Failure to follow all instructions listed
below may result in electric shock, fire and/or serious personal injury.
• Guard Against Kickback which can result in severe injury or death. See Important Safety
Instructions "Guard Against Kickback", to avoid the risk of kickback.
• Do not overreach. Do not cut above chest height. Make sure your footing is firm. Keep feet
apart. Divide your weight evenly on both feet.
• Use a firm grip with your left hand on the front handle (11) and your right hand on the rear
handle (10) so that your body is to the left of the guide bar.
• Do not hold chain saw by front hand guard (3). Keep elbow of left arm locked so that left arm is
straight to withstand a kickback.
zLWARNING:
Never use a cross-handed grip (left hand on the rear handle and right hand on
the front handle).
z_WARN(NG:
Never allow any part of your body to be in line with the guide bar (4) when
operating the chain saw.
• Never operate while in a tree, in any awkward position or on a ladder or other unstab(e
surface. You may lose control of saw causing severe injury.
• Keep the chain saw running at full speed the entire time you are cutting.
• Allow the chain to cut for you. Exert only light pressure. Do not put pressure on chain saw at
end of cut.
ON / OFF
• Always be sure of your footing and grip the chain saw firmly with
both hands with the thumb and fingers encircling both handles.
• To turn the tool ON, depress the lock off button (2) and squeeze
the trigger switch (t) as shown in figure K. (Once the tool is
running you can release the lock off button.)
• To turn the tool OFF, release the trigger switch.
COMMON CUTTING TECHNIQUES
FELLING
The process of cutting down a tree. Be sure battery is fully
charged before felling a tree so you can finish on a single charge.
Do not fell trees in high wind conditions.
!LWARNING:
Felling can result in injury. It should only be performed by a trained person.
• (Figure L) A retreat path should be planned and
cleared as necessary before cuts are started. The
retreat path should extend back and diagonally to
the rear of the expected line of fall.
• Before felling is started, consider the natural lean
of the tree, the location of larger branches and the
wind direction to judge which way the tree will fall.
Have wedges (wood, plastic or aluminum)
and a heavy mallet handy.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, staples, and
wire from the tree where the felling cuts are to be
made.
• Figure M- Notching Undercut - Make the notch 1/3 of
the diameter of the tree, perpendicular to the direction
of the fall. Make the lower horizontal notching cut
first. This will help to avoid pinching of either the saw
chain or the guide bar when the second notch cut is
being made.
• (Figure M) Felling Back Cut - Make the felling
back cut at least 2 inches (51mm) higher than the
horizontal notching cut. Keep the felling back cut
13
O
45°_ TREE
DiRECTiON
OF
FALL
-===m -
@
DiRECTiON
OFFALL
NOTCH
FELLINGBACK
CUT
2 (Scm)