Maintenance - Makita UC3041A Instruction Manual

— Consider the wind speed and direction. Do not
carry out felling work if the wind is gusting strongly.
— Trimming of root swellings: Begin with the largest
swellings. Make the vertical cut first, then the
horizontal cut.
— Cut a scarf: The scarf determines the direction in
which the tree will fall, and guides it. It is made
on the side towards which the tree is to fall. Cut
the scarf as close to the ground as possible. First
make the horizontal cut to a depth of 1/5 -1/3 of
the trunk diameter. Do not make the scarf too
large. Then make the diagonal cut.
► Fig.26
— Cut any corrections to the scarf across its entire
width.
— Make the back cut a little higher than the base
cut of the scarf. The back cut must be exactly
horizontal. Leave approximately 1/10 of the trunk
diameter between the back cut and the scarf.
The wood fibers in the uncut trunk portion act as
a hinge. Do not cut right through the fibers under
any circumstances, as the tree will otherwise fall
unchecked. Insert wedges into the back cut in
time.
► Fig.27
— Only plastic or aluminum wedges may be used to
keep the back cut open. The use of iron wedges is
prohibited.
— Stand to the side of the falling tree. Keep an area
clear to the rear of the falling tree up to an angle of
45 ° either side of the tree axis (refer to the " felling
area " figure). Pay attention to falling branches.
— An escape path should be planned and cleared
as necessary before cuts are started. The escape
path should extend back and diagonally to the rear
of the expected line of fall as illustrated in figure.
► Fig.28: 1. Felling direction 2. Danger zone
3. Escape route

MAINTENANCE

CAUTION:
• Always be sure that the tool is switched off and
unplugged before attempting to perform inspec-
tion or maintenance.
• Always wear gloves when performing any
inspection or maintenance.
• Never use gasoline, benzine, thinner, alcohol
or the like. Discoloration, deformation or cracks
may result.
Carry out the maintenance work described below at
regular intervals. Warranty claims will be accepted only
if these operations have been performed regularly and
properly.
Only maintenance work described in this instruction
manual may be performed by the user. Any other work
must be carried out by MAKITA authorized service
centers.
Cleaning the chain saw
Clean the saw regularly with a clean rag. The handles,
in particular, must be kept free of oil.
Checking the plastic housing
Carry out regular visual inspections of all parts of the
housing. If any parts are damaged, have them repaired
immediately and properly in MAKITA authorized service
centers.
Sharpening the saw chain
CAUTION:
• Always withdraw the mains plug and wear
safety gloves when performing work on the saw
chain.
► Fig.29
Sharpen the saw chain when:
— Mealy sawdust is produced when damp wood is cut;
— The chain penetrates the wood with difficulty, even
when heavy pressure is applied;
— The cutting edge is obviously damaged;
— The saw pulls to the left or right in the wood. The
reason for this behavior is uneven sharpening of
the saw chain, or damage to one side only.
Sharpen the saw chain frequently,
but remove only a little material each
time.
Two or three strokes with a file are usually sufficient
for routine resharpening. When the saw chain has
been resharpened several times, have it sharpened in
MAKITA authorized service center.
Sharpening criteria:
— All cutter length must be equal. Cutters of differing
length prevent the chain from running smoothly,
and may cause the chain to break.
— Do not sharpen the chain once a minimum cutter
length of 3 mm has been reached. A new chain
must then be fitted.
— The chip thickness is determined by the distance
between the depth gauge (round nose) and the
cutting edge.
— The best cutting results are obtained with following
distance between cutting edge and depth gauge.
Chain blade 90PX: 0.5 mm
Chain blade 91PX: 0.65 mm
► Fig.30: 1. Cutter length 2. Distance between cutting
edge and depth gauge 3. Minimum 3 mm
WARNING:
• An excessive distance increases the risk of
kick-back.
— The sharpening angle of 30 ° must be the same
on all cutters. Differences in angle cause the chain
to run roughly and unevenly, accelerate wear, and
lead to chain breaks.
16 ENGLISH