Maintain Control; Kickback Safety Features - Craftsman C944.417341 Instruction Manual

S Do not twist the saw as the bar is
withdrawn from an undercut when
bucking.
Avoid Pull-In:
S Always begin cutting with the saw at
full speed and the saw housing
against wood.
S Use wedges made of plastic or
wood. Never use metal to hold the
cut open.

MAINTAIN CONTROL:

Never Reverse
Hand Positions
Correct Position Correct Grip Incorrect Grip
A good, firm grip on the saw with
S
both hands will help you maintain
control. Don't let go. Grip the rear
handle with your right hand whether
you are right or left handed. Wrap the
fingers of your left hand over and
around the front handlebar, and your
left thumb under the front handlebar.
Keep your left arm straight with the
elbow locked.
S Position your left hand on the front
handlebar so it is in a straight line
with your right hand on the rear han-
dle when making bucking cuts.
Stand slightly to the left side of the
saw to keep your body from being in
a direct line with the cutting chain.
S Stand with your weight evenly bal-
anced on both feet.
S Do not overreach. You could be
drawn or thrown off balance and lose
control.
S Do not cut above shoulder height. It
is difficult to maintain control of saw
above shoulder height.

KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES

WARNING:
The following fea-
tures are included on your saw to help
reduce hazard of kickback; however,
such features will not totally eliminate
this danger. Do not rely only on safety
devices. Follow all safety rules to
help avoid kickback and other forces
which can result in serious injury.
S Hand Guard: designed to reduce the
chance of your left hand contacting
the chain if your hand slips off the
front handlebar.
S Position of front and rear handlebars:
designed with distance between
handles and "in-line" with each other.
The spread and "in-line" position of
the hands provided by this design
work together to give balance and
resistance in controlling the pivot of
the saw back toward the operator if
kickback occurs.
S Reduced-Kickback Guide Bar: de-
signed with a small radius tip which
reduces the size of the kickback
Keep a firm grip
danger zone. This type bar has been
with both hands,
demonstrated to significantly reduce
left thumb under
the number and seriousness of kick-
handle
backs when tested in accordance
with ANSI B175.1.
Large Radius
Tip Guide Bar
S Low Kickback Chain has met kick-
back performance requirements
when tested on the representative
sample of these chain saws speci-
fied in ANSI B175.1.
Low Kickback Chain
WARNING:
Angle (CKA) listed on your saw and
listed in the following CKA Table repre-
sents the angle of kickback your bar
and chain combinations will have
when tested in accordance with CSA
and ANSI standards. Computed
angles represented in the CKA column
indicate total energy and angle associ-
ated without a chain brake. When pur-
chasing replacements, considerations
should be given to the lower CKA val-
ues. In all cases, lower CKA values
represent a safer operating environ-
ment for the user.
S Tip contact in some cases may
cause a lightning fast
kicking the guide bar up and back
toward the operator.
S Pinching the saw chain along the tip of
the guide bar may push the guide bar
rapidly back towards the operator.
6
Small Radius
Tip Guide Bar
Contoured Depth Gauge
Elongated Guard Link
Deflects Kickback Force
And Allows Wood To
Gradually Ride Into Cutter
Computed Kickback
,
REACTION