Craftsman 358.352181 Operator's Manual page 9

plumb or level to determine the di-
rection of tree lean.
° Weight and branches on one side.
• Surrounding trees and obstacles.
• Look for decay and rot. If the trunk is
rotted, it can snap and fall toward the
operator. ....
• Make sure there is enough room for
the tree to fail. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2tree lengths from the nearest
person or other objects. Engine noise
can drown out a warning call.
• Remove dirt, stones, loose bark,
nails, staples, and wire from the tree
where cuts are to be made.
_ Plana clearretreatpath
()--,,=,,_- Direction of Fall
f
Firstcut
Notch
7
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large
trees_ A notch is cut on the side of the
tree in the desired direction of fail. After
a felling cut is made on the opposite
side of tree, the tree will tend to fall in
the direction of the notch.
NOTE: If tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
NOTCH CUT AND FELUNG TREE
• Make notch cut by cutting the top of
the notch first. Cut through 113of the
diameter of the tree. Next complete
the notch by cutting the bottom. See
illustration. Once the notch is cut, re-
move the wedge of wood from tree.
Finalcut here
:, /
_! ;--- .....
,
• After removing the wood, make the
fellingcuton the oppositesideof the
notch.Thisis doneby making a cut
abouttwo inches higherthan the cen*
ter ofthe notch.This willleave
enoughuncutwoodbetween thefell-
ingcutand the notch to form a hinge.
This hinge witl help prevent the tree
from fairing in the wrong direction.
Hinge holdstree on
stumpandhelps
control f ail
Openingof
felting cut
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,
usa 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.
• Be extremely cautious with partially
fallen trees that may be poorly sup-
ported. When a tree doean't fall com-
pletely, set the saw aside and pull
down the tree witha cable winch,
block and tackle, o[ tractor. D.o_not
use your saw to cut down a partially
fallen tree.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired log size.
WARNING: Do not stand on the log
being cut. Any portion can rollcausing
loss of footing arid 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 togs.
Never allow another person to hold
the log white 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 cuttingthem.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: If saw becomes pinched
or hung in a log, don_ttry to force it out.
You can Josecontrol of the saw result*
ing in injury and/or damage to the saw,
Stop the saw, drive a wedge of plastic