Craftsman 358.350580 Instruction Manual page 10

• The inertia-activated chain brake is
activated ifthe fronthand guard is
pushed forward, either m anually (by
hand) orautomatically (bysudden
movement).
• Ifthebrake isalready activated, it is
disengaged bypulling t hefront h and
guard b ack toward t hefronthandle
asfaraspossible.
• When cutting w iththesaw, thechain
brake must b edisengaged.
Disengaged
Braking function control
CAUTION: The chain brake must be
checked several times daily. The en-
gine must be running when performing
this procedure, This is the only
instance when the saw should be
placed on the ground with the engine
running.
Place the saw on firm ground. Grip the
rear handle with your right hand and
the front handle with your left hand.
Apply full throttle by fully depressing
the throttle trigger. Activate the chain
brake by turning your left wrist against
the hand guard without releasing your
grip around the front handle. The chain
should stop immediately.
Inertia activating function control
_WARNING: When performing the
following procedure, the engine must
be turned off,
Grip the rear handle with your right
hand and the front handle with your left
hand, Hold the chain saw approxi-
mately 14" (35 cm) above a stump or
other wooden surface, Release your
grip on the front handle and use the
weight of the saw to let the tip of the
guide bar fall forward and contact the
stump. When the tip of the bar hits the
stump, the brake should activate.
OPERATING TIPS
• Check chain tension before first use
and after 1 minute of operation. See
CHAIN TENSION in the MAINTENANCE
section,
• Cut wood only. Do not cut metal,
plastics, masonry, nomwood building
materials, etc.
• Stop the saw if the chain strikes a
foreign object. Inspect the saw and
repair parts as necessary.
• Keep the chain out of dirt and sand.
Even a small amount of dirt will
quickly dull a chain and increase the
possibility of kickback.
• Practice cutting a few small logs us-
ing the following steps. This will help
you get the "feel" of using your saw
before you begin a major sawing op-
eration.
• Squeeze the throttle trigger and al-
low the engine to reach full speed
before cutting.
• Begin cutting with the saw frame
against the log.
• Keep the engine at full speed the
entire time you are cutting.
• Allow the chain to cut for you. Exert
only light downward pressure.
• Release the throttle trigger as soon
as the cut is completed, allowing
the engine to idle. If you run the
saw at full throttle without a cutting
load, unnecessary wear can occur
to the chain, bar and engine. It is
recommended that the engine
not be operated for longer than
30 seconds at full throttle.
• To avoid losing control when cut is
complete, do not put pressure on
saw at end of cut.
• Stop engine before setting saw down.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
_WARNING: Check for broken or
dead branches which can fall while
cutting causing serious injury. Do not
cut near buildings or electrical wires if
you do not know the direction of tree
fall, nor cut at night since you will not
be able to see well, nor during bad
weather such as rain, snow, or strong
winds, etc.
• Carefully plan your sawing operation
in advance.
• Clear the work area. You need a
clear area all around the tree so you
can have secure footing.
• The chain saw operator should keep
on the uphill side of the terrain as the
tree is likely to roll or slide downhill
after it is felled.
• Study the natural conditions that can
cause the tree to fall in a particular
direction. These conditions include:
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