Kickback Safety Features - Craftsman 358.341900 Operator's Manual

• Donot o verreach. You could b e
drawn o rthrown off b alance and lose
control ofthe saw.
• Donot c ut a bove s houlder height. It
isdifficult tomaintain control ofsaw
above s houlder height.
KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES
_IWARNING: T he following fea-
tures a re included onyour saw tohelp
reduce the hazard ofkickback; however,
such f eatures will n ot t otally eliminate
this danger. Donot r ely only o nsafety
devices. Follow a ll s afety rules t ohelp
avoid k ickback and other forces which
can result inserious injury.
• Front Hand G uard, designed toreduce
the chance ofyour l eft h and c ontact-
ing the chain i fyour hand s lips o ff t he
front handlebar.
• Position offront and rear h andlebars,
designed with distance between han-
dles a nd "in-line" with each o ther. The
spread and "in-line" position ofthe
hands provided bythis design work
together togive balance and resis-
tance i ncontrolling the pivot ofthe
saw back t oward the operator ifkick-
back o ccurs.
• Reduced-Kickback Guide B ar, de-
signed with asmall radius tipwhich
reduces the size ofthe kickback
danger zone onthe bar t ip.This type
ofbarhas been d emonstrated tosig-
nificantly reduce the number and se-
riousness ofkickbacks when t ested
inaccordance with ANSI B175.1.
_& mall Radiu__
Tip Guide Bar
LareRadius /
L
• Low-Kickback Chain, has met kick-
back performance requirements
when tested on a representative
sample of chain saws below 3.8
cubic inch displacement specified
in ANSI B175.1.
Low-Kickback Chain
../ Contoured Depth Gauge
.,--_,_ ....... Elongated Guard Link
_'_1_ _ deflects kickback
"L-_. _ force And allows
",..., _ wood to gradually
"---_/-" ride into Cutter
CHAIN BRAKE
• Chain Brake, designed to stop the
chain in the event of kickback.
m_WARNINu: WE DO NOT REP-
RESENT AND YOU SHOULD NOT AS-
SUME THAT THE CHAIN BRAKE WILL
PROTECT YOU IN THE EVENT OF A KICK-
BACK. Kickback is a lightning fast action
which throws the bar and rotating chain
back and up toward the operator. Kick-
back can be caused by allowing contact
of the bar tip in the danger zone with
any hard object. Kickback can also be
caused by pinching the saw chain along
the top of the guide bar. This action may
push the guide bar rapidly back toward
the operator. Either of these events may
cause you to lose control of the saw
which could result in serious injury or
even death. DO NOT RELY UPON ANY OF
THE DEVICES BUILT INTO YOUR SAW.
YOU SHOULD USE THE SAW PROPERLY
AND CAREFULLY TO AVOID KICKBACK.
Reduced-kickback guide bars and low-
kickback saw chains reduce the chance
and magnitude of kickback and are rec-
ommended. Your saw has a low kick-
back chain and bar as original equip-
ment. Repairs on a chain brake should
be made by an authorized Sears Ser-
vice Center. Take your unit to the place
of purchase if purchased from a servic-
ing dealer, or to your nearest Sears
Service Center.
• Tip contact in some cases may cause
a lightning fast reverse REACTION,
kicking guide bar up and back toward
operator.
• Pinching the saw chain along the top
of the guide bar may push the guide
bar rapidly back toward the operator.
• Either of these reactions may cause
you to lose control of the saw which
could result in serious injury. Do not
rely exclusively upon devices built into
your saw.
This unit is not equipped with an anti-
vibration system and is intended for
occasional use only.
SAFETY NOTICE: Exposure to vibra-
tions through prolonged use of gasoline
powered hand tools could cause blood
vessel or nerve damage in the fingers,
hands, and joints of people prone to
circulation disorders or abnormal swell-
ings. Prolonged use in cold weather has
been linked to blood vessel damage in
otherwise healthy people. If symptoms
occur such as numbness, pain, loss of
strength, change in skin color or texture,
or loss of feeling in the fingers, hands, or
joints, discontinue the use of this tool