Notch Cut And Felling Tree; Cutting A Fallen Tree - Craftsman 358.341060 Operator's Manual

NOTCH CUT
A ND FELLING TREE
Final cut here
First cut
Direction _ ._..
,,_-- of fall _/_ "
nd cut_ j
Seco
\ ge
Notching Undercut - Make the notch
1/3 the diameter of the tree, perpendicu-
lar to the direction of fall as illustrated.
Make the upper notching cut first. This
will help to avoid pinching of either the
saw chain or the guide bar when the se-
cond notch cut is being made.
Felling Back Cut - Make felling back
cut at least 2 inches (5 cm) higher than
the back of the notch as illustrated.
Keep the felling back cut perpendicular
to the tree trunk. Make the felling back
cut so enough wood is left to act as a
hinge. The hinge wood helps the tree
from twisting and falling the wrong direc-
tion. Do not cut through the hinge.
As the felling cut gets close to the hinge,
the tree should begin to fall. If there is
any chance that the tree may not fall in
the desired direction or it may rock back
and bind the saw chain, stop cutting be-
fore the felling back cut is complete and
use wedges of wood, plastic or alumi-
num to open the cut and drop the tree
along the desired line of fall.
When tree begins to fall, remove chain
saw from the cut, stop the motor, put the
chain saw down, then use the retreat
path planned. Be alert for overhead
limbs falling and watch your footing.
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall.
Closing of
notch
Opening
of felling
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, use wood or plastic wedges,
but never steel or iron wedges.
• Be alert to signs that the tree is
ready to fall: cracking sounds, widen-
ing of the felling cut, or movement in
the upper 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 doesn't fall com-
pletely, set saw aside and pull down
tree with a cable winch, block and
tackle, or tractor. Do 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 roll causing
loss of footing and control. Do not
stand downhill of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT POINTS
• It is important to make sure your foot-
ing is firm and your weight is evenly
distributed on both feet. When pos-
sible, the log should be raised and
supported using limbs, logs or blocks.
• 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 logs.
Never allow another person to hold
the log while 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 cutting them.
• When "cutting through", to maintain
complete control, release the cutting
pressure near the end of the cut
without loosening your grip on the
chain saw handles.
• Don't let the chain contact the ground.
• After completing the cut, wait for the
saw chain to stop before you move
the chain saw.
• Always stop the motor before moving
from tree to tree.
on uphill
Stand side
when cutting because
. log may roll.