Craftsman 358.360260 Instruction Manual page 10

when t he saw should beplaced onthe
ground with the engine running.
Place the saw onfirm ground. Grip t he
rear h andle with your r ight h and a nd
thefront handle with your l eft h and.
Apply f ull t hrottle byfully depressing
thethrottle trigger. Activate the chain
brake byturning your left w rist against
the hand g uard w ithout releasing your
grip around the front handle. The chain
should stop i mmediately.
Inertia a ctivating function c ontrol
_WARNING: W hen p erforming the
following procedure, the engine must
beturned off.
Grip t he rear handle with your right hand
and the front handle with your left h and.
Hold t he chain s aw approximately 14"
(35 cm) a bove astump orother wooden
surface. Release your grip onthe front
handle and letthe tipofthe guide b ar
fall f orward and contact the stump.
When t he tipofthe bar h its the stump,
the brake should activate.
OPERATING TIPS
• Check c hain t ension before first u se
and after 1 minute ofoperation. See
CHAIN TENSION inthe MAINTENANCE
section.
• Cut w ood o nly. Donot c utmetal,
plastics, masonry, non-wood building
materials, etc.
• Stop the saw ifthe chain s trikes a
foreign object. Inspect the saw and
repair parts a snecessary.
• Keep t he chain o ut o fdirt a nd sand.
Even a small amount ofdirt w ill
quickly dull a chain a nd increase the
possibility ofkickback.
• Practice cutting afew small logs u sing
the following steps. This w ill h elp y ou
get t he '_feel" ofusing y our saw before
you begin a major sawing operation.
• Squeeze the throttle trigger and al-
low the engine toreach f ull s peed
before cutting.
• Begin c utting with the saw frame
against thelog.
• Keep t he engine atfull s peed t he
entire t ime you are cutting.
• Allow thechain t ocutfor y ou. E xert
only light d ownward pressure.
• Release the throttle trigger assoon
asthe cutiscompleted, allowing
the engine toidle. I fyou run the
saw atfull t hrottle without acutting
load, unnecessary wear can occur
tothechain, bar a nd engine. Itis
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. If the tree does make con-
tact with any utility line, the utility com-
pany should be notified immediately.
• 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:
• The wind direction and speed.
• The lean of the tree. The lean of a
tree might not be apparent due to
uneven or sloping terrain. Use a
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 fall. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2 tree 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.
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