Felling Large Trees - Craftsman 358.350461 Instruction Manual

FELLING LARGE TREES
(6inches indiameter orlarger)
The notch m ethod isused t ofell l arge
trees. Anotch i scut o nthe side ofthe
tree inthe desired direction offall. After
afelling cut i smade onthe opposite
side oftree, the tree will t end tofall i n
the direction ofthe notch.
NOTE: Iftree has large b uttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
Ifusing s aw toremove buttress roots,
keep s aw chain f rom contacting
ground toprevent dulling ofthe chain.
NOTCH CUT A ND FELLING TREE
• Make n otch c utbycutting the top of
the notch f irst. C ut through 1/3 ofthe
diameter ofthe tree. N ext complete
the notch b ycutting thebottom. See
illustration. Once t he notch i scut, r e-
move t hewedge ofwood f rom tree.
First cut 2-
Notch_. ._:z..
Second \__"
Felling cut h ere
/
Z"
--_~-
• After removing the wood from the
notch, make the felling cut on the op-
posite side of the notch. This is done
by making a cut about two inches
higher than the center of the notch.
This will leave enough uncut wood
between the felling cut and the notch
to form a hinge. This hinge will help
prevent the tree from falling in the
wrong direction.
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.
• DO NOT use your saw to cut down a
partially fallen tree. Be extremely
cautious with partially fallen trees
that may be poorly supported. When
a tree doesn't fall completely, set the
saw aside and pull down the tree
with a cable winch, block and tackle,
or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired log size.
,_ik 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
• 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
by pulling out exposed and cleared
logs first.
TYPES OF CUTTING USED FOR
BUCKING
all.WARNING: If saw becomes
pinched or hung in a log, don't try to
force it out. You can lose control of the
saw resulting in injury and/or damage
to the saw. Stop the saw, drive a
wedge of plastic or wood into the cut
until the saw can be removed easily. Re-
start saw and carefully reenter the cut.
Do not use a metal wedge. Do not at-
tempt to restart your saw when it is
pinched or hung in a log.
Use a wedge to remove pinched saw
Turn saw OFF and use a plastic or
wooden wedge to force cut open.
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