Basic Cutting Technique - Husqvarna 357XP Operator's Manual

Basic safety rules
• Look around you:
- To ensure that people, animals or other things cannot
affect your control of the machine.
- To make sure that none of the above might come
within reach of your saw or be injured by falling trees.
Follow the instructions above, but do not use a chain saw in a
situation where you cannot call for help in case of an accident.
• Do not use the machine in bad weather, such as dense
fog, heavy rain, strong wind, intense cold, etc. Working in
bad weather is tiring and often brings added risks, such as
icy ground, unpredictable felling direction, etc.
• Take great care when removing small branches and avoid
cutting bushes (i.e. cutting many small branches at the
same time). Small branches can be grabbed by the chain
and thrown back at you, causing serious injury.
• Make sure you can move and stand safely. Check the area
around you for possible obstacles (roots, rocks, branches,
ditches, etc.) in case you have to move suddenly. Take
great care when working on sloping ground.
• Take the utmost care when cutting through branches or
logs that are in tension. A log or branch that is in tension
can suddenly spring back into its natural position before or
after you cut it. If you stand on the wrong side or start
cutting in the wrong place it may strike you or your chain
saw, so that you lose control. Both situations could cause
serious injury.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
• Before moving your chain saw switch off the engine and
lock the chain using the chain brake. Carry the chain saw
with the bar and chain pointing backwards. Fit a guard to
the bar before transporting the chain saw or carrying it for
any distance.
• Never put a chain saw down while the engine is running
unless you have it in clear view and the chain brake is on.
Switch the engine off before leaving your chain saw for
any length of time.

Basic cutting technique

General
• Always use full throttle when cutting!
• Reduce the speed to idle after every cut (running the
engine for too long at full throttle without any load, i.e.
without any resistance from the chain during cutting, can
lead to serious engine damage).
• Cutting from above = Cutting on the pull stroke.
• Cutting from below = Cutting on the push stroke.
Cutting on the push stroke increases the risk of kickback. See
instructions under the heading How to avoid kickback.
Terms
Cutting = General term for cutting through wood.
Limbing = Cutting branches off a felled tree.
Splitting = When the object you are cutting breaks off before
the cut is complete.
There are five important factors you should
consider before making a cut:
1 Make sure the cutting equipment will not jam in the cut.
2 Make sure the object you are cutting will not split.
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English