Basic Cutting Technique - Husqvarna 385XP EPA II Operator's Manual

• 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.
• 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).
18 –
Canadian
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
• Cutting from above = Cutting with a pulling chain.
• Cutting from below = Cutting with a pushing chain.
Cutting with a pushing chain 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.
3 Make sure the chain will not strike the ground or any other
object during or after cutting.
4 Is there a risk of kickback?
5 Do the conditions and surrounding terrain affect how
safely you can stand and move about?
Two factors decide whether the chain will jam or the object
that you are cutting will split: the first is how the object is
supported before and after cutting, and the second is whether
it is in tension.
In most cases you can avoid these problems by cutting in two
stages; from the top and from the bottom. You need to support
the object so that it will not trap the chain or split during
cutting.
WARNING! If the chain jams in the cut: stop
!
the engine! Don't try to pull the chain saw
free. If you do you may be injured by the
chain when the chain saw suddenly breaks
free. Use a lever to open up the cut and free
the chain saw.