10
CUTTING METHODS
IMPORTANT POINTS
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Cut wood only. Do not cut metal, plastics,
masonry, non-wood building materials, etc.
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Stop the saw if the chain strikes a foreign
object. Inspect the saw and repair parts as
necessary.
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Keep the chain out of dirt and sand. Even a
small amount of dirt will quickly dull a chain
and increase the possibility of kickback.
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Practice cutting a few small logs using the
following techniques to get the “feel” of us-
ing your saw before you begin a major
sawing operation.
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Squeeze the throttle trigger and allow
the engine to reach full speed before
cutting.
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Begin cutting with the saw frame
against the log.
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Keep the engine at full speed the entire
time you are cutting.
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Allow the chain to cut for you. Exert only
light downward pressure.
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Release the throttle trigger as soon as
the cut is completed, allowing the en-
gine to idle. If you run the saw at full
throttle without a cutting load, unneces-
sary wear can occur.
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To avoid losing control when cut is com-
plete, do not put pressure on saw at end
of cut.
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Stop the engine before setting the saw down.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
WARNING
:
Do not cut near build-
ings or electrical wires if you do not know the
direction of tree fall, at night since you will not
be able to see well, or during bad weather
such as rain, snow, or strong winds. as fall is
unpredictable.
Carefully plan your sawing operation in ad-
vance. You need a clear area all around the
tree so you can have secure footing. Check
for broken or dead branches which can fall
on you causing serious injury.
Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
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The wind direction and speed.
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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 de-
termine the direction of tree lean.
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Weight and branches on one side.
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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. En-
gine noise can drown out a warning call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, sta-
ples, and wire from the tree where cuts are to
be made.
Direction of Fall
45
_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(15 cm in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large trees.
A notch is cut on the side of the tree in the de-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the notch.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
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Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through
1/3
of the diameter
of the tree. Next complete the notch by cut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final cut here. 5 cm above
center of notch.
5 cm
5 cm
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After removing the cutout of wood, make
the felling cut on the opposite 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.
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
NOTE
:
Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut when necessary to
control the direction of fall. Use wood or
plastic wedges, but never steel or iron, to
avoid kickback and chain damage.