5 - English
Keep proper footing and balance at all times.
Do not cut above shoulder height or overreach
when cutting.
Keep the SAFE-T-TIP
®
anti-kickback nose guard
properly mounted on the guide bar to prevent
rotational kickback.
Follow the sharpening and maintenance instruc-
tions for the saw chain.
Push and Pull - This reaction force is always
opposite to the direction the chain is moving
where wood contact is made. Thus, the operator
must be ready to control the PULL when cutting
on the bottom edge of the bar, and PUSH when
cutting along the top edge. See Figure 4.
IN THE CUTTING/WORK AREA
Do not operate a chain saw in a tree, on a ladder,
rooftop or scaffold; this is extremely dangerous.
Keep ALL children, bystanders, visitors, and
animals out of the work area while starting or
cutting with the chain saw.
NOTE: The size of the work area depends on the
job being performed as well as the size tree or work
piece involved. For example, felling a tree requires
a larger work area than making bucking cuts.
Never start cutting until you have a clear work
area, secure footing, and a planned retreat path
from the falling tree. Cluttered area invite injuries.
Do not expose the chain saw to rain.
Do not use the chain saw in damp or wet locations.
Do not use the chain saw near flammable liq-
uids, gases, or in any type of explosive atmo-
sphere.
Use extreme caution when cutting small size
brush and saplings, because slender mate-
rial may catch the saw chain and be whipped
toward you or pull you off balance.
When cutting a limb that is under tension, be
alert for spring back so that you will not be
struck when the tension in the wood fibers is
released.
Do not force the chain saw. The job can be per-
formed better and safer at the rate for which it
was intended.
GENERAL SAFETY RULES
Always use the right product for your applica-
tion. The chain saw should be used for cutting
wood only. Never use the chain saw to cut plas-
tic, masonry or non-wood building materials.
Do not use the chain saw for purposes not
intended.
Store idle chain saw when not in use. Chain saw
should be stored in a dry and high or locked area
out of the reach of children. When storing chain
saw, remove battery and place the scabbard on
the bar and chain or store the chain saw in a
carry case.
Remove the battery pack from the chain saw
before cleaning, servicing, storing, removing
material from the unit, changing accessories
such as the bar and chain, or when not in use.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHAIN SAW
SAFETY DEVICES
SAFE-T-TIP
®
ANTI-KICKBACK NOSE
GUARD
See Figure 1.
The SAFE-T-TIP
®
prevents kickback from hap-
pening, because it covers the tip of the bar where
kickback is generated. Never attempt any kind of
cutting where the SAFE-T-TIP
®
would have to be
removed from the bar tip.
LOW KICKBACK SAW CHAIN
The rakers (depth gauges) ahead of each cutter
can minimize the force of a kickback reaction by
preventing the cutters from digging in too deeply
at the kickback zone. Only use replacement chain
that is equivalent to original chain or has been
certified as low kickback chain per ANSI B175.1.
Low kickback saw chain is chain that has met
the kickback performance requirements of ANSI
B175.1 - 1991 (American National Standard for
Power Tools - Gasoline-Powered Chain Saws-
Safety Requirements) when tested on the repre-
sentative sample of chain saws below 3.8 c.i.d.
specified in ANSI B175.1 - 1991.
As saw chains are sharpened during their useful
life, they lose some of the low kickback qualities
and extra caution should be used.
