Craftsman 358.352680 - Manual (Page 9)

plumb or level to determine the di­
rection of tree lean.
• Weight and branches on one side.
• 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. Engine noise
can drown out a warning call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark,
nails, staples, and wire from the tree
where cuts are to be made.
Plan a dear retreat path
This hinge will help prevent the tree
from falling in the wrong direction.
Hinge holds free on
stump and helps
control fall
Closing
of notch
Opening of
felling cut
f
45*
Ч
О
► - Direction of Fall
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches 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 desired direction of fall. After
a felling cut is made on the opposite
side of tree, the tree will tend to fail In
the direction of the notch.
NOTE: If tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING TREE
• 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 cutting the bottom. See
illustration. Once the notch is cut, re­
move the wedge of wood from tree.
' After removing the 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 cen­
ter of the notch. This will leave
enough uncut wood between the fell­
ing cut and the notch to form a hinge.
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, widening of
the felling cut, or movement in the up­
per branches.
• As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it
down, and get away quickly on your
planned retreat path.
» Be extremely cautious with partially
fallen trees that may be poorly sup­
ported. When a tree doesn’t fall com­
pletely, set the saw aside and puJI
down the tree with a cable winch,
block and tackle, or tractor. Do not
use your saw to cut down a partially
fallen tree.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired fog size.
WARNING: Do not stand on the log
being cut. Any portion can roll causing
loss of footing and control. Do not starid
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 iog with your leg or foot.
• Do not cut in art area vrfiere logs,
limbs, and roots are tangled. Drag Icigs
into a clear area before cutting them.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: if saw becomes pinched
or hung in a log, don’t fry to force it out.
You can lose control of the saw result­
ing in injury and/or damage to the saw.
Stop the saw, drive a wedge of plastic