Poulan 1420 - Manual (Page 9)

9
S Make sure there is enough room for
the tree to fall. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2 tree lengths from the nearest per-
son or other objects. Motor noise can
drown out a warning call.
S Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails,
staples, and wire from the tree where
cuts are to be made.
Direction of Fall
45_
Plan a clear retreat path
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 fall in the
direction of the notch.
NOTE: If tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch. If
using saw to remove buttress roots,
keep saw chain from contacting ground
to prevent dulling of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING TREE
S
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 il-
lustration. Once notch is cut, remove
the wedge of wood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Felling cut here
Hinge
S After removing the wood from the
notch, make the felling cut on the op-
posite 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 be-
tween the felling cut and the notch to
form a hinge. This hinge will help pre-
vent 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 if necessary to
control the direction of fall. To avoid kick-
back and chain damage, use wood or
plastic wedges, but never steel or iron
wedges.
S
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.
S
As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it
down, and get away quickly on your
planned retreat path.
S DO NOT use your saw to cut down a par-
tially fallen tree. Be extremely cautious
with partially fallen trees that may be
poorly supported. When a tree doesn’t
fall completely, set saw aside and pull
down tree with a cable winch, block and
tackle, or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired log size.
WARNING: Do not stand on the
log being cut. Any portion can roll caus-
ing loss of footing and control. Do not
stand downhill of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT POINTS
S
Cut only one log at a time.
S Cut shattered wood very carefully;
sharp pieces of wood could be flung
toward operator.
S Use a sawhorse to cut small logs. Nev-
er allow another person to hold the log
while cutting and never hold the log
with your leg or foot.
S
Do not cut in an area where logs, limbs,
and roots are tangled. Drag logs into a
clear area before cutting them by pulling
out exposed and cleared logs first.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: If saw becomes
pinched or hung in a log, don’t try to force it
out. You can lose control of the saw, re-
sulting in injury and/or damage to the saw.
Stop the saw; drive a wedge of plastic or
wood into cut until the saw can be re-
moved easily. Restart saw and carefully