11
English
W ARNING
Do not stand in-line with chain when cutting.
BASIC TECHNIQUE S FOR MAKING FE LLING, LIMBING AND
BUCKING CUTS
The intention of the fo llowi ng information is to provide you with the
general introduction to wood cut ting t echniques.
W ARNING
○ This information does not cover all speci fi c situations, which may
depend on diff erences in terrai n, vegetat ion , kind of wood, form and
size of trees, etc. Consult yo ur ser vicing dealer, forestr y agent or
local forest ry schools for advic e on specifi c wo odc utt ing problems
in your area. This
will make your work more effi cient and safer .
○ Avo id cut ting in adverse weath er conditions, such as dense fog,
heavy rain, bitter cold, high winds, etc.
Adver se weath er is often tiring to work in and creates po tentially
dangerous conditions such as slippery ground.
High winds may fo rce the tree
to fall in an unexpected direction
causing property damage or personal injury.
CAUTI ON
Never use a chain saw to pr y or for any purpose for which it is no t
intended.
W ARNING
○ Avo id stumbling on obstacles such as stumps, roots, rocks,
branches and fa llen trees. Wat ch out for holes and ditches. Be
ext rem ely cautious when workin g on slopes or unev en ground.
Shut off the saw when moving from one work place to another .
Always cut at wide open throttle. A slow
moving chain can easily
catch and force the saw to jerk.
○ Never use the saw with only one hand.
Yo u cannot control the saw properly and you may lose control
and injure you rse lf severely .
Kee p the saw body close to your body to impro ve control and
reduce strain.
When cutting
with the bottom part of the chain the reactive for ce
will pull the saw away from you towards the woo d you are cutting.
The sa w will control the feeding speed and sawdust will be
directed towards you. (Fig. 19 )
○ When cutting with the upper part of the chain the
reac tive for ce
will push the saw towar ds you and away from the woo d yo u are
cutting. (Fig. 20 )
○ There is a risk of kickback if the saw is pushed far enough so that
you begin to cut with the nose of the bar .
The safest cutting method is to
cut with the bottom par t of the
chain. Sawing with the upper part makes it much more di ffi cult to
control the saw and increases the risk of kickback.
○ In case the chain lock ed, immediately release the throttle trigger .
If the throttle trigger ke ep s rotating at high speed with
the chain
locked, the clutch will overhe at causing trouble .
NOTE
Always keep the spiked bumper face to a tree , because the
chain may suddenly be drawn into a tree.
FELLING
Felling is more than cutting down a tree. Yo u must also bring it down
as near to an intended place as possible without
damaging the tree
or anything else .
Before felling a tree , carefully consider all conditions which may
eff ect the intended direction, such as :
Angle of the tree. Shape of the cr own. Sno w load on the crown.
Wind conditions. Obsta cles within tree range (e.g ., other trees,
power lines, roads, buildings, etc.) .
W ARNING
○ Always obser ve the general conditions of the tree. Look for
decay and rot in the trunk which will make it more likely to snap
and start to fall be fore you expec t it.
○ Look for dry branches, which may break and hit you when you
are working.
Always kee p animals
and people at least twice the tree length
away while f elling. Clear away shrubs and branches from around
the tree.
Prepare a path of retreat away from the felling direction.
BASIC RULES FOR FELLING TREES
Normally the felling consists of two main cutting operations, notching
and mak ing the felling cut. Star t
making the upper notch cut on the
side of the tree facing the feeling direction. Look through the ker f as
you saw the lower cut so you do not saw too deep into the trunk. The
notch should be deep enough to create a hinge of su ffi cient width
and
strength. The notch opening should be wide enough to direct
the fall of the tree as long as possible. Saw the felling cut from the
other side of the tree between one and two inches (3 – 5 cm) above
the edge of the not ch. (Fig. 21 )
19. Felling direction
20. 45° minimum
notch opening
21. Hinge
22. Felling cut
Never saw completely through the trunk. Always leave a hinge .
The hinge guides the tree. If the trunk is completely cut through, you
lose control over the felling direction.
Insert a we dge or a felling lever in the cut we ll before the tree
becomes unstable and
st arts to mov e. This will prevent the guide
bar from binding in the felling cut if yo u have misjudged the falling
direction. Make sure no people hav e come into the range of the
falling tree before you push it over.
FELLING CUT , TRUNK DIAMETER MORE THAN TWICE GUIDE
BAR LENGTH
Cut
a large, wide no tch. Then cut a recess int o the center of the
notch. Always leave a hinge on both sides of the center cut. (Fig. 22 )
Complete the f elling cut by sawing around the trunk as in the Fig. 23.
W ARNING
These methods are ex trem el y dangerous because they involve
the use of the nose of guide bar and can result in kickback.
Only properly trained prof essionals should atte mpt these
techniques.
LIMBING
Limbing is removing the branches from a feller tree.
W ARNING
A majority of kickback accidents occur during Iimbing.
Do not use the nose of the guide bar. Be extre me ly cautious and
avoid contacting the log, other limbs or objects with the nose
of the guide bar. Be ex trem el y cautious of limbs under tensio n.
They can spring back toward s you and
cause loss of control
resulting in injury . (Fig. 24 )
Stand on the left side of the trunk. Maintain a secure footing and rest the
saw on the trunk. Hold the saw close to you so that you are in full control
of it. Keep well away from the chain. Move
only when the trunk is between
you and the chain. Wat ch out for spring back of limbs under tensi on.
LIMBING THICK BRANCHES
When limbing thick branches, the guide bar may get pinched easily.
Branches under tensi on of ten snap up, so cut troublesome branches
in small steps. Apply the same principles as
for cross cut ting. Think
ahead and be aware of the possible consequences of all your action s.
CROSS CUTTING/BUCKING
Before star ting to cut through the log, tr y to imagine what is going to
happen. Look out fo r stresses in the log and cut through it in such a
manner that the guide bar
will not get pinched.
CROSS CUTTING LOGS, PRESSU RE ON TOP
Ta k e a fi rm stance. Begin with an upper cut. Do not cut too deeply,
about 1/3 of the log diameter is enough. Finish with a bottom cut.
The saw cuts should meet. (Fig. 25 )
23. Relieving cut
24. Cross cut
25. Pressure
on top
26. Pressure side
27 . Te n s i o n side
28. Relative depth of sa w cuts
THICK LOG, LAR GE R THAN GUIDE BAR LENGTH
Begin by cutting on the opposite side of the log . Pull the sa w towards
you, followe d by previous procedure. (Fig. 26 )
If the log is lying on the ground mak e a
boring cut to avoid cutting into
the ground. Finish with a bottom cut. (Fig. 27 )
000Book_CS33EDT_WE.indb 11000Book_CS33EDT_WE.indb 11 2011/08/06 9:14:562011/08/06 9:14:56