SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
General working instructions
WARNING! This section describes basic
!safety rules for using a chain saw. This information is never a substitute for professional skills and experience. If you get into a situation where you feel unsafe, stop and seek expert advice. Contact your chain saw dealer, service agent or an experienced chain saw user. Do not attempt any task that you feel unsure of!
Before using a chain saw you must understand the effects of kickback and how to avoid them. See instructions under the heading How to avoid kickback.
Before using a chain saw you must understand the difference between cutting with the top and bottom edges of the bar. See instructions under the heading How to avoid kickback.
Basic safety rules
•Look around you:
-To ensure that people, animals or other things cannot affect your control of the machine.
-To make sure that none of the above might come within reach of your saw or be injured by falling trees.
Follow the instructions above, but do not use a chain saw in a situation where you cannot call for help in case of an accident.
•Do not use the machine in bad weather, such as dense fog, heavy rain, strong wind, intense cold, etc. Working in bad weather is tiring and often brings added risks, such as icy ground, unpredictable felling direction, etc.
•Take great care when removing small branches and avoid cutting bushes (i.e. cutting many small branches at the same time). Small branches can be grabbed by the chain and thrown back at you, causing serious injury.
•Make sure you can move and stand safely. Check the area around you for possible obstacles (roots, rocks, branches, ditches, etc.) in case you have to move suddenly. Take great care when working on sloping ground.
•Take the utmost care when cutting through branches or logs that are in tension. A log or branch that is in tension can suddenly spring back into its natural position before or after you cut it. If you stand on the wrong side or start cutting in the wrong place it may strike you or your chain saw, so that you lose control. Both situations could cause serious injury.
•Before moving your chain saw switch off the engine and lock the chain using the chain brake. Carry the chain saw with the bar and chain pointing backwards. Fit a guard to the bar before transporting the chain saw or carrying it for any distance.
•Never put a chain saw down while the engine is running unless you have it in clear view and the chain brake is on. Switch the engine off before leaving your chain saw for any length of time.
Basic cutting technique
General
•Always use full throttle when cutting!
•Reduce the speed to idle after every cut (running the engine for too long at full throttle without any load, i.e. without any resistance from the chain during cutting, can lead to serious engine damage).
•Cutting from above = Cutting on the pull stroke.
•Cutting from below = Cutting on the push stroke.
Cutting on the push stroke increases the risk of kickback. See instructions under the heading How to avoid kickback.
Terms
Cutting = General term for cutting through wood.
Limbing = Cutting branches off a felled tree.
Splitting = When the object you are cutting breaks off before the cut is complete.
18 – English