FORCES TO CONTROL

This section is about forces which must be controlled to avoid injury when operating a pole saw. Pros and cons of various safety devices are included in the discussion. Always remember that your best defenses are to exercise caution and use the pole saw properly.

Here is an example of a reaction to an action: if you sit on the floor and push forcefully enough against a wall with your feet, your body will slide away from the wall. For pole saw operators, when the saw chain forces its way into the wood from one direction, the reaction tends to move the pole saw in the opposite direction.

PULL, PUSH and KICKBACK - terms for the direction a reaction takes.

•PULL - This occurs when you are cutting on top of a log with the lower portion of the saw chain moving toward you. The pole saw will be pulled into the wood and away from you.

•PUSH - This is the cutting on the underside of a log with the top of the bar. It pushes the pole saw toward you.

•ROTATIONAL KICKBACK - This happens when the saw chain is moving downward around the upper nose of the bar. Solid contact in this situation may dangerously drive the guide bar tip upward in an arc toward you.

•LINEAR KICKBACK - Describes a sudden PUSH reaction when the guide bar is buried in a cut which closes and pinches the saw chain along the top rails of the guide bar. This propels the pole saw straight back toward the operator.

Rotational kickback is predictable, preventable and controllable. If the operator is not alert to the possibility of a kickback, it may come as a complete surprise. The best defense against rotational kickback is making sure the saw chain contacts nothing solid at the upper nose of the guide bar. PUSH and PULL forces are controlled by anticipating which reaction will happen and adjusting your position and stance to compensate.

FORCE OF GRAVITY - When you are operating a pole saw you must accommodate for gravity. Maintain proper grip and stance. Keep good footing. Don’t cut while off balance — gravity may work against you. Never reach too far with the pole saw.

FOLLOW THROUGH - When you’re about to complete a cut, be ready to throttle back and hold up the pole saw so that the cutting attachment will not follow through into you or hit the ground after the guide bar or blade cuts through the branch.

SKATING - This condition occurs when the saw chain or blade does not dig in properly when starting a cut. In other words, the saw chain or blade does not get tracked as it attempts to penetrate the wood. The guide bar or blade can then begin hopping or skidding side-to-side along the surface. At this point, you do not have full control of the saw, and the guide bar nose or blade could strike an obstruction and create a kickback.

If you are holding the saw with one hand and a branch with the other, the saw could skate laterally into your hand holding the branch. To prevent or reduce skating, hold the pole saw with two hands and make sure the saw chain or blade has established a groove for cutting. Throttling down the saw chain or blade speed may help to get a groove started, but once the saw chain or blade is grooved, throttle the unit up to complete the cut.

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FORCE REACTION

FORCE

REACTION

ROTATIONAL KICKBACK

CHAIN MOVING DOWNWARD AT IMPACT