WORKING TECHNIQUES
24 – English
6Before mo ving y our chain saw s witch off the engine and
lock the chain using the chain brak e. 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 carry or hang the saw by the trigger! This could
damage the mechanism and disable the chain brake.
7When you put the chain sa w on the ground, lock the sa w
chain using the chain brake and ensure you have a
constant view of the machine. Switch the engine off
before leaving your chain saw for any length of time.
General rules
1 If you understand what kickback is and how it happens
then you can reduce or eliminate the element of surprise.
By being prepared you reduce the risk. Kickback is
usually quite mild, but it can sometimes be very sudden
and violent.
2 Alwa ys hold the chain sa w firmly with your right hand on
the rear handle and your left hand on the front handle.
Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the handles. You
should use this grip whether you are right-handed or left-
handed. This grip minimizes the effect of kickback and
lets you k eep the chain saw under control. Do not let go
of the handles!
3 Most kickback accidents happen during limbing. Make
sure you are standing firmly and that there is nothing in
the way that might make you trip or lose your balance.
Lack of concentration can lead to kic kback if the kickback
zone of the bar accidentally touches a branch, nearby
tree or some other object.
Hav e control o ver the w orkpiece. If the pieces you intend
to cut are small and light, they can jam in the saw chain
and be thrown to w ards y ou. Even if this does not need to
be a danger , you ma y be surprised and lose control of the
saw. Never saw stacked logs or branches without first
separating them. Only sa w one log or one piece at a time .
Remove the cut pieces to keep your working area safe.
4Never use the chain sa w above shoulder height and
avoid cutting with the tip of the bar. Never use the
chain saw one-handed!
5 In order to keep control of your saw, always maintain a
firm foothold. Ne v er w ork on a ladder , in a tree or on any
other insecure support.
6 Always use a fast cutting speed, i.e. full throttle.
7
Tak e great care when you cut with the top edge of the bar,
i.e. when cutting from the underside of the object. This is
known as cutting with a pushing chain. The chain tries to
push the chain saw back towards the user. If the saw
chain is jamming, the saw may be pushed back at you.
8 Unless the user resists this pushing force there is a risk
that the chain saw will move so far backwards that only
the kickback zone of the bar is in contact with the tree,
which can lead to a kickback.