WORKING TECHNIQUES
Felling
Felling is done using three cuts. First you make the directional cuts, which consist of the top cut and the bottom cut, then you finish with the felling cut. By placing these cuts correctly you can control the felling direction very accurately.
Directional cuts
To make the directional cuts you begin with the top cut. Stand to the right of the tree and cut on the pull stroke.
Next make the bottom cut so that it finishes exactly at the end of the top cut.
The directional cuts should run 1/4 of the diameter through the trunk and the angle between the top cut and bottom cut should be 45°.
The line where the two cuts meet is called the directional cut line. This line should be perfectly horizontal and at right angles (90°) to the chosen felling direction.
Felling cut
The felling cut is made from the opposite side of the tree and it must be perfectly horizontal. Stand on the left side of the tree and cut on the pull stroke.
Make the felling cut about
Use full throttle and bring the bar and chain slowly into the tree. Make sure the tree does not start to move in the opposite direction to your intended felling direction. Drive a wedge or breaking bar into the cut as soon as it is deep enough.
Finish the felling cut parallel with the directional cut line so that the distance between them is at least 1/10 of the trunk diameter. The uncut section of the trunk is called the felling hinge.
The felling hinge controls the direction that the tree falls in.
All control over the felling direction is lost if the felling hinge is too narrow or
When the felling cut and directional cut are complete the tree should start to fall by itself or with the aid of a felling wedge or breaking bar.
We recommend that you use a bar that is longer than the diameter of the tree, so that you can make the felling cut and directional cuts with single cutting strokes. See the Technical data section to find out which lengths of bar are recommended for your saw.
There are methods for felling trees with a diameter larger than the bar length. However these methods involve a much greater risk that the kickback zone of the bar will come into contact with the tree.
24 – English
