SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
•Arrangement of branches
•Weight of snow
You may find you are forced to let the tree fall in its natural direction because it is impossible or dangerous to try to make it fall in the direction you first intended.
Another very important factor, which does not affect the felling direction but does affect your safety, is to make sure the tree has no damaged or dead branches that might break off and hit you during felling.
WARNING! During critical felling operations,
!hearing protectors should be lifted immediately when sawing is completed so that sounds and warning signals can be heard.
Clearing the trunk and preparing your retreat
Remove any branches that are in the way. To do this it is best to work from the top down and keep the trunk between you and the chain saw. Never limb above shoulder height.
Remove any undergrowth from the base of the tree and check the area for obstacles (stones, branches, holes, etc.) so that you have a clear path of retreat when the tree starts to fall.
Your path of retreat should be roughly 135 degrees away from the intended felling direction.
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.
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