12
Opening
of felling
cut
Closingof
notch
Hinge holdstree on stump and helps
control fall
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut if necess ary to
controlthe direction of fall. Toavoidkickback
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.
SBe alert to signs that the tree is ready to
fall: cracking sounds, widening of the fell-
ing cut, or movement in the upper
branches.
SAstree st arts to fall, stop saw, put it down,
andget awayquickly on y our planned re-
treat path.
SDO NOT cut down a partially fallen tree
withyour s aw. Be extremely cautious w ith
partially fallen trees that may be poorly
supported. Whena tree doesn’t fall com-
pletely,set the saw aside and pull down the
tree with a cable winch, block and tackle,
or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLENTREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a fallen
tree to the desired log size.
WARNING: Do not stand on t he log
beingc ut. Anyportion can roll causing loss
offooting and c ontrol. Do not stand downhill
of the logbeing c ut.
IMPORTANTPOINTS
SCut only one log at a time.
SCut shattered wood very carefully; sharp
pieces of wood could be flung toward oper a-
tor.
SUse a sawhorse to cut small logs. Never
allow another person to hold the log while
cuttingand never hold the log w ith your leg
or foot.
SDo not cut in an area where logs, limbs,
and roots are tangled such as in a blown
downarea. Dragthe logs into a clear area
before cutting by pulling out exposed and
cleared logs first.
TYPES OF CUTTING USED FOR
BUCKING
WARNING: If s aw becomes
pinched or hung in a log, don’t try to force it
out. You can lose control of the saw resulting
ininjury and/or damage to the s aw. Stop the
saw,drive a wedge of plas tic or wood into the
cutuntil the s aw can be removed easily. Re-
startthe saw and c arefully reenter the cut. To
avoid kickback and chain damage, do not
usea metal wedge. Donot attempt to restart
yoursaw when it is pinched or hung in a log.
Use a wedge to remove pinched saw
Turns aw OFF and use a plastic or
wooden wedge to force cut open.
Overcutting begins on the top side of the log
with the bottom of the saw against the log.
When overcutting use light downw ard pres-
sure.
Overcutting
Undercutting
Undercuttinginvolves cutting on the under-
sideof the log with top of s aw against the log.
When undercutting use light upward pres-
sure. Holdsaw fir mly and maintain control.
The saw will tend to push back toward you.
WARNING: Nev er turn saw upside
down to undercut. The saw cannot be con-
trolled in this position.
Always make your first cut on the compres-
sionside of the log. Thecompression side of
the log is where the pressure of the log’s
weight is concentrated.
Second cut
First cut on compression side of log
Firstcut on compression side of log
Second cut
BUCKING WITHOUT A SUPPORT
SOvercut through 1/3 of the diameter of the
log.
SRoll the log over and finish with a sec ond
overcut.
SWatchfor logs wit ha c ompression side to
prevent the saw from pinching. See il-
lustrations forc utting logs with a compres-
sion side.
BUCKING USING A LOG OR
SUPPORT STAND
SRemember your first cut is always on the
compression side of the log.
(Refer to the illustrations below for your
first and second cut)
SYour first cut should extend 1/3 of the
diameter of the log.
SFinish with your second cut.