12
Direction of Fall
45_
Plana clear retreat path
FELLINGLARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
Thenotc hmethod is used to fell large trees.
Anotch is c ut on the side of the tree in the de-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the notch.
NOTE:I f the tree has large buttress roots ,
removethem before making the notc h. Ifus-
ingsaw toremov e buttress roots, keep saw
chainfrom contact ing ground to prevent dull-
ingof the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLINGTHE
TREE
SMake notch cut by cutting the top of the
notchfi rst. Cut through 1/3 of the diameter
ofthe tree. Next complete thenotch by cut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut, remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Notch
Firstcut
Second cut
Final (felling) cut here, 2 inches
(5 cm) above center of notch.
Hinge
SAfter removing the wood fr om the notch,
make the felling cut on the opposite side of
thenotch. This isdone by making a c ut about
two inches higher than the center of the
notch. This will leave enough uncut wood
between the felling cut and the notch to form
ahinge. This hinge will help prev ent thet ree
from falling in the wrong direction.
Openingof
fellingcut
Closing
of notch
Hinge holdstree on stump and helps
control fall
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut when necessary to
controlthe direction of fall. Toavoid kickbac k
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.
SBealerttosignsthatthetreeisreadytofall:
cracking sounds, widening of the felling cut,
or movement in the upper branches.
SAstree st arts to fall, stop saw, put it down,
andget away quickly on your planned re-
treat path.
SDO NOT cut down a partially fallen tree
withyour s aw. Beextremely cautious with
partially fallen trees that may be poorly
supported. When a tree doesn’t fall com-
pletely,set the saw aside and pull downthe
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 standon the log
beingc ut. Any portion 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
piecesof wood could beflungtowar d oper-
ator.
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. Drag the 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 attemptto restart
yoursaw whenit is pinchedor hung in alog.
Useawedgetoremovepinchedsaw
Turn saw OFFand u sea p lasticor
wooden wedge to force cut open.
Overcuttingbegins onthetop sideofthe log
with the bottom of the saw against the log.
When overcutting use light downward pres-
sure.