12
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.
SBe alert to signs that the tree is ready to fall:
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.
Overcutting Undercutting
Undercuttinginvolves cutting on theunder-
sideof the log with top of s aw against the log.
When undercutting use light upward pres-
sure. Hold saw firmly and maintain contr ol.
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 thelog. 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 witha 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
illustrationsbelow for yourfirst and second
cut)
SYour first cut should extend 1/3 of the
diameter of the log.
SFinish with your second cut.
1st Cut
2nd Cut
Usingalogforsupport