Poulan 210 - Manual (Page 11)

TYPES OF CUTTING
A. BASIC CUTTING TECHNIQUE
1. IMPORTANT POINTS
a. Cut wood only. Do not cut metal; plastics; mason­
ry; non-wood building materials; etc.
b. Stop the saw if the chain strikes a foreign object.
Inspect the saw and repair or replace parts as nec­
essary.
c. Keep the chain out of dirt and sand. Even a
small amount of dirt will quickly dull a chain and
thus increase the possibility of kickback.
A
KICKBACK WARNING
Contact at the upper portion of the tip of the guide bar
can cause the chain to dig into the object, which stops
the chain for an instant. The result is a lightning fast,
reverse reaction which kicks the guide bar up and back
toward the operator. This is kickback. If the saw chain
s pinched along the top of the guide bar, the guide bar
can be driven rapidly back toward the operator. Either
of these reactions can cause loss of saw control which
can result in serious injury.__________________________
iCJi
Begin cutting with
the saw frame against
the log.
2. OTHER REACTIVE FORCES
Pinch-Kickback and Pull-In occur when the chain
is suddenly stopped by being pinched, caught, or
by contacting a foreign object in the wood. This
stopping of the chain results in a reversal of the chain
force used to cut wood and causes the saw to move in
the opposite direction of chain rotation. Either reaction
can result in loss of control and possible serious injury.
• Pinch-Kickback -
- occurs when the chain on top of the bar is sud­
denly stopped.
- rapidly drives the saw straight back toward the
operator.
• Pull-In -
- occurs when the chain on the bottom of the bar is
suddenly stopped.
- pulls the saw rapidly forward.
I
3. USING YOUR CHAIN SAW
Practice cutting a few small logs using the following
technique to get the “feel” of using your saw before
you begin a major sawing operation.
a. Accelerate engine to full throttle before entering
cut by squeezing the throttle trigger.
b. Begin cutting with the saw frame against the
log. Figure 19.
c. Keep the engine at full throttle the entire time
you are cutting.
d. Allow the chain to cut for you; exert only light
downward pressure. If you force the cut, damage to
the bar, chain, or engine can result.
e. Release the throttle trigger as soon as the cut is
completed, allowing the engine to idle. If you run
the saw at full throttle without a cutting load,
unnecessary wear can occur to the chain, bar, and
engine.
f. To avoid losing control when cut is complete, do
not put pressure on saw at end of cut
g. Stop the engine before setting the saw down.
B. TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
1. CAREFULLY PLAN YOUR SAWING OPERA­
TION IN ADVANCE
a. Clear the work area. You need a clear area all
around tree where you can have secure footing.
b. Study the natural conditions that can cause the
tree to fall in a particular direction.
1. ) The WIND direction and speed.
2. ) The LEAN of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or sloping
terrain. Use a plumb or level to determine the
direction of tree lean.
3. ) WEIGHTED and BRANCHES on one side
4. ) Surrounding TREES and OBSTACLES.
c. Look for decay and rot. If the trunk is rotted, it
can snap and fall toward the operator.
d. Check for broken or dead branches which can
fall on you while cutting.
e. Make sure there is enough room for the tree to
fall. Maintain a distance of 2 1/2 tree lengths from
the nearest person or other objects. Engine noise
can drown out a warning call.
f. Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, staples,
and wire from the tree where cuts are to be
made.
g. Plan to stand on the up-hill side when on a
slope. Figure 20.
h. Plan to clean retreat path to the rear and diago­
nal to the line of fall. Figure 21.