Homelite HCS3335A User Manual Download

Page: 42 / 608

English

FIN GR

PL SLO HR

TR EST

WORK AREA PRECAUTIONS

See Figure 22.

■

Cut

only wood

or materials made from wood

■

Never allow children to operate the saw. Do not Allow

persons to use this chainsaw who have not read this
operator’s manual or received adequate instructions
for the safe and proper use of this chainsaw.

■

Keep helpers, bystanders, children, and animals,

SAFE DISTANCE

from the cutting area. During

felling operations, the safe distance should be a least
twice the height of the largest trees in the felling area.
During bucking operations, keep a minimum distance
of 5 metres between workers.

■

Always cut with both feet on solid ground to prevent

being pulled off balance.

■

Do not cut above chest height as a saw held higher is

difficult to control against kickback forces.

■

Do not fell trees near electrical wires or buildings.

Leave this operation for professionals.

■

Cut only when visibility and light are adequate for you

to see clearly.

BASIC OPERATING/CUTTING
PROCEDURES

Practice cutting a few small logs using the following
technique to get the “feel” of using the saw before you
begin a major sawing operation.

■

Take the proper stance in front of the wood with the

saw idling.

■

Accelerate the engine to full throttle just before

entering the cut by squeezing the throttle trigger.

■

Begin cutting with the saw against the log.

■

Keep the engine at full throttle the entire time you are

cutting.

■

Allow the chain to cut for you; exert only light

downward pressure. Forcing the cut could result in
damage to the bar, chain, or engine.

■

Release the throttle trigger as soon as the cut is

completed allowing the engine to idle. Running the
saw at full throttle without a cutting load can result in
unnecessary wear to the chain, bar, and engine.

■

Do not put pressure on the saw at the end of the

cut as this may cause the saw to drop in an unsafe
manner.

OPERATION

FELLING TREES IN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS

WARNING:

Do not fell trees during periods of high wind or
heavy rain. Wait until the hazardous weather

has ended. When felling a tree, it is important
that you heed the following warnings to prevent
possible serious injury.

■

Do not cut down trees having extreme lean or large

trees with rotten limbs, loose bark, or hollow trunks.
Have these trees pushed or dragged down with heavy

equipment, then cut them up.

■

Do not cut trees near electrical wires or buildings.

■

Check the tree for damaged or dead branches that

could fall and hit you during felling.

■

Periodically glance at the top of the tree during the

back cut to assure the tree is going to fall in the
desired direction.

■

If the tree starts to fall in the wrong direction, or if the

saw gets caught or hung up during the fall, leave the
saw and save yourself!

PROPER PROCEDURE FOR TREE
FELLING

See Figures 23 - 26.

■

Pick your escape route (or routes in case the intended

route is blocked). Clear the immediate area around
the tree and make sure there are no obstructions in
your planned path of retreat. Clear the path of safe
retreat approximately 135° from the planned line of
fall.

■

Consider the force and direction of the wind, the lean

and balance of the tree, and the location of large
limbs. These things influence the direction in which
the tree will fall. Do not try to fell a tree along a line
different from its natural line of fall.

■

Cut a notch about 1/3 the diameter of the trunk in the

side of the tree. Make the notch cuts so they intersect
at a right angle to the line of fall. This notch should be
cleaned out to leave a straight line. To keep the weight
of the wood off the saw, always make the lower cut of
the notch before the upper cut.

■

Make the back cut level and horizontal, and at a

minimum of 2 in. above the horizontal cut of the notch.

Note:

Never cut through to the notch. Always leave

a band of wood between the notch and back cut
(approximately 2 in. or 1/10 the diameter of the tree).
This is called a “hinge” or “hinge wood.” It controls
the fall of the tree and prevents slipping or twisting or
shoot back of the tree off the stump.

■

On large diameter trees, stop the back cut before

it is deep enough for the tree to either fall or settle
back on the stump. Then insert soft wooden or plastic
wedges into the cut so they do not touch the chain.
Drive wedges in, little by little, to help jack the tree
over.

■

As tree starts to fall, stop the chainsaw and put it

down immediately. Retreat along the cleared path, but
watch the action in case something falls your way.

WARNING:

Never cut through to the notch when making a
back cut. The hinge controls the fall of the tree,

this is the section of wood between the notch
and back cut.

HCS3435A-25lgs manual.indd Sec1:39

12/19/08 3:08:54 PM