Use and Care Manual

11
WARNING
Never cut through to the notch
when making a backcut. The hinge
controls the fall of the tree, this is the section of
wood between the notch and backcut.
Bucking
Bucking is the term used for cutting a fallen tree to
the desired log length.
• Always make sure your footing is secure and your
weight is distributed evenly on both feet.
• Cut only one log at a time.
• Support small logs on a saw horse or another log
while bucking.
• Keep a clear cutting area. Make sure that no objects
can contact the guide bar nose and chain during
cutting, this can cause kickback.
• Never allow someone to hold the log during cutting.
• Never stabilize log with leg or feet.
Kickback
• When bucking on a slope, always stand on the uphill
side of the log. To maintain complete control of the
chainsaw when cutting through the log, release the
cutting pressure near the end of the cut without
relaxing your grip on the chainsaw handles. Do not
let the chain contact the ground. After completing
the cut, wait for the saw chain to stop before you
move the chainsaw. Always stop the motor before
moving from tree to tree.
• Sometimes it is impossible to avoid pinching (with
just standard cutting techniques) or di󰀩cult to predict
which way a log will settle when cut. To avoid pinch-
ing while cutting, rotate or move the log so that the
pinch is eliminated.
Bucking Logs Under Stress
When the log is supported along its entire length, it
should be cut from the top or overbucking.
Log Supported at Both Ends
Finishing Cut
Load
1st Cut 1/3 Dia.
When the log is supported on one end, cut 1/3 the
diameter from the underside or underbucking. Then
make the nishing cut by overbucking to meet the
rst cut.
Finishing Cut
Log Supported at One End
Load
1st Cut
1/3 Dia.
As the log is being cut, it will tend to bend. The saw
can become pinched or hung in the log if you make
the rst cut deeper than 1/3 of the diameter of the log.
Give special attention to logs under stress to prevent
the bar and chain from pinching.
When bucking on a slope, always stand on the
uphill side of the log. When “cutting through,” to
maintain complete control of the chainsaw, release
the cutting pressure near the end of the cut without
relaxing your grip on the chainsaw handles. Do not
let the chain contact the ground. After completing the
cut, wait for the saw chain to stop before you move
the chainsaw. Always stop the motor before moving
from tree to tree.