​Working Techniques About Chainsaw

training is designed to provide working technical knowledge and skills to safely operate the equipment.

• Sizeup - This is scouting and planning safe cuts, before starting the saw.

• Felling - The aim is for the tree to fall safely for limbing and cross cutting the log. It includes considerations for lean, bend, wind, branches, obstacles, snow load and tree damage. The goal is to avoid letting the tree fall on another tree or obstacle. After clearing the tree's base undergrowth for the retreat path and the felling direction; felling is properly done with three main cuts. To control the fall, the top and bottom cuts are made to form a wedged 45 degree hinge in the directional cut line. From the opposite side of the wedge, the felling cut is made horizontally and slightly above the bottom cut. When the hinge is properly set, the felling cut will begin the fall in the desired direction.A sitback is when a tree moves back opposite the intended direction. Placing a wedge in the felling cut can prevent a sitback from pinching the saw.

• Limbing - This is cutting the branches off the log. The operator must be able to properly reach the cut to avoid kickback.

• Bucking - This is cross cutting the felled log into sections. Setup is made to avoid binding the chainsaw within the changing log tensions and compressions. Safe bucking is started at the log highside and then sections worked offside, toward the butt end. The offside log falls and allows for gravity to help prevent binds. Watching the log's kerf movement while cutting, helps to indicate binds. Additional equipment (lifts, bars, wedges and winches) and special cutting techniques can help prevent binds.

• Binds - This is when the chainsaw is at risk or is stuck in the log compression. A log bound chainsaw is not safe, and must be carefully removed to prevent equipment damage.

• Top bind — The tension area on log bottom, compression on top.

• Bottom bind — The tension area on log top, compression on bottom.

• Side bind — Sideways pressure exerted on log.

• End bind — Weight compresses the log's entire cross section.

• Brushing and Slashing - This is quickly clearing small trees and branches under 5 inches diameter. A hand piler may follow along to move out debris.

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