SAFETY RULES
• As an additional safety precaution, apply the chain brake prior
to setting down the saw.
• Only use the chain saw in well-ventilated places, do not
operate the chain saw in explosive or flammable atmospheres
or in closed environments (Fig. 12). Beware of carbon monoxide
poisoning.
• Do not operate saw from a ladder or in a tree. Always cut from
a firm-footed and safe position.
• Do not put pressure on the saw at the end of the cut. Applying
pressure can cause you to lose control when the cut is
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completed.
• Do not cut near electric cables.
• Keep the handles dry, clean, and free of oil or fuel mixture.
• When the chain saw is running, grip the front handle firmly with
your left hand and the back handle with your right hand (Fig.
10, page 8).
• When cutting a limb that is under tension, be alert for
springback so you will not be struck when the tension in the
wood fibre is released.
• Take great care when cutting small branches or shrubs which
can block the chain, be thrown back towards you or cause you
to lose your balance.
• Never cut with the chain saw above shoulder height (Fig. 13).
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• Never start up the chain saw without the chain cover fitted.
Precautions Against Kickback
WARNING: Avoid kickback which can result in
serious injury. Kickback is the backward, upward or
sudden forward motion of the guide bar occurring
when the saw chain near the upper tip of the guide
bar contacts any object such as a log or branch, or
when the wood closes in and pinches the saw chain
in the cut. Contacting a foreign object in the wood
can also result in loss of chain saw control.
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• Rotational Kickback can occur when the moving chain
contacts an object at the upper tip of the guide bar. This
contact can cause the chain to dig into the object, which stops
the chain for an instant. The result is an extremely fast, reverse
reaction which kicks the guide bar up and back toward the
operator (Fig. 14-15 and Fig. 16 page 10).
• Pinch-Kickback can occur when the wood closes in and
pinches the moving saw chain in the cut along the top of the
guide bar and the saw chain is suddenly stopped. This sudden
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
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direction of the chain rotation. The saw is driven straight back
toward the operator.
• Pull-In can occur when the moving chain contacts a foreign
object in the wood in the cut along the bottom of the guide bar
and the saw chain is suddenly stopped. This sudden stopping
pulls the saw forward and away from the operator and could
easily cause the operator to lose control of the saw.
Avoid Pinch-Kickback:
• Be extremely aware of situations or obstructions that can cause
material to pinch the top of or otherwise stop the chain.
• Do not cut more than one log at a time.
• Do not twist the saw as the bar is withdrawn from an undercut
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when bucking.
en
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