To reduce the risk of pull-in:
•
Cut with a sharp, properly tensioned chain.
–
Always start a cut with the chain rotating at full speed and with the bucking spikes in contact
–
with the wood.
Use caution when cutting small-size brush, branches and saplings which may easily catch
–
the chain, spring towards you or pull you off balance.
Do not use the saw with a damaged or missing guard.
–
Additional Safety Warnings
Pull (Fig . 6) – The reaction force is always
opposite to the direction the chain is moving
where wood contact is made. Thus, the oper-
ator must be ready to control the PULL when
cutting on the bottom edge of the bar.
Low Kickback Saw Chain
T
he rakers (depth gauges) ahead of each
cutter can minimize the force of a kickback
reaction by preventing the cutters from digging
in too deeply at the kickback zone. Only use
a replacement chain that is equivalent to the
original chain or has been certified as a low
kickback chain per ANSI B175.1. A low kickback tooth saw chain is a chain that has met the
kickback performance requirements of ANSI B175.1 (American National Standard for Power
Tools - Gasoline-Powered Chain saws - Safety Requirements) when tested on the representa-
tive sample of pruning saws below 3.8 c.i.d. specified in ANSI B175.1.
CAUTION
As saw chains are sharpened during their useful life, they lose some of the low kickback
•
qualities and extra caution should be used.
8
Fig . 6