Bucking a tree using a chainsaw can be a tricky job for a person who is new in this field. Not everyone can buck a tree. It requires special training and proper instructions before you can buck a tree properly.
So to start off, let’s first discuss some safety important precautions you need to take before doing this job.
Safety Precautions Before Bucking A Tree
One of the key safety measures you should take before bucking a tree is that you should have the appropriate protective gear for your whole body. Safety gear protects your head, eyes, ears, legs, feet, and hands.
For the head region, you can use a well-rated chainsaw helmet. Decent chainsaw helmets often come with ear protection as well as a mesh visor for your face. They also have the right amount of ventilation available to help keep the sweat off your brow while at work.
To help protect your eyes, you can use a pair of safety goggles. This will help protect your eyes in case a flying piece of wood chip or sawdust makes its way towards your eye. The lens in good safety goggles often helps to provide impact resistance as they are made using polycarbonate material to help strengthen it.
Chainsaw chaps are also a must-have, especially considering you will be bending down using the chainsaw in close proximity with your legs. You should be wearing chainsaw chaps which are specially designed with 6-layer protective material to cover your leg region. These are often supplied as a one size fits all and often guarantees 180-degree protection to the front of the user’s legs.
For a firm grip on the ground, you should also wear logging boots which are designed to protect your feet’s.
Lastly, you should wear chainsaw gloves to protect your hands from cuts and scrapes. Always hold your chainsaw with the bar pointing rearwards and chain brake engaged. When you are using a chainsaw always stand to the left side of the saw in a way that your body is cleared of the cutting attachment.
Make sure you have a firm grip on your chainsaw machine. You should always hold the forward handle with your left hand. Thumbs and fingers should be fully wrapped around the handle. Hold the rear handle with your right hand again fully wrapping the thumb and fingers around the handle. Hold the saw in this manner regardless of if you are left-handed or right-handed.
Now we will talk about the proper way to buck a tree with a chainsaw.
The Proper Way To Buck A Tree With A Chainsaw
When you have cut down a tree and it’s on the ground, now the process of bucking starts.
What bucking a tree really means is to cut a fallen tree into smaller pieces. Before the bucking, limbing takes place. Limbing is pretty much just the process where you cut down each tree branch before bucking it into much smaller pieces.
The first thing to do though is to properly plan everything. Planning includes identifying which tree branches to cut first and which ones to cut last.
- Using your chainsaw, cut back all the small branches.
- When all the small branches are removed, then it is time to move on the bigger thick branches.
- When cutting the bigger branches, it is important to make sure you are positioned to avoid the log rolling over you.
- Now you have safely removed all the branches of a tree.
It is then time for bucking to begin.
Measure how long the log is. Divide it by making marks on it. Now take the chainsaw and start cutting the log from the marks you made earlier.
Never let the chainsaw touch the ground as it may kick back and seriously injure you.
Only cut halfway through the log along with the marks. Then roll the log over by 180 degrees and cut it down to meet your previous cuts into the tree log. Take your time and avoid distractions working slowly and methodically.
This is how bucking is done using a chainsaw. Remember, working with a chainsaw is only dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.
Stay safe.
