Dumb one even. On general principle do sawyers tend to frown on backing out of incomplete cuts? My guess would be yes.
I think that there's some conditions where you could. I've backed out if I've misjudged my depth when working the bark off during the first few cuts and there's not much weight to what was cut. I'm a new Sawyer and I believe in general that normally you could back out a few feet while cutting 8' and up, but there's a shoulder on the guide wheels that keep the normal forward cutting forces in check. It doesn't take much force to get the blade to walk off your big "wheels" to throw it off. One thing I have learned is the amazing tension that can be in a log. I've seen it for years ripping finished lumber, just never really thought about the same condition started in the log.
I have had to move back a few times to trim bark knots etc I take wood or plastic wedges and force the cut open slightly and the saw rolls back easy JB
I try not to back out of a cut because I want the saw marks to be one continuous path all the way through a log.
Yep, agree with this, the blade does seem to run at a slightly different angle or something when moving thru the cut vs stationary. You can def see where you stop and its harder to plane that board flat. Esp if you need a certain thickness.
