Basic Saw Operation

1.Familiarize yourself with the location and operation of all controls and adjustments and the use of the mitre gauge and rip fence.

2.Serious injury can result from kickbacks which occur when a workpiece binds on the saw blade or binds between the saw blade and rip fence or other fixed objects. This binding can cause the workpiece to lift up and be thrown toward the operator.

Listed below are the conditions which can cause kickback and should be thoroughly familiar to the operator.

•Confining the cutoff piece when crosscutting or ripping.

•Releasing the workpiece before completing the operation or not pushing the workpiece all the way past the saw blade.

•Not using the splitter when ripping or not maintaining alignment of the splitter with the saw blade.

•Using a dull saw blade.

•Not maintaining alignment of the rip fence. (Fence should angle away from, rather than towards, the saw blade front to back.) NOTE: A caution decal on guard and splitter assembly warns against misalignment.

•Applying feed force in ripping to the cutoff (free) section of the workpiece instead of the section between the saw blade and fence. Use push sticks or push blocks for narrow, thin, or short work.

•Ripping wood that is twisted (not flat), or does not have a straight edge, or has a twisted grain.

To minimize or prevent injury from kickbacks:

•Avoid conditions listed above.

•Wear a safety face shield, goggles, or glasses.

•Do not use the miter gauge and rip fence in the same operation unless provision is made of a facing board on the fence to allow the cutoff section of the workpiece to come free before the cut is started. (see Figure 42)