conditions and the work to be performed. Use of the power tool for operations different from those intended could result in a hazardous situation.
►► To reduce the risk of serious injury, never alter or misuse the power tool.
Service
►► Have your power tool serviced by a qualified repair person using only identical replacement parts. This will ensure that
the safety of the power tool is maintained.
Specific Safety Rules for Circular Saws
►► Keep hands away from the blade and cutting area. Keep your second hand on the auxiliary handle. If both hands are hold- ing the saw, they cannot be cut by the blade.
►► Keep your body positioned to either side of the saw blade, but not in line with the saw blade. Kickback could cause the saw to jump backward. (See “Causes and Prevention of Kickback” below.)
►► Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The blade is fully exposed under the workpiece.
►► Never use a plunging circular saw that fails to return to its unplunged position. If the saw ever fails to fully retract the sawblade as expected, immediately stop using the saw and have the saw serviced by an authorized service center.
►► Never use a dust extraction system when making cuts that can result in sparks, such as cutting through nails and other ferrous materials. Sparks and hot embers can cause a fire or explosion in the dust extraction system.
►► Never hold the piece being cut in your hands or across your leg. It is important to support the work properly to minimize body exposure, blade binding, or loss of control.
►► Hold the saw by the insulated handles when performing an operation in which the sawblade may contact hidden wiring or its own cord. Contact with a “live” wire will make the exposed metal parts of the tool “live” and shock the operator.
►► When ripping, always use a rip fence or straight edge guide. This improves the accuracy of cut and reduces the chance for blade binding.
►► Always use blades with the correct size and shape arbor holes. Blades that do not match the mounting hardware of the saw will run eccentrically, causing loss of control.
►► Never use damaged or incorrect blade flanges or bolt. The blade flanges and bolt were specially designed for your saw for optimum performance and safety of operation.
Causes and Prevention of Kickback
Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound, or mis- aligned saw blade that causes the saw to lift up and out of the workpiece toward the operator.
Chances for kickback may be reduced by taking proper precau- tions as described below:
►► Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the saw and position your body and arm to allow you to resist kickback forces. Kickback forces can be controlled by the operator if proper precautions are taken.
►► When interrupting a cut for any reason, release the trigger and hold the saw motionless in the material until the blade comes to a complete stop. Never attempt to remove the saw from the work or pull the saw backward while the blade is in motion, or kickback may occur.
►► When restarting a saw in the workpiece, center the saw blade in the kerf and check that the saw teeth are not engaging the
material. If the saw blade is binding during a restart, it may climb up or kickback from the workpiece.
►► Do not use a dull or damaged blade. Dull or improperly sharpened blades cause excessive friction, blade binding, and kickback.
►► Support large panels to minimize the risk of the blade pinch- ing and causing a kickback. Large panels tend to sag under their own weight. Supports must be placed under the panel on both sides, near the line of cut and near the edge of the panel.
►► The bevel adjusting knobs must be fully tightened before making a cut. If the blade tilts during a cut, it will bind and cause a kickback.
►► Use extra caution when making a plunge cut into existing walls or other blind areas. The protruding blade may cut objects that can cause kickback.
Respiratory Exposure Safety Warnings
Substantial or repeated inhalation of dust and other airborne contaminants, in particular those with a smaller particle size, may cause respiratory or other illnesses. Various dusts created by power sanding, sawing, grinding, drilling and other construc- tion activities contain chemicals or substances known (to the State of California and others) to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Some examples of these chemicals/ substances are: lead from lead-based paints; crystalline silica from bricks, cement, and other masonry products; arsenic and chromium from chemically-treated lumber; and some wood
dusts, especially from hardwoods, but also from some soft- woods such as Western Red Cedar.
The risk from these exposures varies, depending on how often you do this type of work. To reduce your exposure to these chemicals: work in a well ventilated area and use a properly functioning dust extraction system. When the inhalation of dust cannot be substantially controlled, i.e., kept at or near the ambient (background) level, the operator and any bystanders should wear a respirator approved by NIOSH for the type of dust encountered.
Supplemental Owner’s Manual | 5 |
