RIP CUT HAZARDS AND PRECAUTIONS
Two hazards are specifically associated with rip
cutting:outfeed zone and wrong wayfeed,
Inthe ouffeedzone (behind the blade), the blade
teethpoint down. The slightestcontact while the blade
isstill spinning can snag clothing, jewelry, the work-
piece,or even skin, causing seriouspersonal injury.
Wrongway feed occurswhen the workpiececontacts
theblade fromthe ouffeedside. It isvery hazardous
and willjerk the workpiece violently. You could be cut
ifyou are holding the workpiece.
,_k WARNING: Failureto observeany of these
precautionscan result in serious injury.
•The first precaution is, of course, simplyto stay
completelyaway from theouffeed zone. Keep
handsaway from the outfeed zone.
•Pointthe anti-kickback pawls away from the blade
teethto snag aworkpiece if the blade grabs.They
shouldbe positionedto rest lightlyon the
workpiece.The flat side of the pawls should be
leveland horizontal.
•Setthe riving knifeto justclear the table.
•Setthe holddown in front of the bladeto just clear
theworkpiece.
• Start and finish your cut from the infeed side.
•Pushthe workpiece past the pawls with push-
blocksand pushsticksto finish the cut.
•If the bladejams, turnthe saw off with the switch
onthe arm, remove the yellow key, and waitfor the
bladeto fullystop beforefreeing it.
•Make sure the blade is parallel to the fence and the
workpieceis not warpedor twisted.
•Make sure nopressure is applied to the workpiece
onthe ouffeedside.
•Makesure the blade guard is lowered and is
workingproperly.
•Alwaysset up the workpiece so the wider part of
thewood isbetween the blade andthe fence. This
stabilizesthe workpiece better.
•Do not release the workpieceuntil it has moved
pastthe pawls.Keep pushsticksfirmly inplace.
•Use pushsUcksand pushblocks, not yourhands,
whenthe trailingedge of the workpiece is within
3 in. ofthe blade. Ifthe blade isset 2 in. or more
from thefence, use apushstiok. Use a pushblock
and auxiliaryfence when the blade is between 2 in.
and 1/2 in.from the fence. (If the cut is narrower
than 1/2 in., use a different saw.) For large panel
ripcuts, use a featherboard insteadof pushblocks
or pushsticks.See the sectionon CuttingAids.
SETTING UP A RIP CUT
See Figure 46.
A precise and safe ripcut requires acareful set up.
Beforesetting up for in-ripor out-rip, especially for a
bevel cut, try the workpiece in both placements.
Checkfor stability, visibility,and control. Test which
willgive the best pushstickclearance.
Instructionsare givenfor an in-rip cut. At certain
points,the instructionswill vary for a bevel rip cut or
anout-rip process and will be enclosed in parenthe-
ses(example), Figure47 shows an out-ripsetup.
•Inserta solidfence withno kerfs.Use an auxiliary
fenceif the blade willbe set only 1/2 in.to 2 in.
fromthe fence.Tighten the table clamps,
•Ifthe armis too low or too high, firstliftthe blade
guardif the arm is too low, and turn the elevating
handwheelat the front of the table.Set the blade to
justclear the kerf or table.
•Change the bladeangle if needed. Raise the plastic
lowerguard to keep itfromjamming, releasethe
bevel locklever, and set the bevel indicatortozero.
(For a bevel rip cut, set the bevel Indicator to
the desired angle.) Test theclearance onthe
guard.Retighten the bevellock lever.
ELEVATING
HANDWHEEL
INFEEDFOR
INRIPCUTTING
Fig. 46
I'IIIIFTSMIIIP RADIALSAW315.220381 50