Milwaukee 0740-20 Symbology, Speci cations

4 5

work or pull the saw backward while

the blade is in motion or KICKBACK

may occur. Investigate and take cor-

rective actions to eliminate the cause

of blade binding.

c) When restarting a saw in the work-

piece, center the saw blade in the

kerf and check that saw teeth are

not engaged into the material. If

saw blade is binding, it may walk up or

KICKBACK from the workpiece as the

saw is restarted.

d) Support large panels to minimize

the risk of blade pinching and KICK-

BACK. 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.

e) Do not use dull or damaged blade.

Unsharpened or improperly set blades

produce narrow kerf causing excessive

friction, blade binding and KICKBACK.

f) Blade depth and bevel adjusting lock-

ing levers must be tight and secure

before making cut. If blade adjustment

shifts while cutting, it may cause binding

and KICKBACK.

g) 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.

3. Check lower guard for proper closing

before each use. Do not operate the

saw if lower guard does not move

freely and close instantly. Never clamp

or tie the lower guard into the open po-

sition. If saw is accidentally dropped,

lower guard may be bent. Raise the

lower guard with the retracting handle

and make sure it moves freely and does

not touch the blade or any other part, in

all angles and depths of cut.

4. Check the operation and condition

of the lower guard spring. If the

guard and the spring are not operat-

ing properly, they must be serviced

before use. Lower guard may operate

sluggishly due to damaged parts, gum-

my deposits, or a buildup of debris.

f) When ripping always use a rip fence

or straight edge guide. This improves

the accuracy of cut and reduces the

chance of blade binding.

g) Always use blades with correct size

and shape (diamond vs. round) arbor

holes. Blades that do not match the

mounting hardware of the saw will run

eccentrically, causing loss of control.

h) Never use damaged or incorrect blade

washers or bolts. The blade washers

and bolts were specially designed for

your saw, for optimum performance and

safety of operation.

2. Causes and Operator Prevention of

KICKBACK:

KICKBACK is a sudden reaction to

a pinched, bound or misaligned saw

blade, causing an uncontrolled saw to

lift up and out of the workpiece toward

the operator.

When the blade is pinched or bound

tightly by the kerf closing down, the

blade stalls and the motor reaction

drives the unit rapidly back toward the

operator.

If the blade becomes twisted or mis-

aligned in the cut, the teeth at the back

edge of the blade can dig into the top

surface of the wood causing the blade

to climb out of the kerf and jump back

toward operator.

KICKBACK is the result of saw misuse and/or

incorrect operating procedures or conditions

and can be avoided by taking proper precau-

tions as given below:

a) Maintain a ﬁ rm grip with both hands

on the saw and position your arms

to resist KICKBACK forces. Posi-

tion your body to either side of the

blade, but not in line with the blade.

KICKBACK could cause the saw to jump

backwards, but kickback forces can

be controlled by the operator, if proper

precautions are taken.

b) When blade is binding, or when inter-

rupting a cut for any reason, release

the trigger and hold the saw motion-

less in the material until the blade

comes to a complete stop. Never

attempt to remove the saw from the

5. Lower guard should be retracted

manually only for special cuts such

as "Plunge Cuts" and "Compound

Cuts". Raise lower guard by retract-

ing handle and as soon as blade

enters the material, the lower guard

must be released. For all other saw-

ing, the lower guard should operate

automatically.

6. Always observe that the lower guard

is covering the blade before plac-

ing saw down on bench or ﬂ oor. An

unprotected, coasting blade will cause

the saw to walk backwards, cutting

whatever is in its path. Be aware of the

time it takes for the blade to stop after

switch is released.

7. Maintain labels and nameplates.

These carry important information.

If unreadable or missing, contact a

MILWAUKEE service facility for a free

replacement.

8. WARNING: Some dust created by

power sanding, sawing, grinding, drill-

ing, and other construction activities

contains chemicals known to cause

cancer, birth defects or other reproduc-

tive harm. Some examples of these

chemicals are:

• lead from lead-based paint

• crystalline silica from bricks and cement

and other masonry products, and

• arsenic and chromium from chemically-

treated lumber.

Your 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 ven-

tilated area, and work with approved

safety equipment, such as those dust

masks that are specially designed to

ﬁ lter out microscopic particles.

9. Do not touch material after it has been

cut. Cut material may be very hot.

10. Do not use cutting oil. The use of cut-

ting oil may cause a ﬁ re.

11. Do not use tool near ﬂ ammable mate-

rial. Sparks may cause ﬁ re.

12. Do not cut workpieces covered or

stained with gas, oil, solvents, thin-

ners, etc. Exposure to these materials

may damage the transparent guard.

13. Do not remove the transparent front

guard. If the transparent front guard

is damaged or missing, return tool to

authorized service station for replace-

ment.

14. Do not start the blade when in contact

with workpiece. Wait for blade to reach

full speed before beginning cut.

Symbology

Volts Direct Current

No Load Revolutions per Minute (RPM)

Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., United States and Canada

Blade Size

6-7/8"

Cat. No.

0740-20

Volts DC

Speciﬁ cations

No Load RPM

3 200

Arbor

20 mm

Depth of Cut At 90°

0 to 2-3/8"