5
not touch tool housing. Leaving blade
exposed is VERY DANGEROUS and can
leadto serious personal injury.
3. Check the operation and condition of the
lower guard spring. If the guard and the
spring are not operating properly, they
must be servicedbefore use. Lower guard
may operate sluggishly due to damaged
parts,gummy deposits, or a buildup of debris.
4. Lowerguard should be retracted manually
only for special cuts such as “Pocket
Cuts”and “Compound Cuts.” Raise lower
guard by retracting Lever. As soon as
blade enters the material, lower guard
must be released. Forall other sawing, the
lowerguard should operate automatically.
5. Always observe that the lower guard is
covering the blade before placing saw
down on bench or floor. An unprotected,
coasting blade will cause the saw to walk
backwards,cutting whatever is in its path. Be
awareof the time it takes for the blade to stop
afterswitch is released.
6. NEVERhold piece being cut in your hands
oracross your leg. It is important to support
thework properly to minimize body exposure,
bladebinding, or loss of control.
7. Hold tool by insulated gripping surfaces
when performing an operation where the
cutting tool may contact hiddenwiring or
its own cord. Contact with a “live” wire will
also make exposed metal parts of the tool
“live”and shock the operator.
8. Whenrippingalwaysusearipfenceor
straight edge guide. This improves the
accuracy of cut and reduces the chance for
bladebinding.
9. Always use blades with correct size and
shape (diamond vs. round) arbor holes.
Bladesthat do not match the mounting hard-
wareof the saw will run eccentrically, causing
lossof control.
10. Never use damaged or incorrect blade
washers or bolts. The blade washers and
boltwere specially designed for your saw, for
optimum performance and safety of opera-
tion.
11. Causes and Operator Prevention of Kick-
back:
Kickback is a sudden reactionto a pinched,
bound or misaligned saw blade, causing an
uncontrolled saw to lift up and out of the
workpiecetoward the operator.
Whenthe blade is pinched or bound tightly by
thekerf closing down, the blade stalls and the
motor reaction drives the unit rapidly back
towardthe operator.
Ifthe blade becomes twisted or misaligned in
the cut, the teeth at the back edge of the
bladecan dig into the top surface of the wood
causingthe blade to climb out of the kerf and
jumpback toward operator.
Kickback is the result of tool misuse and/or
incorrect operating procedures or conditions
andcan be avoided by taking proper precau-
tionsas given below:
Maintain a firm grip with both hands on
the saw and position your body and arm
to allow you to resist KICKBACK forces.
KICKBACKforcescanbecontrolledbythe
operator,if proper precautions are taken.
When bladeis binding, or when interrupt-
ing a cut for anyreason, release the trig-
ger and hold the saw motionless in the
material until the blade comes to a com-
plete stop. Never attempt to remove the
saw from the work or pull the saw back-
wardwhile the blade is in motion or KICK-
BACK may occur. Investigate and take
corrective actions to eliminate the cause of
bladebinding.
When restarting a saw in the workpiece,
centerthe saw blade in the kerf and check
that saw teeth are not engaged into the
material. If sawblade is binding, it may walk
up or KICKBACK from the workpiece as the
sawis restarted.
Support large panels to minimize the risk
of blade pinching and KICKBACK. Large
panels tend to sag under their own weight.
Supports must be placed underthe panel on
both sides, near the lineof cut and near the
edgeof the panel as shown in Fig. 1.
To minimize the risk ofblade pinching and
kickback. When cutting operation requires
the resting of the sawon the workpiece, the
saw should be rested on the larger portion
andthe smaller piece cut off.