Preparing to Make the Cut
Inspect Your Workpiece. Make sure
there are no nails or foreign objects in the part of the workpiece to be cut.
Plan your work to avoid thrown pieces caused when the workpiece binds on the blade and is torn from your hands.
Plan how you will make the cut.
Always:
•Make sure the blade is not spinning.
•Raise the blade.
•Slide the saw out above the front edge of the workpiece before start- ing saw, and
•Push the sawblade down on top of the wood and back toward the rear of the saw to make the cut.
DANGER: NEVER pull the saw toward you during a cut. The blade can suddenly climb up on top of the workpiece and force itself toward you.
Plan the way you will hold the work- piece from start to finish.
•Avoid awkward operations and hand positions where a sudden slip could cause fingers or hand to move into the blade.
•Don’t Overreach. Keep good footing and balance.
•Keep your face and body to one side of sawblade, out of line with a possible throwback.
•Cut only one workpiece at a time. Never cut Freehand:
•Brace your workpiece solidly against the fence and table top so it will not rock or twist during the cut.
•Make sure there’s no debris between the workpiece and its sup- ports.
•Make sure no gaps between the workpiece, fence and table will let the workpiece shift after it is cut in two.
•Cut only one workpiece at a time.
•Keep the cut off piece free to move sideways after it's cut off. Otherwise, it could get wedged against the blade and could be thrown violently.
•Clear everything except the work- piece and related support devises off the table before turning the miter saw on.
•Secure Work. Use clamps or a vise to help hold the work when it’s prac- tical.
Use extra caution with large, very small or awkward workpieces:
•Use extra supports (tables, saw horses, blocks, etc.) for any work- pieces large enough to tip when not held down to the table top.
•Never use another person as a sub- stitute for a table extension, or as additional support for a workpiece that is longer or wider than the basic miter saw table or to help feed, sup- port or pull the workpiece.
•Do not use this saw to cut pieces too small to let you easily hold the work while you keep the thumb side of your index (pointer) finger against the outside edge of the fence.
•When cutting irregularly shaped workpieces, plan your work so it will not slip and pinch the blade and be torn from your hands. A piece of molding, for example, must lie flat or be held by a fixture or jig that will not let it twist, rock or slip while being cut.
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