OPERATION

GENERAL CUTTING

See Figure 8.

Hold the saw firmly in front of and clearly away from you. Make sure the saw blade is clear of any foreign material. Be sure the material to be cut is held firmly. Small work pieces should be securely clamped in a vise or with clamps to the work bench or table. Mark the line of cut clearly. Depress the lock-off button, then pull the switch trigger to start the cutting action. Place the base assembly against the work, then move the blade into the work. Do not force. Use only enough pressure to keep the saw cutting. Let the blade and saw do the work. Use of excessive pressure that causes bending or twisting of the blade may result in broken blades.

PLUNGE CUTTING

See Figure 9.

Mark the line of cut clearly. Choose a convenient starting point inside the area to be cut out and place the tip of the blade over that point. Rest front edge of base (shoe) assembly on work and hold firmly in position. Depress the lock-off button, then pull switch trigger to start the cutting action.

WARNING:

Make sure blade does not touch work until motor reaches full speed, since this could cause loss of control resulting in serious injury.

With saw blade at full cutting speed, slowly tilt the saw downward until the tip of the blade starts cutting the work. After the blade penetrates the work, tilt the saw until the blade is perpendicular to the work.

METAL CUTTING

See Figure 10.

Metals such as sheet steel, pipe, steel rods, aluminum, brass, and copper may be cut with the saw. Be careful not to twist or bend the saw blade. Do not force. We recommend cutting oil when cutting most soft metals and steel. Cutting oil will also keep blades cool, increase cutting action, and prolong blade life.

Never use gasoline since normal sparking of motor could ignite fumes. Clamp the work firmly and cut close to the clamping point to eliminate any vibration of the work being cut. When cutting conduit pipe or angle iron, clamp work in a vise if possible and cut close to the vise. To cut thin sheet material, “sandwich” the material between hardboard or plywood and clamp the layers to eliminate vibration and material tearing.

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

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RIDGID R844 manual General Cutting