Safety Instructions for Basic Saw Operations (continued)
•To reduce the risk of burns or other fire damage, never use the saw near flammable liquids, vapors or gases.
•To reduce the risk of injury, don’t do layout, assembly, or setup work on the table while blade is spinning. It could cut or throw anything hitting the blade.
Plan your work
•Use the right tool. Don’t force tool or attachment to do a job it was not designed for.
Inspect your workpiece.
•Make sure there are no nails or for- eign objects in the part of the work- piece to be cut.
•When cutting irregularly shaped workpieces, plan your work so it will not slip and pinch the blade:
•A piece of molding for example, must lie flat or be held by a fixture of jig that will not let it twist, rock or slip while being cut. Use jigs or fix- tures where needed to prevent workpiece shifting.
•Use a different, better suited type of tool for work that can’t be made stable.
Plan your cut.
•To reduce the risk of kickbacks and throwbacks which occur when a part or all of the workpiece binds on the blade and is thrown violently back toward the front of the saw:
-Never cut Freehand. Always use either a rip fence, miter gauge or fixture to position and guide the work, so it won’t twist or bind on the blade and kickback.
-Make sure there’s no debris between the workpiece and its supports.
•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 substitute for a table extension, or as additional support for a work- piece that is longer or wider than the basic saw table, or to help feed, support or pull the workpiece.
•Never confine the piece being cut off, that is, the piece not against the fence, miter gauge or fixture. Never hold it, clamp it, touch it, or use length stops against it. It must be free to move. If confined, it could get wedged against the blade and cause a kickback or throwback.
•Never cut more than one work- piece at a time.
•Never turn your table saw “ON” before clearing everything except the workpiece and related support devices off the table.
Plan Ahead To Protect Your Eyes, Hands, Face and Ears
Dress for safety
•Do not wear loose clothing, gloves, neckties or jewelry (rings, wrist watches). They can get caught and draw you into moving parts.
•Wear nonslip footwear.
•Tie back long hair.
•Roll long sleeves above the elbow.
•Noise levels vary widely. To reduce the risk of possible hearing dam- age, wear ear plugs or muffs when using table saw for hours at a time.
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