b) Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The guard cannot
protect you from the blade below the workpiece.
c) Adjust the cutting depth to the thickness of the workpiece.
Less than a full tooth of the blade teeth should be visible below the
workpiece.
d) Never hold piece being cut in your hands or across your
leg. Secure the workpiece to a stable platform. It is important
to support the work properly to minimize body exposure, blade
binding, or loss of control.
e) Hold power tool by insulated gripping surfaces when
performing an operation where the cutting tool may contact
hidden wiring or its own cord. Contact with a “live” wire will
also make exposed metal parts of the power tool “live” and shock
the operator.
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
versus round) of 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 bolt. The
blade washers and bolt were specially designed for your saw, for
optimum performance and safety of operation.
FURTHER SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL SAWS
KICKBACK CAUSES AND RELATED WARNINGS:
• 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 misaligned 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 the operator.
• Kickback is the result of saw misuse and/or incorrect operating
procedures or conditions and can be avoided by taking proper
precautions as given below.
a) Maintain a firm grip on the saw and position your arm to
resist kickback forces. Position your body to either side of the
blade, but not in line with the blade. Position the hand not
holding the saw well away from the travel path of the saw.
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 interrupting a cut for any
reason, release the trigger and hold the saw motionless in
the material until the blade comes to a complete stop. Never
attempt to remove the saw from the work or pull the saw
backward while the blade is in motion or kickback may occur.
Investigate and take corrective actions to eliminate the cause of
blade binding.
c) When restarting a saw in the workpiece, 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 kickback. Large panels tend to sag under their own weight.
