English
15
DON’T support board or
panel AWAY from the cut.
FIG. 15
SUPPORT
DO support board or
panel NEAR the cut.
FIG. 14
Workpiece Support
WARNING: It is important to support the work properly and to
hold the saw firmly to prevent loss of control which could cause
personal injury. Figure 13 illustrates proper hand support of the saw.
Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the saw and position your
body and arm to allow you to resist kickback if it occurs.
Figure 13 shows proper sawing position. Note that hands are kept
away from cutting area. To avoid kickback, DO support board or
panel NEAR the cut (Fig. 14). DON’T support board or panel away
from the cut (Fig. 15).
Place the work with its “good” side – the one on which appearance
is most important – down. The saw cuts upward, so any splintering
will be on the work face that is up when you cut it.
Cutting
Place the wider portion of the saw shoe on that part of the
workpiece which is solidly supported, not on the section that will
fall off when the cut is made. As examples, Figure 13 illustrates the
RIGHT way to cut off the end of a board. Always clamp work. Don’t
try to hold short pieces by hand! Remember to support cantilevered
and overhanging material. Use caution when sawing material from
below.
Be sure saw is up to full speed before blade contacts material to
be cut. Starting saw with blade against material to be cut or pushed
forward into kerf can result in kickback. Push the saw forward at
a speed which allows the blade to cut without laboring. Hardness
and toughness can vary even in the same piece of material, and
knotty or damp sections can put a heavy load on the saw. When
this happens, push the saw more slowly, but hard enough to keep
working without much decrease in speed. Forcing the saw can
cause rough cuts, inaccuracy, kickback, and over-heating of the
motor. Should your cut begin to go off the line, don’t try to force it
back on. Release the switch and allow blade to come to a complete
stop. Then you can withdraw the saw, sight anew, and start a new
cut slightly inside the wrong one. In any event, withdraw the saw if
you must shift the cut. Forcing a correction inside the cut can stall
the saw and lead to kickback.
IF SAW STALLS, RELEASE THE TRIGGER AND BACK THE
SAW UNTIL IT IS LOOSE. BE SURE BLADE IS STRAIGHT
IN THE CUT AND CLEAR OF THE CUTTING EDGE BEFORE
RESTARTING.
As you finish a cut, release the trigger and allow the blade to
stop before lifting the saw from the work. As you lift the saw, the
spring-tensioned telescoping guard will automatically close under
the blade. Remember the blade is exposed until this occurs. Never
reach under the work for any reason. When you have to retract the
telescoping guard manually (as is necessary for starting pocket
cuts) always use the retracting lever.
NOTE: When cutting thin strips, be careful to ensure that small
cutoff pieces don’t hang up on inside of lower guard.
RIPPING (FIG. 16)
Ripping is the process of cutting wider boards into narrower strips
– cutting grain lengthwise. Hand guiding is more difficult for this type
of sawing and the use of a rip fence is recommended.