13
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Never hold piece being cut in your hands or across your leg
(it is important to support the
work properly to minimize body exposure, blade binding, or loss of control).
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Hold 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 ex-
posed metal parts of the tool “live” and shock the operator).
-
When ripping always use a rip fence or straight edge guide
(this improves the accuracy of
cut and reduces the chance for blade binding).
-
Always use blades with correct size and shape of arbor holes (diamond or round)
(blades
that do not match the mounting hardware of the saw will run eccentrically, causing loss of con-
trol).
-
Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers or bolts
(the blade washers and bolt were
specially designed for your saw, for optimum performance and safety of operation).
Kickback – Causes
-
Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound or misaligned saw blade, causing an uncon-
trolled 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.
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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
towards operator.
Kickback – Operator preventions
Kickback is the result of tool misuse and/or incorrect operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given below.
-
Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the saw and position your arms to resist kick-
back forces; position your body to either side of the blade, but not in line with the blade
(kickback could cause the saw to jump backwards, but kickback forces can be controlled by the
operator, if proper precautions are taken).
-
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 at-
tempt to remove the saw from the work or pull the saw backwards while the blade is in
motion or kickback may occur
(investigate and take corrective actions to eliminate the cause
of blade binding; avoid cutting nails or screws).
-
When restarting a saw in the workpiece, centre 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 kick-
back from the workpiece as the saw is restarted).
-
Support large panels to minimize the risk of blade pinching and kickback
(large panels
tend to sag under their own weight; supports must be placed under the panel on both sides, near
the line of cut and near the edge of the panel).
-
Do not use a dull or damaged blade
(unsharpened or improperly set blades produce narrow
kerf causing excessive friction, blade binding and kickback).
-
Blade depth and bevel adjusting locking levers must be tight and secure before making cut
(if blade adjustment shifts while cutting, it may cause binding and kickback).
-
Use extra caution when making a plunge cut into existing walls or other blind areas
(the
protruding blade may cut objects that can cause kickback).
Warning
-
Check lower guard for proper closing before each use.
-
Do not operate the saw if lower guard does not move freely and close instantly.
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Never clamp or tie the lower guard into the open position.