7
operaTion
Warning
To reduce the risk of injury,
wear safety goggles or glasses with side
shields.
Warning
Always remove battery
pack before changing or removing acces-
sories. Only use accessories specifically
recommended for this tool. Others may be
hazardous.
• 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 kickback from
the workpiece as the saw is restarted.
• Support large panels to minimise 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 dull or damaged blades.
Unsharp-
ened 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 sawing into existing
walls or other blind areas.
The protruding blade
may cut objects that can cause kickback.
General Operation
Always clamp the workpiece securely on a saw
horse or bench. See “APPLICATIONS” for the cor-
rect way to support your work in different situations.
1. Draw a cutting line. Place the front of the shoe on
the edge of the workpiece without making blade
contact. Hold the handle with one hand and the
front handle with the other (Fig. 3).
2. Line up the sight line with your cutting line. Posi-
tion your arms and body to resist KICKBACK.
3. To start the saw, push the lock-off button down
while pulling the trigger. Allow the motor to reach
full speed before beginning cut.
Note: LED comes on when the lock-off button is
pushed down.
4. While cutting, keep the shoe flat against the
workpiece and maintain a firm grip. Do not force
the saw through the workpiece. Forcing a saw
can cause KICKBACK. Use a light, continuous
pressure to make the cut while following the cut
line through the transparent guard or sight line.
5. If making a partial cut, restarting in mid-cut or
correcting direction, allow the blade to come to
a complete stop. To resume cutting, center the
blade in the kerf, back the saw away from cut-
ting edge a few inches, push the lock-off button
down while pulling the trigger and re-enter the
cut slowly.
Fig. 3
Kickback causes and related warnings
– Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched,
bound or misaligned saw blade, causing an un-
controlled 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 incor-
rect 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 kickback
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 kick-
back 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
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.
Warning
To reduce the risk of injury,
do not remove the transparent front guard.
If the transparent front guard is damaged
or missing, return tool to authorized service
station for replacement.
4. Lift the depth adjusting lever up towards the
motor housing to secure the shoe position.
Transparent Front Guard
The transparent front guard allows easy viewing of
the cutting line. If the transparent guard is cracked
or broken, return it to a
MILWAUKEE
service facility
for replacement. Never use the metal cutter with a
damaged or missing transparent guard.
