3
auxiliary handle, or motor housing.
If both hands
are holding the saw, they cannot be cut by the blade.
• Do not reach underneath the workpiece.
The
guard cannot protect you from the blade below the
workpiece.
• 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.
• 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.
• Hold the power tool by insulated gripping sur-
faces only, 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
could give the operator an electric shock.
• When ripping, always use a rip fence or straight
edge guide.
This improves the accuracy of cut and
reduces the chance of blade binding.
• Always use blades with correct size and shape
(diamond versus round) of arbour holes.
Blades
that do not match the mounting hardware of the saw
will run eccentrically, causing loss of control.
• 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 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 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 attempt
to remove the saw from the work or pull the saw
backward while the blade is in motion or kick-
back may occur.
Investigate and take corrective
actions to eliminate the cause of blade binding.
• 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.
Unsharpened
or improperly set blades produce narrow kerf caus-
ing 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.
Lower guard function
• Check lower guard for proper closing before
each use. Do not operate the saw if lower guard
does not move freely and close instantly. Never
clamp or tie the lower guard into the open posi-
tion.
If saw is accidentally dropped, lower guard may
be bent. Raise the lower guard with the retracting
handle and make sure it moves freely and does not
touch the blade or any other part, in all angles and
depths of cut.
• Check the operation of the lower guard spring.
If the guard and the spring are not operating
properly, they must be serviced before use.
Lower guard may operate sluggishly due to dam-
aged parts, gummy deposits, or a build-up of debris.
• Lower guard should be retracted manually only
for special cuts such as “plunge cuts” and
“compound cuts.”
Raise lower guard by retracting
handle and as soon as blade enters the material, the
lower guard must be released. For all other sawing,
the lower guard should operate automatically.
• Always observe that the lower guard is covering
the blade before placing saw down on bench or
floor.
An unprotected, coasting blade will cause
the saw to walk backwards, cutting whatever is in
its path. Be aware of the time it takes for the blade
to stop after switch is released.
• Maintain labels and nameplates.
These carry
important information. If unreadable or missing,
contact a
MILWAUKEE
service facility for a free
replacement.
• WARNING
Some dust created by power sanding,
sawing, grinding, drilling, and other construction
activities contains chemicals known to cause can-
cer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Some
examples of these chemicals are:
• lead from lead-based paint
• crystalline silica from bricks and cement and other
masonry products, and
• arsenic and chromium from chemically-treated
lumber.
Your risk from these exposures varies, depending
on how often you do this type of work. To reduce
your exposure to these chemicals: work in a well
ventilated area, and work with approved safety
equipment, such as those dust masks that are spe-
cially designed to filter out microscopic particles.
