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3
PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS FOR CIRCULAR
SAWS
■
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.
■
Maintain a firm grip with both hand
s
on the
s
aw
and po
s
ition your arm
s
to re
s
i
s
t kickback force
s
.
Po
s
ition your body to either
s
ide 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 i
s
binding or when interrupting a cut
for any rea
s
on, relea
s
e the trigger and hold the
s
aw motionle
ss
in the material until the blade
come
s
to a complete
s
top. Never attempt to
remove the
s
aw from the work or pull the
s
aw
backward while the blade i
s
in motion or kickback
may occur.
Investigate and take corrective actions to
eliminate the cause of blade binding.
■
When re
s
tarting a
s
aw in the workpiece, centre
the
s
aw blade in the kerf and check that
s
aw 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 panel
s
to minimi
s
e the ri
s
k 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 u
s
e dull or damaged blade
s
.
Unsharpened
or improperly set blades produce narrow kerf causing
excessive friction, blade binding and kickback.
■
Blade depth and bevel adju
s
ting locking lever
s
mu
s
t be tight and
s
ecure before making a cut.
If
blade adjustment shifts while cutting, it may cause
binding and kickback.
■
U
s
e extra caution when making a "plunge cut"
into exi
s
ting wall
s
or other blind area
s
.
The
protruding blade may cut objects that can cause
kickback.
Safety in
s
truction
s
for
s
aw
s
with lower guard
■
Check lower guard for proper clo
s
ing before each
u
s
e. Do not operate the
s
aw if lower guard doe
s
not move freely and clo
s
e in
s
tantly. Never clamp
or tie the lower guard into the open po
s
ition.
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
s
pring. If
the guard and the
s
pring are not operating
properly, they mu
s
t be
s
erviced before u
s
e.
Lower
guard may operate sluggishly due to damaged parts,
gummy deposits or a build-up debris.
■
Lower guard
s
hould be retracted manually only
for
s
pecial cut
s
s
uch a
s
"plunge cut
s
" and
"compound cut
s
." Rai
s
e lower guard by
retracting handle and a
s
s
oon a
s
the blade enter
s
the material, the lower guard mu
s
t be relea
s
ed.
For all other sawing, the lower guard should operate
automatically.
■
Alway
s
ob
s
erve that the lower guard i
s
covering
the blade before placing
s
aw down on bench or
floor
.
A
n unprotected, coasting blade will cause the
saw to walk backwards, cutting whatever is in its
path.
B
e aware of the time it takes for the blade to
stop after switch is released.
Additional
s
afety in
s
truction
s
for all
s
aw
s
with riving
knife
■
U
s
e the appropriate riving knife for the blade
being u
s
ed.
For the riving knife to work, it must be
thicker than the body of the blade but thinner than the
tooth set of the blade.
■
Adju
s
t the riving knife a
s
de
s
cribed in thi
s
in
s
truction manual.
Incorrect spacing, positioning
and alignment can make the riving knife ineffective in
preventing kickback.
■
Alway
s
u
s
e the riving knife except when plunge
cutting.
Riving knife must be replaced after plunge
cutting. Riving knife causes interference during
plunge cutting and can create kickback.
■
For the riving knife to work, it mu
s
t be engaged in
the workpiece.
The riving knife is ineffective in
preventing kickback during short cuts.
■
Do not operate the
s
aw if riving knife i
s
bent.
Even
a light interference can slow the closing rate of a
guard.
ECS12519-Eng.qxd 10/10/04 2:15 PM Page 3