4.
Never pull the work through the blade.
Start and finish
the cut from the operator side (switch side) of the table saw.
Stand to the side of the blade and workpiece; never
stand directly in line.
During a kickback the workpiece will
be rapidly projected from the table saw.
Never cut more than one workpiece at a time.
Stacked
workpieces can shift or bind on the easily and lead to
unexpected contact with blade.
Never reach in back of the blade during operation or
until the blade has come to a complete stop.
You may
be dragged into the blade during a kickback.
Rip Cutting
Always set and maintain the rip fence parallel to the saw
blade.
A misaligned fence could cause the workpiece to
become like a wedge and bind the spinning saw blade.
Set blade height for through cutting to just above the
workpiece thickness.
Minimizing exposure of blade body
will reduce the tendency of blade binding on body of saw
blade.
Keep hood guard assembly, spreader and anti-kickback
pawls in place and operating properly. Replace or
sharpen anti-kickback pawls when points become dull.
Check their action before ripping.
The spreader aligned
with the saw blade and the pawls are intended to stop a
kickback once it has started.
Feed force must be applied only between fence and
blade. Never apply pressure to the side of the blade.
Pressure applied to the side of the blade will cause the blade
to stall or kickback the workpiece.
When performing a bevel rip cut, always place the fence
to the right of the blade.
On this particular table saw the
blade tilts to the left. Bevel ripping with the fence on the left
side may not allow the use of the push stick and will wedge
the workpiece between the blade and the fence.
Be aware of increased blade exposure on the right side
of the guard, when setting the blade for bevel angle.
Pay attention to the proximity of your fingers to blade.
Never cut freehand! Use the fence to support the length
of the workpiece in ripping cuts and the miter gauge for
cross cut operations.
Unsupported or improperly
supported workpieces may bind and kickback.
Never attempt to pull the workpiece through the
spinning saw blade.
You may experience a kickback and
be dragged into spinning saw blade.
Do not release work until you have pushed it all the way
past the saw blade.
Keep your hands away from side and
to the rear of a spinning saw blade. A kickback can drag
your hand into the blade if it is positioned on the workpiece,
to the side or behind the blade.
Use a Push Stick for ripping widths of 2" to 6" and an
auxiliary fence and Push Block for ripping widths
narrower than 2". When ripping, apply the feed force to
the section of the workpiece between the saw blade and
the rip fence.
If your hand or fingers are within 6 inches of
the spinning blade you are too close to be able to react in
case of a kickback event and you may be injured.
Never through-saw rip cuts narrower than 1/2”
. The
blade guard system is not effective for narrow rip cuts and
will not prevent kickback if blade becomes bound.
Do not rip workpiece that is twisted or warped or does
not have a straight edge to guide along the rip fence.
Workpieces without a straight edge will tend to wedge
themselves between blade and fence possibly causing a
kickback.
Cross Cutting
Whether performing straight cross cutting or miter
angle cross cutting operations, always follow these
warnings:
When cross cutting, never use the rip fence and the
miter gauge together.
They will act against each other and
bind the work on the blade leading to kickback.
Use the guard system for the cross cuts.
The guard is
not just for rip cutting.
If the workpiece is too small, affix a jig or other means to
fix workpiece to miter gauge during a cross cut
operation.
This lets you properly hold the miter gauge and
workpiece while keeping your fingers away from blade.
Plunge Cutting
Never attempt to plunge cut into a workpiece by placing
it on top of the spinning blade.
The workpiece will
kickback.
Lower the blade below table surface, remove the guard
system, clamp feather boards or other fixture to hold
workpiece down, and against the fence. Place the
workpiece on the tabletop at the desired location.
Start
the saw and let it come to full operating speed then slowly
raise the blade until it pierces the workpiece and then push
the workpiece through the desired length. To stop the cut,
shut off the saw, lower the blade and remove workpiece.
Repeat as necessary to complete all sides of the pocket cut.
REMEMBER the guard has been removed! Pay attention to
the proximity of your fingers to blade.
Non-Through Cutting
(Dado, Rabbet, Resawing)
Use extra precautions when performing “Non Through”
sawing operations that require the removal of the guard!
Remember that removing the hood guard assembly also
removes the anti-kickback devices, the spreader and
anti-kickback pawls! Immediately replace guard
assembly (guard, splitter and anti-kickback pawls) after
special applications that cannot use the guard assembly
such as resawing, dadoing, rabbeting or molding.
For all non-through cutting, the operator must use
feather boards to reduce the hazard from a kick back!
Use feather boards to help guide and stabilize cutting so
you can concentrate on the cutting action.
Feather
boards can be used to “hold” the work down on the table and
at the side of the work to “slow” the workpiece should a
kickback occur. Feather boards are not replacement for a
guard and they cannot keep your fingers from accidentally
contacting the blade. Feather boards should be set with the
feathers/fingers just ahead of the blade teeth cutting action,
pushing the wood against the fence, but not pressing the
wood into the side of the spinning blade.
