15
OPERATION
CROSS CUTTING
Cross cutting requires the use of the miter gauge to position and guide the work piece. Place the work piece
against the miter gauge and advance both the miter gauge and work piece toward the saw blade keeping your
hands and fingers clear of the path of the blade. The miter gauge may be used in either table T-slot, however,
most operators prefer the left groove for average work. When bevel cutting (blade tilted), use the right side table
T-slot so that it doesn’t interfere with the tilted saw blade. The blade guard must be used. The guard has anti-kick-
back fingers and a riving knife to prevent the saw kerf from closing.
Start the cut slowly and hold the work piece firmly against the miter gauge and the table. One of the rules in run-
ning a saw is that you never hang onto or touch the piece being cut off. Hold the supported piece instead. Cross-
cutting continues until the work is cut in two, then the miter gauge and work are pulled back to the starting point.
Before pulling the work back it is good practice to give the work a little sideways shift to move the work slightly
away from the saw blade.
Never pick up any short length of free work from the table while the saw is running. A smart operator never
touches a cut-off piece unless it is at least 1 foot long. Never use the rip fence as a cut-off gauge when crosscutting.
RIPPING
Ripping is the operation of making a lengthwise cut through a board. The rip fence is used to position and guide
the work. One edge of the work piece rides against the rip fence while the flat side of the board rests on the table.
Since the work piece is pushed along the fence, it must have a straight edge and make solid contact with the table.
The blade guard must be used at all times. The guard has anti-kickback fingers and a riving knife to prevent the
saw kerf from closing.
Start the motor and advance the work piece forward, holding it down and against the fence. Never, stand in the
line of the saw cut when ripping. Hold the work with both hands and push it along the fence and into the saw
blade. The work can then be fed through the saw blade with one or two hands or the use of the push stick.
When this is done the work piece will either stay on the table, tilt up slightly and be caught by the rear end of the
guard or slide off the table to the floor.
Alternately, the feed can continue to the end of the table, after which the work piece is lifted and brought back
along the outside edge of the fence. The waste stock remains on the table and is not touched with the hands until
the saw is stopped unless it is a large piece allowing safe removal.
MAKING A NON-THROUGH CUT
Non-through cuts can be made with the grain (ripping) or across the grain (cross cut). Non-through cuts are
needed for cutting grooves, rabbets and dadoes. This is the only type of cut where the blade gets covered by the
workpiece. These types of cuts are made without the blade guard and anti-kickback finger assemblies in place.
Make sure the blade guard and anti-kickback finger assemblies are reinstalled after this type of cut is done. For
non-through cuts, position the riving knife in the “down” position, set the blade to the correct height and tighten
the blade height lock knob.
Fig. 23
Fig. 24
Summary of Contents for 3720
Page 17: ...17 EXPLODED VIEW PARTS LIST ...
Page 18: ...18 EXPLODED VIEW PARTS LIST ...