Clamping The Workpiece - Black & Decker BT1400 Instruction Manual

ENGLISH
CROSSCUTS
NOTE: Cutting of multiple pieces is not recommended, but can be done safely by ensuring that each
piece is held firmly against the table and fence. A crosscut is made by cutting wood across the grain at
any angle.
• A straight crosscut is made with the miter arm at the zero degree position. Set the miter arm at zero,
hold the wood on the table and firmly against the fence. Turn on the saw by squeezing the trigger switch.
• When the saw comes up to speed (about 1 second) lower the arm smoothly and slowly to cut through
the wood. Let the blade come to a full stop before raising arm.
• Miter crosscuts are made with the miter arm at some angle other than zero. This angle is often 45º
degrees for making corners, but can be set anywhere from zero to degrees left or right. After
selecting the desired miter angle, be sure to tighten the miter clamp handle (4). Make the cut as
described above.
BEVEL CUTS
A bevel cut is a crosscut made with the saw blade at a bevel to the wood. In order to set the bevel,
loosen the bevel clamp knob (17) and move the saw to the left as desired. Once the desired bevel angle
has been set, tighten the bevel clamp knob firmly. Bevel angles can be set up to 45º degrees left and
can be cut with the miter arm set between zero and 47º degrees right or left.
QUALITY OF CUT
• The smoothness of any cut depends on a number of variables. Things like material being cut, blade
type, blade sharpness and rate of cut all contribute to the quality of the cut.
• When smoothest cuts are desired for molding and other precision work, a sharp (60 tooth carbide)
blade and a slower, even cutting rate will produce the desired results.
• Ensure that material does not creep while cutting, clamp it securely in place. Always let the blade
come to a full stop before raising arm.
• If small fibers of wood still split out at the rear of the workpiece, stick a piece of masking tape on the
wood where the cut will be made. Saw through the tape and carefully remove tape when finished.
• Keep both feet firmly on the floor and maintain proper balance. As you move the miter arm left and
right, follow it and stand slightly to the side of the saw blade. Sight through the guard louvers when
following a pencil line.

CLAMPING THE WORKPIECE

Turn off and unplug saw.
• If you cannot secure the workpiece on the table and against the fence by hand (irregular shape, etc.)
or your hand will be within 6" of the blade, a clamp or fixture must be used.
• Other convenient clamps such as spring, bar or C clamps may be appropriate for certain sizes and
shapes of workpieces. Use care in selecting and placing these clamps and make a dry run before
making the cut.
SUPPORT FOR LONG PIECES
Turn off and unplug saw. Always support long pieces.
For best results, use an extension work support to extend the table width of your saw. Support long
workpieces using any convenient means such as sawhorses or similar devices to keep the ends from
dropping.
CUTTING PICTURE FRAMES, AND OTHER FOUR SIDED PROJECTS
• To best understand how to make the items listed here, we suggest that you try a few simple projects
using scrap wood until you develop a "FEEL" for your saw.
• Your saw is the perfect tool for mitering corners like the ones shown in FIG. H, which shows a joint
made by setting the miter arm at 45º degrees to to miter the two boards to form a 90º degree corner.
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