Further Safety Instructions For All Saws - DeWalt DWS520 Instruction Manual

b) Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The guard cannot
protect you from the blade below the workpiece.
c) 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.
d) 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.
e) Hold power tool by insulated gripping surfaces 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.
f) When ripping, always use a rip fence or straight edge
guide. This improves the accuracy of cut and reduces the chance
of blade binding.
g) Always use blades with correct size and shape (diamond
versus round) of arbor holes. Blades that do not match the
mounting hardware of the saw will run eccentrically, causing loss of
control.
h) 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 operator.
Kickback is the result of tool misuse and/or incorrect operating
procedures or conditions and can be avoided by taking proper
precautions as given below:
a) Maintain a fi rm grip with both hands on the saw and
position your body and arm to allow you to resist kickback
forces. Kickback forces can be controlled by the operator, if
proper precautions are taken.
b) 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
kickback may occur. Investigate and take corrective actions
to eliminate the cause of blade binding.
c) When restarting a saw in the workpiece, center the saw
blade in the kerf and check that the 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.
d) Support large panels to minimize the risk of blade
pinching and kickback. Large panels tend to sag under their
own weight. Support must be placed under the panel on both
sides, near the line of cut and near the edge of the panel.
e) Do not use dull or damaged blade. Unsharpened or
improperly set blades produce narrow kerf causing excessive
friction, blade binding, and kickback.
f) 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.
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