Safety Instructions For Basic Band Saw Operation; Before Each Use; To Reduce The Risk Of Injury From Jams, Slips Or Thrown Pieces Or Broken Blades; Plan Ahead To Protect Your Eyes, Hands, Face And Ears - RIDGID BS1400 Operator's Manual

Safety Instructions for Basic Band Saw Operation

Before Each Use

Inspect your saw.
• To reduce the risk of injury from accidental starting,
turn the switch off, unplug the saw, and remove the
switch key before changing the setup, removing cov-
ers, guards or blade.
• Check for alignment of moving parts, binding of mov-
ing parts, breakage of parts, saw stability, and any
other conditions that may affect the way the saw
works.

To Reduce The Risk Of Injury From Jams, Slips Or Thrown Pieces Or Broken Blades

Inspect your blade.
• Choose the right blade size, style and cutting speed for
the material and the type of cutting you plan to do.
• Make sure the blade teeth point downward, toward the
table.
• Make sure the blade guides and thrust bearings are
properly adjusted.
• Make sure the blade tension is properly adjusted.
• Make sure the bevel clamp is tight and no parts have
excessive play.
• To reduce the risk of accidental blade contact, mini-
mize blade breakage and provide maximum blade
support, always adjust the upper blade guide and
blade guard to just clear the workpiece.
Inspect your work area.
• Keep work area clean.
• Cluttered areas and benches invite accidents. Floor
must not be slippery from wax or sawdust.
• To reduce the risk of burns or other fire damage, never
use the saw near flammable liquids, vapors or gases.
Plan your work.
• Use the right tool. Don't force tool or attachment to do
a job it was not designed to do.
• Use this band saw to cut only wood, wood like prod-
ucts and plastics.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of blade breakage,
personal injury, fire or other damage to the saw,
NEVER use this band saw to cut metals.
• Know your saw. Read and understand the operator's
manual and labels affixed to the tool. Learn its applica-
tion and limitations as well as the specific potential

Plan Ahead To Protect Your Eyes, Hands, Face and Ears

Dress for safety
• Any power saw can throw foreign objects into the
eyes. This can result in permanent eye damage.
Always wear safety goggles, not glasses, complying
with ANSI Z87.1 (or in Canada CSA Z94.3-99) shown
on package. Everyday eyeglasses have only impact
resistant lenses. They are not safety glasses. Safety
• If any part is missing, bent or broken in any way, or any
electrical part does not work properly, turn the saw off
and unplug the saw.
• Replace damaged or missing parts before using the
saw again.
• Maintain tools with care. Keep the saw clean for best
and safest performance. Follow instructions for lubri-
cating.
• Remove adjusting keys and wrenches. Form a habit of
checking for and removing keys and adjusting
wrenches from table top before turning it on.
hazards peculiar to this tool.
• To reduce the risk of injury from accidental contact with
moving parts, don't do layout, assembly, or set up work
on the saw while any parts are moving.
• Reduce the risk of accidental starting. Make sure switch
is "OFF" before plugging saw into a power outlet.
Inspect your workpiece.
Make sure there are no nails or foreign objects in the
part of the workpiece to be cut.
Use extra caution with large, very small or awkward
workpieces:
• Use extra supports (tables, saw horses, blocks, etc.)
for any workpieces large enough to tip when not held
down to the table top.
• NEVER use another person as a substitute for a table
extension, or as additional support for a workpiece that
is longer or wider than the basic saw table, or to help
feed, support or pull the workpiece.
• When cutting irregularly shaped workpieces, plan your
work so it will not slip and pinch the blade. A piece of
molding for example, must lie flat or be held by a fix-
ture of jig that will not let it twist, rock or slip while being
cut.
• Properly support round material such as dowel rods, or
tubing. They have a tendency to roll during a cut, caus-
ing the blade to "bite". To reduce the risk of this, always
use a "V" block or clamp the work to the miter gage.
• Cut only one workpiece at a time.
• Clear everything except the workpiece and related
support devices off the table before turning the saw on.
goggles are available at many local retail stores.
• For dusty operations, wear a dust mask along with
safety goggles.
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