Rip Sawing - Powermatic 74A Instruction Manual & Parts List

FIGURE 18
7. Never use the fence as a length stop when
crosscutting. Do not hold on to, or touch, the free end
or cutoff section of a workpiece. On thru sawing op-
erations, the cutoff section must NOT be confined.
8. Always keep your hands out of the line of the
saw blade and NEVER reach back of the cutting blade
with either hand to hold the workpiece.
9. Bevel ripping cuts should always be made with
the fence on the right side of the saw blade so that the
the blade tilts away from the fence and minimizes the
possibility of the work binding and the resulting kick-
back.
10. Use the miter gauge on the right-hand side of
the saw blade when doing miter or compound miter
cuts to provide more hand clearance and safety.

RIP SAWING

1. Ripping is a sawing process where the work
piece is fed with the grain into the saw blade using the
fence as a guide and a positioning device to ensure
the desired width of cut, Figure 19.
FIGURE 19
!
CAUTION: Before starting a ripping cut, be sure
the fence is clamped securely and aligned
properly.
12
Never rip freehand or use the miter gauge in combi-
nation with the fence.
Never rip workpieces shorter than the saw blade di-
ameter.
Never reach behind the blade with either hand to hold
down or remove the cutoff piece with the saw blade
rotating.
2. Always use the saw guard, splitter and kick-
back pawls. Make sure the splitter is properly aligned.
When wood is cut along the grain, the kerf tends to
close and bind on the blade and kickbacks can occur.
NOTE: A caution decal is installed on the guard and
splitter assembly warning of the hazard of misalign-
ment (see pg. 8 for alignment instructions).
3. The rip fence should be set for the width of
the cut by using the scale on the front rail or by mea-
suring the distance between the blade and fence.
Stand out of line with the saw blade and workpiece to
avoid sawdust and splinters coming off the blade and
a kickback, if one should occur.
4. If the work piece does not have a straight
edge, nail an auxiliary straight edged board on it to
provide one against the fence. To cut properly, the
board must make good contact with the table. If it is
warped, turn the hollow side down.
5. In ripping, use one hand to hold the board
down against the fence or fixture, and the other to
push it into the blade between the blade and the fence.
If the workpiece is narrow (less than 6") use a push
stick or push block. Never push in a location such
that the pushing hand is in line with the blade. Move
the hand serving as a holddown a safe distance from
the blade as the cut nears completion. For very nar-
row ripping where a push stick cannot be used, use a
push block or auxiliary fence. Always push the
workpiece completely past the blade at the end of a
cut to minimize the possibility of a kickback.
6. When ripping long boards, use a support at
the front of the table and a support or "tailman" at the
rear as shown in Figure 20.
FIGURE 20