Makita LS1214 Instruction Manual page 19

OPERATION
CAUTION:
• Before use, be sure to release the handle from the low-
ered position by pulling the stopper pin.
• Make sure the blade is not contacting the workpiece,
etc. before the switch is turned on.
• Do not apply excessive pressure on the handle when
cutting. Too much force may result in overload of the
motor and/or decreased cutting efficiency. Push down
handle with only as much force as is necessary for
smooth cutting and without significant decrease in
blade speed.
• Gently press down the handle to perform the cut. If the
handle is pressed down with force or if lateral force is
applied, the blade will vibrate and leave a mark (saw
mark) in the workpiece and the precision of the cut will
be impaired.
• During a slide cut, gently push the carriage toward the
guide fence without stopping. If the carriage movement
is stopped during the cut, a mark will be left in the work-
piece and the precision of the cut will be impaired.
1. Press cutting (cutting small workpieces)
(Fig. 34)
Workpieces up to 115 mm high and 75 mm wide can be
cut in the following way.
Push the carriage toward the guide fence fully and
tighten the knob to secure the carriage. Secure the work-
piece with the vise. Switch on the tool and wait until the
blade attains full speed before lowering gently into the
cut. When the cut is completed, switch off the tool and
WAIT UNTIL THE BLADE HAS COME TO A COM-
PLETE STOP before returning the blade to its fully ele-
vated position.
CAUTION:
• Firmly tighten the knob so that the carriage will not
move during operation. Insufficient tightening may
cause unexpected kickback of the blade. Possible seri-
ous PERSONAL INJURY may result.
2. Slide (push) cutting (cutting wide workpieces)
(Fig. 35)
Workpieces up to 115 mm high and 308 mm wide can be
cut in the following way.
Loosen the knob counterclockwise so that the carriage
can slide freely. Secure the workpiece with the vise. Pull
the carriage toward you fully. Switch on the tool without
the blade making any contact and wait until the blade
attains full speed. Press down the handle and PUSH
THE CARRIAGE TOWARD THE GUIDE FENCE AND
THROUGH THE WORKPIECE. When the cut is com-
pleted, switch off the tool and WAIT UNTIL THE BLADE
HAS COME TO A COMPLETE STOP before returning
the blade to its fully elevated position.
CAUTION:
• Whenever performing the slide cut, FIRST PULL THE
CARRIAGE TOWARD YOU FULLY and press down the
handle to the fully lowered position, then PUSH THE
CARRIAGE TOWARD THE GUIDE FENCE. NEVER
START THE CUT WITH THE CARRIAGE NOT FULLY
PULLED TOWARD YOU. If you perform the slide cut
without pulling the carriage fully or if you perform the
slide cut toward your direction, the blade may kickback
unexpectedly with the potential to cause serious PER-
SONAL INJURY.
• Never perform the slide cut with the handle locked in
the lowered position by pressing the stopper pin.
• Never loosen the knob which secures the carriage
while the blade is rotating. This may cause serious
injury.
3. Mitre cutting
Refer to the previously covered "Adjusting the miter
angle".
4. Bevel cut (Fig. 36)
Left and right 0° – 45° bevel cuts can be performed. At a
left 45° bevel angle, workpieces up to 66 mm high and
305 mm wide can be cut. At a right 45° bevel angle,
workpieces up to 45 mm high and 305 mm wide can be
cut.
Loosen the lever and tilt the saw blade to set the bevel
angle (Refer to the previously covered "Adjusting the
bevel angle"). Be sure to retighten the lever firmly to
secure the selected bevel angle safely. Secure the work-
piece with a vise. Make sure the carriage is pulled all the
way back toward the operator. Switch on the tool without
the blade making any contact and wait until the blade
attains full speed. Then gently lower the handle to the
fully lowered position while applying pressure in parallel
with the blade and PUSH THE CARRIAGE TOWARD
THE GUIDE FENCE TO CUT THE WORKPIECE. When
the cut is completed, switch off the tool and WAIT UNTIL
THE BLADE HAS COME TO A COMPLETE STOP
before returning the blade to its fully elevated position.
CAUTION:
• Always be sure that the blade will move down to bevel
direction during a bevel cut. Keep hands out of path of
saw blade.
• During a bevel cut, it may create a condition whereby
the piece cut off will come to rest against the side of the
blade. If the blade is raised while the blade is still rotat-
ing, this piece may be caught by the blade, causing
fragments to be scattered which is dangerous. The
blade should be raised ONLY after the blade has come
to a complete stop.
• When pressing down the handle, apply pressure in par-
allel with the blade. If a force is applied perpendicularly
to the turn base or if the pressure direction is changed
during a cut, the precision of the cut will be impaired.
• Always set the sub-fence to the left position when per-
forming left bevel cuts.
5. Compound cutting
Compound cutting is the process in which a bevel angle
is made at the same time in which a miter angle is being
cut on a workpiece. Compound cutting can be performed
at angle shown in the table.
Miter angle
Left and Right 45°
Left 47°
Right 52°
At the miter angle of left 45° and bevel angle of left 45°,
workpieces up to 66 mm high and 170 mm wide can be
cut.
At the miter angle of right 45° and bevel angle of left 45°,
workpieces up to 66 mm high and 215 mm wide can be
cut.
At the miter angle of left and right 45° and bevel angle of
right 45°, workpieces up to 45 mm high and 215 mm
wide can be cut.
Bevel angle
Left and Right 0° – 45°
Left 0° – 45° and Right 0° – 40°
Left 0° – 30° and Right 0° – 45°
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