Safety Instructions For Mitre Saws - Makita LS1440 Instruction Manual

Safety instructions for mitre saws

1. Mitre saws are intended to cut wood or wood-
like products, they cannot be used with abra-
sive cut-off wheels for cutting ferrous material
such as bars, rods, studs, etc. Abrasive dust
causes moving parts such as the lower guard to
jam. Sparks from abrasive cutting will burn the
lower guard, the kerf insert and other plastic parts.
2. Use clamps to support the workpiece when-
ever possible. If supporting the workpiece
by hand, you must always keep your hand at
least 100 mm from either side of the saw blade.
Do not use this saw to cut pieces that are too
small to be securely clamped or held by hand.
If your hand is placed too close to the saw blade,
there is an increased risk of injury from blade
contact.
3. The workpiece must be stationary and
clamped or held against both the fence and the
table. Do not feed the workpiece into the blade
or cut "freehand" in any way. Unrestrained
or moving workpieces could be thrown at high
speeds, causing injury.
4. Never cross your hand over the intended line
of cutting either in front or behind the saw
blade. Supporting the workpiece "cross handed"
i.e. holding the workpiece to the right of the saw
blade with your left hand or vice versa is very
dangerous.
Do not reach behind the fence with either hand
5.
closer than 100 mm from either side of the saw
blade, to remove wood scraps, or for any other
reason while the blade is spinning. The proxim-
ity of the spinning saw blade to your hand may not
be obvious and you may be seriously injured.
6. Inspect your workpiece before cutting. If the
workpiece is bowed or warped, clamp it with
the outside bowed face toward the fence.
Always make certain that there is no gap
between the workpiece, fence and table along
the line of the cut. Bent or warped workpieces
can twist or shift and may cause binding on the
spinning saw blade while cutting. There should be
no nails or foreign objects in the workpiece.
7. Do not use the saw until the table is clear of all
tools, wood scraps, etc., except for the work-
piece. Small debris or loose pieces of wood or
other objects that contact the revolving blade can
be thrown with high speed.
8. Cut only one workpiece at a time. Stacked multiple
workpieces cannot be adequately clamped or braced
and may bind on the blade or shift during cutting.
9. Ensure the mitre saw is mounted or placed on
a level, firm work surface before use. A level
and firm work surface reduces the risk of the mitre
saw becoming unstable.
10. Plan your work. Every time you change the
bevel or mitre angle setting, make sure the
adjustable fence is set correctly to support the
workpiece and will not interfere with the blade
or the guarding system. Without turning the tool
"ON" and with no workpiece on the table, move
the saw blade through a complete simulated cut to
assure there will be no interference or danger of
cutting the fence.
11. Provide adequate support such as table exten-
sions, saw horses, etc. for a workpiece that is
wider or longer than the table top. Workpieces
longer or wider than the mitre saw table can tip
if not securely supported. If the cut-off piece or
workpiece tips, it can lift the lower guard or be
thrown by the spinning blade.
12. Do not use another person as a substitute for
a table extension or as additional support.
Unstable support for the workpiece can cause the
blade to bind or the workpiece to shift during the
cutting operation pulling you and the helper into
the spinning blade.
13. The cut-off piece must not be jammed or
pressed by any means against the spinning
saw blade. If confined, i.e. using length stops, the
cut-off piece could get wedged against the blade
and thrown violently.
14. Always use a clamp or a fixture designed to
properly support round material such as rods
or tubing. Rods have a tendency to roll while
being cut, causing the blade to "bite" and pull the
work with your hand into the blade.
15. Let the blade reach full speed before contact-
ing the workpiece. This will reduce the risk of the
workpiece being thrown.
16. If the workpiece or blade becomes jammed,
turn the mitre saw off. Wait for all moving
parts to stop and disconnect the plug from
the power source and/or remove the battery
pack. Then work to free the jammed material.
Continued sawing with a jammed workpiece could
cause loss of control or damage to the mitre saw.
17. After finishing the cut, release the switch,
hold the saw head down and wait for the blade
to stop before removing the cut-off piece.
Reaching with your hand near the coasting blade
is dangerous.
18. Hold the handle firmly when making an incom-
plete cut or when releasing the switch before
the saw head is completely in the down posi-
tion. The braking action of the saw may cause
the saw head to be suddenly pulled downward,
causing a risk of injury.
19. Only use the saw blade with the diameter that
is marked on the tool or specified in the man-
ual. Use of an incorrectly sized blade may affect
the proper guarding of the blade or guard opera-
tion which could result in serious personal injury.
4 ENGLISH