Workpiece Preparation - RIDGID PCS-500 Manual

do not start the saw with the saw blade touching
the work piece. Let the blade reach full speed before
carefully feeding it into the work piece. The blade
may bind, walk or kickback if the tool is started with
the blade in contact with the work piece.
one person must control the work process and the
saw oN/oFF switch. only the operator should be in
the work area when the machine is running. This
helps reduce the risk of injury.
Never hold piece being cut in your hands. Always se-
cure the work piece in an appropriate pipe vise and
properly support. It is important to support the work
properly to minimize body exposure, blade binding,
equipment and material falling or loss of control.
Keep hands away from rotating saw blade and cut-
ting area. Allow parts to come to a complete stop
before handling the tool or pipe. This will reduce the
risk of cutting and entanglement injuries.
do not reach inside the pipe. The guard cannot
protect you from the blade inside the pipe.
Keep your hands on saw handles and firmly control
during use. This provides better control of the ma -
chine and cutting process. If both hands are holding
the saw, they cannot be cut by the saw blade.
Inspect your equipment before every use for proper
assembly, maintenance and operation. do not use if
damaged. do not use if guards do not work cor-
rectly.
Follow operating instructions to reduce the risk of
serious injury from electric shock, entanglement,
crushing injuries and other causes and prevent
Machine damage.
1. Check work area for:
• Adequate lighting.
• Flammable liquids, vapors or dust that may ignite. If
present, do not work in area until sources have
been identified and corrected. The machine is not
explosion proof and can cause sparks.
• Clear, level, stable and dry place for all equipment
and operator.
• Properly grounded electrical outlet of the correct volt-
age. Check the machine serial plate for required
voltage. A three-prong or GFCI outlet may not be
properly grounded. If in doubt, have outlet inspect-
ed by a licensed electrician.
2. Inspect the work to be done. Determine the material,
type and size of the pipe. Determine the correct equip-
ment for the job. See Specification section for tool
information.
To prevent ferrous contamination of stain-
NOTICE
less steel – use dedicated saw blades and clamp for
stainless steel. Best practice is to dedicate a saw and
clamp system for stainless steel.
3. The operator should be the only person in the area
999-995-226.10_REV. A
PCS-500 PipeSaw
while the machine is operated. Keep bystanders clear
of work area, set up guards or barricades to create a
minimum of 9 feet (2.7 m) of clearance around the
workpiece and PipeSaw. This helps to prevent by-
standers from being struck by chips during use.
4. When using the PCS-500 Transportable Pipe Saw, you
will generally need to use extension cords. Choose an
extension cord that:
• Is in good condition.
• Has a grounded (earthed) plug like on the PipeSaw.
• Is rated for outdoor use.
• Has sufficient wire size. For extension cords up to 25'
(7 .6 m) long use 14 AWG (2.5 mm
extension cords up to 50' (15.2 m) long use 12
AWG (4.0 mm 2 ) or heavier.
• With dry hands, plug the extension cord into the out-
let. Run the extension cord along a clear path to the
PCS-500 Transportable Pipe Saw. Keep all con-
nections dry and off the ground. Leave excess cord
at the base of the machine to allow for machine
movement. Do not plug the PipeSaw in at this time.
5. Make sure all equipment has been properly inspected.

Workpiece Preparation

1. Check that the pipe is straight and round in the area
to be cut. The PipeSaw cannot be used on curved,
out of round or damaged pipe. In the area that the
pipe clamp will mount to the pipe, the surfaces should
be clean and free from debris. If needed, mark the
pipe at the desired cut point.
2. Make sure that the work piece is solidly mounted
and stable. Work piece and support must be able to
withstand the weight of the PipeSaw and the force
and torque required for cutting without moving or
turning. Do not use for pipe in place – only use for hor-
izontal pipe on stands. In place pipe may be loaded
and shift or move unexpectedly during or after cutting,
and could cause equipment damage or injury.
Confirm there is suffient room for PipeSaw (See Fi-
gure 4).
When using a pipe vise, make sure that it is properly
sized and secured to prevent tipping during use. For
longer lengths of pipe, use appropriate pipe stands to
support extra length.
When cutting in the middle of a longer piece of pipe,
each resulting section of pipe must be properly sup-
ported to prevent the pipe from moving, falling or
pinching the saw blade during or after the cut. This
requires at least two pipe supports on each side of the
cut. Actual placement of the pipe supports will vary
depending on the position of the blade and the length
of pipe. See Figure 7 for an example.
2 ) or heavier. For
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