Makita GSH02 Instruction Manual page 4

3. Follow instruction for lubricating and chang-
ing accessories.
4. Do not modify or attempt to repair the appli-
ance or the battery pack except as indicated in
the instructions for use and care.
Cordless circular saw safety
warnings
Cutting procedures
1. DANGER: Keep hands away from cutting area
and the blade. Keep your second hand on auxiliary
handle, or motor housing. If both hands are holding
the saw, they cannot be cut by the blade.
2. Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The
guard cannot protect you from the blade below the
workpiece.
3. Adjust the cutting depth to the thickness of
the workpiece. Less than a full tooth of the blade
teeth should be visible below the workpiece.
4. Never hold the workpiece in your hands or
across your leg while cutting. Secure the
workpiece to a stable platform. It is important to
support the work properly to minimise body expo-
sure, blade binding, or loss of control.
5. Hold the power tool by insulated gripping
surfaces, when performing an operation where
the cutting tool may contact hidden wiring.
Contact with a "live" wire will also make exposed
metal parts of the power tool "live" and could give
the operator an electric shock.
6. When ripping, always use a rip fence or
straight edge guide. This improves the accuracy
of cut and reduces the chance of blade binding.
7. Always use blades with correct size and shape
(diamond versus round) of arbour holes. Blades that
do not match the mounting hardware of the saw will run
off-centre, causing loss of control.
8. Never use damaged or incorrect blade wash-
ers or bolt. The blade washers and bolt were
specially designed for your saw, for optimum
performance and safety of operation.
Kickback causes and related warnings
— kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched,
jammed or misaligned saw blade, causing an
uncontrolled saw to lift up and out of the workpiece
toward the operator;
— when the blade is pinched or jammed tightly by the kerf
closing down, the blade stalls and the motor reaction
drives the unit rapidly back toward the operator;
— if the blade becomes twisted or misaligned in the cut,
the teeth at the back edge of the blade can dig into the
top surface of the wood causing the blade to climb out
of the kerf and jump back toward the operator.
Kickback is the result of saw misuse and/or incorrect
operating procedures or conditions and can be avoided
by taking proper precautions as given below.
Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the
1.
saw and position your arms to resist kickback
forces. Position your body to either side of the
blade, but not in line with the blade. Kickback
could cause the saw to jump backwards, but
kickback forces can be controlled by the operator,
if proper precautions are taken.
2. When blade is binding, or when interrupting a
cut for any reason, release the trigger and hold
the saw motionless in the material until the
blade comes to a complete stop. Never attempt
to remove the saw from the work or pull the
saw backward while the blade is in motion
or kickback may occur. Investigate and take
corrective actions to eliminate the cause of blade
binding.
3. When restarting a saw in the workpiece, centre
the saw blade in the kerf so that the saw teeth
are not engaged into the material. If a saw blade
binds, it may walk up or kickback from the work-
piece as the saw is restarted.
4. Support large panels to minimise the risk of
blade pinching and kickback. Large panels tend
to sag under their own weight. Supports must be
placed under the panel on both sides, near the line
of cut and near the edge of the panel.
5. Do not use dull or damaged blades.
Unsharpened or improperly set blades produce
narrow kerf causing excessive friction, blade
binding and kickback.
4 ENGLISH