Additional Safety Rules For Circular Saws - Craftsman 133.33166 Operator's Manual

ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULES FOR CIRCULAR SAWS
SERVICE
1. Tools service must be performed only by qualified repair personnel.
Service or maintenance performed by unqualified personnel could result
in a risk of injury.
2. When servicing a tool, use only identical replacement parts.
Follow instructions in the Maintenance section of this manual. Use of
unauthorized parts or failure to follow Maintenance Instructions may
create a risk of electric shock or injury.
ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULES FOR CIRCULAR SAWS
DANGER! keep hands away from cutting area and 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.
• Keep your body positioned to either side of the saw blade, but not in line
with the saw blade. Kickback could cause the saw to jump backwards.
• Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The guard cannot protect you
from the blade below the work.
• Check lower guard for proper closing before each use. Do not operate
the saw if the lower guard does not move freely and close instantly. Never
clamp or tie the lower guard in the open position. If the saw is accidentally
dropped, the lower guard may be bent. Raise the lower guard with the
guard retraction lever and make sure it moves freely and does not touch
the blade or any other part, in all angles and depths of cut.
• Check the operation and condition of the lower guard spring. If the guard
and the spring are not operating properly, they must be serviced before
use. The lower guard may operate sluggishly due to damaged parts,
gummy deposits, or a buildup of debris.
• The lower guard should be retracted manually only for special cuts such
as "Pocket Cuts" and "Compound Cuts". Raise the lower guard using
the guard retraction lever. As soon as the blade enters the material, the
lower guard must be released. For all other sawing tasks, the lower guard
should operate automatically.
• Always check that the lower guard is covering the blade before placing
the saw down on a bench or the floor. An unprotected, coasting blade
will cause the saw to walk backwards, cutting whatever is in its path. Be
aware of the time it takes for the blade to stop after the switch is released.
• NEVER hold the piece being cut in your hands or across your leg. It is
important to support the work properly to minimize body exposure, blade
binding, or loss of control.
• Hold the tool by the insulated gripping surfaces when performing an
operation where the cutting tool may contact hidden wiring or its own
cord. Contact with a "live" wire will also make exposed metal parts of the
tool "live" and could cause an electric shock to the operator.
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ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULES FOR CIRCULAR SAWS
• When ripping, always use a rip fence or straight edge guide. This
improves the accuracy of cut and reduces the chance of the blade
binding.
• Always use blades of the correct size and shape (diamond vs. round)
arbour holes. Blades that do not match the mounting hardware of the saw
will run eccentrically causing loss of control.
• Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers or bolts. The blade
washers and bolt were specially designed for your saw, for optimum
performance and safety of operation.
CAUSES AND OPERATOR PREVENTION OF kICkBACk
Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound 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 bound 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 operator.
Kickback is the result of tool 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 saw and position your body
and arm to allow you to resist kickback forces. Kickback forces can be
controlled by the operator, if proper precautions are taken.
• 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.
• When restarting a saw in the workpiece, center the saw blade in the kerf
and check that the saw teeth are not engaged into the material. If the saw
blade is binding, it may jump up or kick back from the workpiece as the
saw is restarted.
• Support large panels to minimize 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.
• Do not use dull or damaged blades. Unsharpened or improperly set
blades produce a narrow kerf causing excessive friction, blade binding
and kickback.
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