Plan Ahead To Protect Your Eyes, Hands, Face And Ears; When Sander Is Running - RIDGID EB4424 Owner's Manual

Safety Instructions for Oscillating Edge Belt/ Spindle Sander
(continued)

Plan Ahead To Protect Your Eyes, Hands, Face and Ears

Dress for Safety
• Any power sander can throw foreign objects into the
eyes. This can result in permanent eye damage.
Always wear safety goggles, not glasses complying
with ANSI Z87.1 (or in Canada CSA Z94-3-M88)
shown on package. Everyday eyeglasses have only
impact resistant lenses. They are not safety glasses.
Safety goggles are available at many local retail stores.
Glasses or goggles not in compliance with ANSI or
CSA could seriously hurt you when they break.
• For dusty operations, wear a dust mask along with
safety goggles.
• Wear nonslip footwear.
• Tie back long hair.
• Roll long sleeves above the elbow.
• Noise levels vary widely. To reduce the risk of possible
hearing damage, wear ear plugs or muffs when using
sander for hours at a time.
• Sanding operations are usually dusty. Wear a dust
mask along with the safety goggles.
• Do not wear loose clothing, gloves, neckties or jewelry
(rings, wrist watches). They can get caught and draw
you into moving parts.
Know your sander. Read and understand the owner's
manual and labels affixed to the tool. Learn its application
and limitations as well as the specific potential hazards.
Plan your work. Think through how you will hold and
maneuver the workpiece against the sanding drum or
belt.
Use the right tool. Don't force tool or attachment to do a
job it was not designed to do.
To reduce the risk of injury from accidental contact
with moving parts:
• Do not layout, assemble, or setup work on the sander
while any parts are moving.
• Reduce the risk of accidental starting. Make sure
switch is "OFF" before plugging sander into a power
outlet.

When Sander is Running

Before starting your work, watch the sander while it runs.
If it makes an unfamiliar noise or vibrates excessively,
Stop Immediately. Turn the sander off. Unplug the
sander. Do not restart until identifying and correcting the
problem.
Never leave tool running unattended.
Before using the sander, make sure the sanding belt
turns clockwise, when viewed from above.
Keep children away. Keep all visitors a safe distance
from the sander and workpiece.
Inspect your workpiece make sure there are no nails or
foreign objects in the part of the workpiece to be sanded.
Plan the way you will hold the workpiece from start to
finish. Reduce the risk of awkward operations and hand
positions where a sudden slip could cause finger or hand
to move into a sanding surface.
Don't overreach. Maintain balance and footing.
Keep face and body to one side. Stay out of line with a
possible throwback.
Plan your work to reduce the risk of THROWBACKS -
when the workpiece catches the sanding drum and is
torn from your hands:
• Make sure there's no debris between the workpiece
and its supports.
• When sanding irregularly shaped workpieces, plan
your work support so it will not slip and be pulled from
your hands.
• Use extra caution with large, very small or awkward
workpieces.
• Never use this tool to finish pieces too small to hold by hand.
• Use extra supports (tables, saw horses, blocks, etc.)
for any workpieces large enough to tip when not
secured to the work surface.
• Never use another person as a substitute for a table
extension, or as additional support for a workpiece that
is longer or wider that the basic sander table, or to help
feed, support or pull the workpiece.
• Sand only one workpiece at a time.
• Clear everything except the workpiece and related sup-
port devices off the table before turning the sander on.
• Always feed workpiece from left to right against the
direction the drum sleeve is rotating.
• Do not use drums, sanding sleeves or belts which
show visual signs of wear such as grooves, tears or
rips.
WARNING: Don't let familiarity (gained from fre-
quent use of your sander) cause a careless mis-
take. A careless fraction of a second is enough to
cause a severe injury.
Don't force tool. It will perform better and safer at its
designed rate. Press workpiece against the sanding
sleeve or belt hard enough to begin sanding without bog-
ging down or binding spindle.
Before freeing any jammed material:
• Turn switch "OFF".
• Unplug the sander.
• Wait for all moving parts to stop.
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