Makita 5201NA Instructional Manual page 6

3. 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. Lower guard
may operate sluggishly due to damaged
parts, gummy deposits, or a buildup of debris.
4. Lower guard should be retracted manually
only for special cuts such as "Pocket
Cuts" and "Compound Cuts." Raise lower
guard by Retracting Lever. As soon as
blade enters the material, lower guard
must be released. For all other sawing, the
lower guard should operate automatically.
5. Always observe that the lower guard is
covering the blade before placing saw
down on bench or 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 switch is released.
6. NEVER hold 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.
7. Hold tool by 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 shock the operator.
8. When ripping always use a rip fence or
straight edge guide. This improves the
accuracy of cut and reduces the chance for
blade binding.
9. Always use blades with correct size and
shape (diamond vs. round) arbor holes.
Blades that do not match the mounting hard-
ware of the saw will run eccentrically, causing
loss of control.
10. 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 opera-
tion.
6
11. Causes and Operator Prevention of Kick-
back:
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 precau-
tions 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 interrupt-
ing a cut for any reason, release the trig-
ger and hold the saw motionless in the
material until the blade comes to a com-
plete stop. Never attempt to remove the
saw from the work or pull the saw back-
ward while the blade is in motion or KICK-
BACK 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 saw teeth are not engaged into the
material. If saw blade is binding, it may walk
up or KICKBACK 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 as shown in Fig. 1.
To minimize the risk of blade pinching and
kickback. When cutting operation requires