Safety Instructions For Basic Saw Operations; Before Each Use; To Reduce The Risk Of Injury From Jams, Slips Or Thrown Pieces (Kickbacks Or Throwbacks) - RIDGID TS2424 Owner's Manual

Safety Instructions for Basic Saw Operations

Before Each Use

Inspect your saw.
• To reduce the risk of injury from accidental starting,
turn the switch off, unplug the saw, and remove the
switch key before raising or removing the guard,
changing the cutting tool, changing the setup, or
adjusting anything.
• Check for alignment of moving parts, binding of moving
parts, breakage of parts, saw stability, and any other
conditions that may affect the way the saw works.
• If any part is missing, bent or broken in any way, or any
electrical part does not work properly, turn the saw off
and unplug the saw.

To Reduce the Risk of Injury From Jams, Slips Or Thrown Pieces (Kickbacks Or Throwbacks)

Inspect Your Blade.
• Choose the right blade or cutting accessory for the
material and the type of cutting you plan to do.
• Never use grinding wheels, abrasive cutoff wheels,
friction wheels (metal cutting blades) wire wheels or
buffing wheels. They can fly apart explosively.
• Cut only wood, wood like or plastic materials. Do not
cut metal.
• Choose and inspect your cutting tool carefully:
- To reduce the risk of cutting tool failure and thrown
shrapnel (broken pieces of blade), use only 10" or
smaller blades or other cutting tools marked for
speeds of 5000 rpm or higher.
- Always use unbroken, balanced blades designed to
fit this saw's 5/8 inch arbor.
- When thru-sawing (making cuts where the blade
comes through the workpiece top), always use a 10
inch diameter blade. This keeps the spreader in clos-
est to the blade.
- Do not over tighten arbor nut. Use arbor wrenches to
"snug" it securely.
- Use only sharp blades with properly set teeth. Con-
sult a professional blade sharpener when in doubt.
- Keep blades clean of gum and resin.
- Never use the saw without the proper blade insert.
Inspect your work area.
• Keep work area clean.
• Cluttered areas and benches invite accidents. Floor
must not be slippery from wax or sawdust.
• To reduce the risk of burns or other fire damage, never
use the saw near flammable liquids, vapors or gases.
• To reduce the risk of injury, don't do layout, assembly,
or setup work on the table while blade is spinning. It
could cut or throw anything hitting the blade.
Plan your work
• Use the right tool. Don't force tool or attachment to do
a job it was not designed for.
• Replace damaged or missing parts before using the
saw again.
• Use the sawblade guard, spreader and anti-kickback
pawls for any thru-sawing (whenever the blade comes
through the top of the workpiece). Make sure the anti-
kickback pawls work properly. Make sure the spreader
is in line with sawblade.
• Remove adjusting keys and wrenches. Form a habit of
checking for and removing keys and wrenches from
table top before turning saw on.
• Make sure all clamps and locks are tight and no parts
have excessive play.
Inspect your workpiece.
• Make sure there are no nails or foreign objects in the
part of the workpiece to be cut.
• When cutting irregularly shaped workpieces, plan your
work so it will not slip and pinch the blade:
• A piece of molding for example, must lie flat or be held
by a fixture of jig that will not let it twist, rock or slip
while being cut. Use jigs or fixtures where needed to
prevent workpiece shifting.
• Use a different, better suited type of tool for work that
can't be made stable.
Plan your cut.
• To reduce the risk of kickbacks and throwbacks which
occur when a part or all of the workpiece binds on the
blade and is thrown violently back toward the front of
the saw:
- Never cut Freehand. Always use either a rip fence,
miter gauge or fixture to position and guide the work,
so it won't twist or bind on the blade and kickback.
- Make sure there's no debris between the workpiece
and its supports.
• Use extra caution with large, very small or awkward
workpieces.
• Use extra supports (tables, saw horses, blocks, etc.)
for any workpieces large enough to tip when not held
down to the table top. Never use another person as a
substitute for a table extension, or as additional sup-
port for a workpiece that is longer or wider than the
basic saw table, or to help feed, support or pull the
workpiece.
• Never confine the piece being cut off, that is, the piece
not against the fence, miter gauge or fixture. Never
hold it, clamp it, touch it, or use length stops against it.
It must be free to move. If confined, it could get
wedged against the blade and cause a kickback or
throwback.
• Never cut more than one workpiece at a time.
• Never turn your table saw "ON" before clearing every-
thing except the workpiece and related support
devices off the table.
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