SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES FOR
LEFT BLADE CIRCULAR SAWS
Cutting procedures
•
Keep hands away from cutting area
DANGER
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.
• Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The
guard cannot protect you from the blade below the
workpiece.
• 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.
• Never hold the workpiece in your hands or
across your leg while cutting. Secure the work-
piece to a stable platform. It is important to support
the work properly to minimise body exposure, blade
binding, or loss of control.
• Hold the power tool by insulated gripping sur-
faces only, 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 power tool "live" and
could give the operator an electric shock.
• When ripping, always use a rip fence or straight
edge guide. This improves the accuracy of cut and
reduces the chance of blade binding.
• 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.
• Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers
or bolt. The blade washers and bolt were specially
designed for your saw, for optimum performance
and safety of operation.
Further safety instructions for all saws
Kickback causes and related warnings
– Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched,
jammed or misaligned saw blade, causing an un-
controlled saw to lift up and out of the workpiece
toward the operator;
– When the blade is pinched or jammed 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 incor-
rect 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 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.
• 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 kick-
back may occur. Investigate and take corrective
actions to eliminate the cause of blade binding.
• When restarting a saw in the workpiece, centre
the saw blade in the kerf so that saw teeth are
not engaged into the material. If saw blade binds,
it may walk up or kickback from the workpiece as
the saw is restarted.
• 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.
• Do not use dull or damaged blades. Unsharpened
or improperly set blades produce narrow kerf caus-
ing excessive friction, blade binding and kickback.
• Blade depth and bevel adjusting locking levers
must be tight and secure before making cut. If
blade adjustment shifts while cutting, it may cause
binding and kickback.
• Use extra caution when sawing into existing
walls or other blind areas. The protruding blade
may cut objects that can cause kickback.
Lower guard function
• Check lower guard for proper closing before
each use. Do not operate the saw if lower guard
does not move freely and close instantly. Never
clamp or tie the lower guard into the open posi-
tion. If saw is accidentally dropped, lower guard may
be bent. Raise the lower guard with the retracting
handle 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 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 dam-
aged parts, gummy deposits, or a build-up of debris.
• The lower guard may be retracted manually
only for special cuts such as "plunge cuts"
and "compound cuts". Raise the lower guard
by the retracting handle and as soon as the
blade enters the material, the lower guard must
be released. For all other sawing, the lower guard
should operate automatically.
• 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.
•
To reduce the risk of injury in ap-
WARNING
plications that produce a consid-
erable amount of dust, use an OSHA compliant
dust extraction solution in accordance with the
solution's operating instructions.
• Always use common sense and be cautious when
using tools. It is not possible to anticipate every
situation that could result in a dangerous outcome.
Do not use this tool if you do not understand these
operating instructions or you feel the work is beyond
your capability; contact Milwaukee Tool or a trained
professional for additional information or training.
• Maintain labels and nameplates. These carry
important information. If unreadable or missing,
contact a MILWAUKEE service facility for a free
replacement.
3