OPERATION
WARNING:
Do not allow familiarity with your product to make
you careless. Remember that a careless fraction of
a second is sufficient to inflict severe injury.
WARNING:
Always wear eye protection with side shields
marked to comply with ANSI Z87.1. Failure to do
so could result in objects being thrown into your
eyes resulting in possible serious injury.
WARNING:
Do not use any attachments or accessories not
recommended by the manufacturer of this product.
The use of attachments or accessories not
recommended can result in serious personal injury.
APPLICATIONS
You may use this product for the purposes listed below:
Cutting all types of wood products (lumber, plywood,
paneling, composition board, and hard wood)
Cutting masonite and plastic
Cutting drywall
Cutting metals such as sheet steel, pipe, steel rods,
aluminum, brass, and copper
This product will accept RIDGID 18 V lithium-ion battery
packs and RIDGID 18 V nickel-cadmium battery packs.
For complete charging instructions, refer to the Opera-
tor's Manuals for your RIDGID battery pack and charger
models.
CAUTION:
To reduce the risk of injury, charge only RIDGID
lithium-ion batteries and RIDGID nickel-cadmium
batteries on the chargers listed in the General
Safety Rules. Other types of batteries may burst,
causing personal injury or damage.
BATTERY PROTECTION FEATURES
RIDGID 18 V lithium-ion batteries are designed with features
that protect the lithium-ion cells and maximize battery life.
Under some operating conditions, these built-in features
may cause the battery and the tool it is powering to act
differently from nickel-cadmium batteries.
During some applications, the battery electronics may signal
the battery to shut down, and cause the tool to stop running.
To reset the battery and tool, release the trigger and resume
normal operation.
NOTE: To prevent further shut down of the battery, avoid
forcing the tool.
If releasing the trigger does not reset the battery and tool,
the battery pack is depleted. If depleted, the battery pack
will begin charging when placed on the lithium-ion charger.
TO INSTALL BATTERY PACk
See Figure 2, page 11.
Place battery pack in the saw. Align raised rib on battery
pack with the groove inside the saw.
Make sure the latches on each side of the battery pack
snap in place and battery pack is secured in the saw before
beginning operation.
WARNING:
Always remove battery pack from your tool when you
are assembling parts, making adjustments, cleaning,
or when not in use. Removing battery pack will
prevent accidental starting that could cause serious
personal injury.
TO REMOVE BATTERY PACk
See Figure 3, page 11.
Locate latches on side of battery pack and depress to release
battery pack from the saw.
The battery pack will disconnect in the direction to be
removed when buttons are depressed.
WARNING:
Battery tools are always in operating condition.
Therefore, switch should always be locked when not
in use or carrying at your side.
SELECTING BLADES
Selecting the correct type of blade is important in order to obtain
the best performance from the saw. Select the blade based on
the application and on the material you wish to cut. Selecting
the right blade will give you a smoother, faster cut and prolong
the life of the blade.
Blades with fewer teeth, 10 teeth per inch (TPI) are typically
used for cutting wood, while blades with more teeth are better
for cutting metal or plastic. We recommend 14 TPI for plastics
and soft metals and 18 TPI for hard metals.
INSTALLING/REMOVING BLADE
See Figure 4, page 11.
Remove the battery pack from the saw.
Rotate the blade clamp counterclockwise and hold to open.
Insert saw blade until it is fully seated.
NOTE: Blade can be installed with teeth facing either up or
down.
Release the blade clamp to secure.
To remove the blade, rotate the blade clamp counter-
clockwise.
7 — English