Tool Care
1.
Maintain labels and nameplates. These carry important infor-
mation. If unreadable or missing, contact a MILWAUKEE service
facility for a free replacement.
Personal
2.
DANGER! Keep hands away from cutting area and blade. Keep
your second hand on front handle or motor housing. If both
hands are holding the saw, they cannot be cut by the blade.
3.
Keep your body positioned to either side of the saw blade,
but not in line with the saw blade. KICKBACK could cause the
saw to jump backward (See "Causes and Operator Prevention of
KICKBACK" below).
4.
Do not reach underneath the work. The guard can not protect
you from the blade below the work.
5.
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.
Materials and Workpieces
6.
WARNING! Some dust created by power sanding, sawing, grinding,
drilling, and other construction activities contains chemicals known
to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Some
examples of these chemicals are:
•
lead from lead-based paint
•
crystalline silica from bricks and cement and other masonry
products, and
•
arsenic and chromium from chemically-treated lumber.
Your risk from these exposures varies, depending on how often
you do this type of work. To reduce your exposure to these chemi-
cals: work in a well ventilated area, and work with approved safety
equipment, such as those dust masks that are specially designed to
filter out microscopic particles.
7.
Do not touch material immediately after it has been cut. Use
caution; cut material may be hot and sharp.
8.
Do not use cutting oil. The use of cutting oil may cause a fire.
9.
Do not use tool near flammable material. Sparks may cause fire.
Tool Use
10. Check the operation and condition of the lower guard lever.
If the guard and the lever are not operating properly, they
must be serviced before use. Lower guard may operate slug-
gishly due to damaged parts, gummy deposits, or a buildup of debris.
See "Checking the Operation of the Lower Guard" for the proper
procedure to check the lower guard.
11. Check lower guard for proper closing before each use. Do
not operate saw if lower guard does not move freely and
close instantly. Never clamp or tie the lower guard into the
open position. If saw is accidentally dropped, lower guard may
be bent. Raise the lower guard with the lower guard lever and make
sure it moves freely and does not touch the blade or any other part, in
all angles and depths of cut.
12. Only raise lower guard by pressing the lower guard lever.
As soon as blade enters the material, release the lower
guard lever. Lower guard should be retracted only for
special cuts, such as "Pocket Cuts". For all other sawing, the
lower guard should operate automatically.
13. Always check 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 what-
ever is in its path. Be aware of the time it takes for the blade to stop
after switch is released.
SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES - FOR METAL CUTTING SAWS
14. 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.
15. Always use blades with correct size and shape (diamond
vs. round) arbor holes. Blades that do not match the mounting
hardware of the saw will run off balance, causing loss of control.
16. Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers or bolts.
The blade washers and bolts were specially designed for your
saw, for best performance and safety of operation.
17. Chip container cover may be hot after use. Use caution when
emptying chip container or changing the blade.
18. Do not start the blade when in contact with workpiece. Wait
for blade to reach full speed before beginning cut.
Causes and Operator Prevention of KICKBACK:
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 workpiece
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 pro-
cedures or conditions and can be avoided by taking proper precautions
as given below:
19. 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 pre-
cautions are taken.
20. 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 KICKBACK may
occur. Investigate and take corrective actions to eliminate the cause
of blade binding.
21. 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 KICK-
BACK from the workpiece as the saw is restarted.
22. 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.
23. Do not use dull or damaged blade. Unsharpened or improperly
set blades produce narrow kerf causing excessive friction, blade
binding and KICKBACK.
24. Blade depth adjusting lever must be tight and secure before
making cut. If blade adjustment shifts while cutting, it may cause
binding and KICKBACK.
25. Use extra caution when making a "Pocket Cut" into existing
walls or other blind areas. The protruding blade may cut objects
that can cause KICKBACK.
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