Terminology
THE FOLLOWING TERMS WILL BE USED THROUGHOUT THE MANUAL AND YOU SHOULD BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THEM.
THROUGH-CUT - any cut that completely cuts through the workpiece.
NON-THROUGH CUT - any cut that does not completely cut through
the workpiece.
PUSH STICK - a wooden or plastic stick, usually homemade, that is
used to push a small workpiece through the saw and keeps the operator's
hands clear of the blade.
KICKBACK - when the saw blade binds in the cut or the workpiece binds
between the blade and the fence and the workpiece is thrust back toward
the operator.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE RULES MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY.
SEE GENERAL POWER TOOL SAFETY SECTION OF THIS MANUAL. Read entire instruction manual before operating saw. Learning the saw's
proper applications, limitations, and specific potential hazards will greatly minimize the possibility of accidents and injury. Make sure all users are
familiar with its warnings and instructions before using saw.
SEE POWER CONNECTION SECTION OF THIS MANUAL for instructions and warnings regarding power cords and connections.
Table Saw Specific Safety Rules
WARNING READ ALL SAFETY WARNINGS DESIGNATED BY THE SYMBOL
1.
GUARDING RELATED WARNINGS (FOR TABLE SAW, 62841-3-1)
a. Keep guards in place. Guards must be in working order and be properly mounted. A guard that is loose, damaged, or is not
functioning correctly must be repaired or replaced.
b. Always use saw blade guard, riving knife and anti-kickback device for every through-cutting operation. For through-
cutting operations where the saw blade cuts completely through the thickness of the workpiece, the guard and other safety devices
help reduce the risk of injury.
c. Immediately reattach the guarding system after completing an operation (such as rabbeting or resawing cuts) which
requires removal of the guard, riving knife and/or anti-kickback device. The guard, riving knife, and anti-kickback device
help to reduce the risk of injury.
d. Make sure the saw blade is not contacting the guard, riving knife or the workpiece before the switch is turned on.
Inadvertent contact of these items with the saw blade could cause a hazardous condition.
e. Adjust the riving knife as described in this instruction manual. Incorrect spacing, positioning and alignment can make the
riving knife ineffective in reducing the likelihood of kickback.
f.
For the riving knife and anti-kickback device to work, they must be engaged in the workpiece. The riving knife and
anti-kickback device are ineffective when cutting workpieces that are too short to be engaged with the riving knife and anti-kickback
device. Under these conditions a kickback cannot be prevented by the riving knife and antikickback device.
g. Use the appropriate saw blade for the riving knife. For the riving knife to function properly, the saw blade diameter must match
the appropriate riving knife and the body of the saw blade must be thinner than the thickness of the riving knife and the cutting width
of the saw blade must be wider than the thickness of the riving knife.
2.
CUTTING PROCEDURES WARNINGS
a. DANGER: Never place your fingers or hands in the vicinity or in line with the saw blade. A moment of inattention or a slip
could direct your hand towards the saw blade and result in serious personal injury.
b. Feed the workpiece into the saw blade or cutter only against the direction of rotation. Feeding the workpiece in the same
direction that the saw blade is rotating above the table may result in the workpiece, and your hand, being pulled into the saw blade.
c. Never use the mitre gauge to feed the workpiece when ripping and do not use the rip fence as a length stop when
cross cutting with the mitre gauge. Guiding the workpiece with the rip fence and the mitre gauge at the same time increases the
likelihood of saw blade binding and kickback.
d. When ripping, always apply the workpiece feeding force between the fence and the saw blade. Use a push stick when
the distance between the fence and the saw blade is less than 150 mm, and use a push block when this distance is less than 50 mm.
"Work helping" devices will keep your hand at a safe distance from the saw blade.
e. Use only the push stick provided by the manufacturer or constructed in accordance with the instructions. This push
stick provides sufficient distance of the hand from the saw blade.
f.
Never use a damaged or cut push stick. A damaged push stick may break causing your hand to slip into the saw blade.
g. Do not perform any operation "freehand". Always use either the rip fence or the mitre gauge to position and guide the
workpiece. "Freehand" means using your hands to support or guide the workpiece, in lieu of a rip fence or mitre gauge. Freehand
sawing leads to misalignment, binding and kickback.
h. Never reach around or over a rotating saw blade. Reaching for a workpiece may lead to accidental contact with the moving saw
blade.
i.
Provide auxiliary workpiece support to the rear and/or sides of the saw table for long and/or wide workpieces to
keep them level. A long and/or wide workpiece has a tendency to pivot on the table's edge, causing loss of control, saw blade
binding and kickback.
j.
Feed workpiece at an even pace. Do not bend or twist the workpiece. If jamming occurs, turn the tool off immediately,
unplug the tool then clear the jam. Jamming the saw blade by the workpiece can cause kickback or stall the motor.
k. Do not remove pieces of cut-off material while the saw is running. The material may become trapped between the fence or
inside the saw blade guard and the saw blade pulling your fingers into the saw blade. Turn the saw off and wait until the saw blade
stops before removing material.
l.
Use an auxiliary fence in contact with the table top when ripping workpieces less than 2 mm thick. A thin workpiece may
wedge under the rip fence and create a kickback.
m. Never Cut Metals, Cement Board or Masonry. Certain man-made materials have special instructions for cutting on table saws.
Follow the manufacturer's recommendations at all times to avoid overheating the saw blade tips as well as melting the plastic. Avoid
overheating blade tips by pushing material through blade evenly. Forcing material to fast can cause heating and damage to blade or
workpiece.
3.
Kickback causes and related warnings
Kickback is a sudden reaction of the workpiece due to a pinched, jammed saw blade or misaligned line of cut in the
workpiece with respect to the saw blade or when a part of the workpiece binds between the saw blade and the rip fence or
other fixed object.
a. Most frequently during kickback, the workpiece is lifted from the table by the rear portion of the saw blade and is
propelled towards the operator. Kickback is the result of saw misuse and/or incorrect operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given below.
b. Never stand directly in line with the saw blade. Always position your body on the same side of the saw blade as the fence.
Kickback may propel the workpiece at high velocity towards anyone standing in front and in line with the saw blade.
TABLE SAW SAFETY RULES
5
FREEHAND - cutting without the use of a miter gauge or rip fence or
any other means of guiding or holding the workpiece other than the
operator's hand.
PLUNGE CUTTING - blind cuts in the workpiece made by either raising
the blade through the workpiece or lowering the workpiece down to the
blade.
RE-SAWING - flipping the workpiece to complete a cut the saw is not
capable of making in one pass.
COVE CUTTING - an operation where the work is fed at an angle across
the blade. (Also known as "coving").
AND ALL INSTRUCTIONS.