CUTTING
Support the work so that the cut will be on your left. Place the wider
portion of the saw shoe on that part of the work piece which is
solidly supported, not on the section that will fall off when the cut
is made. As examples, Figure 12 illustrates the RIGHT way to cut
off the end of a board, and Figure 13 the WRONG way. Always
clamp work. Don’t try to hold short pieces by hand! Remember to
support cantilevered and overhanging material. Use caution when
sawing material from below.
Be sure saw is up to full speed before blade contacts material to
be cut. Starting saw with blade against material to be cut or
pushed forward into kerf can result in kickback.
Push the saw forward at a speed which allows the blade to cut
without laboring. Hardness and toughness can vary even in the
same piece of material, and knotty or damp sections can put a
heavy load on the saw. When this happens, push the saw more
slowly, but hard enough to keep it working without much decrease
in speed.
Lubrication
1. Always check oil level before using the saw. To check the oil
level, lay the saw down on the blade side, as shown in Figure
14 and remove the oil filler plug. Lay the oil filler plug on its
side under the top edge of the blade guard as shown in the
figure. This procedure ensures that the saw is level so that the
oil can be checked accurately. If the saw is adequately lubri-
cated, oil will be visible at lower edge of the oil filler hole with-
in 25 seconds. If oil does not appear in this time, the saw
requires lubrication.
2. To lubricate the saw, stand it on its handle end. Add lubricant
to the oil filler hole, checking frequently as described above to
determine when the proper level is reached. If you acciden-
tally overfill the saw, lay it on its side and permit the excess to
leak out until the proper level is obtained. DO NOT OVERFILL
SAW! Pressure generated by the gears in an overfilled saw
will force lubricant through the seals causing eventual gear
failure and, possibly, motor damage (See special lubricant on
page 9).
NOTE: With a new saw, change the oil after the first 10 hours
of use and once per year after that.
Kickback
When the saw blade becomes pinched or twisted in the cut, kickback
can occur. The saw is thrust rapidly back 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 backward. When 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 more likely to occur when any of the following conditions
exist.
1. IMPROPER WORKPIECE SUPPORT
A. Sagging or improper lifting of the cut off piece causing pinch-
ing of the blade.
B. Cutting through material supported at the outer ends only
(see Figure 11). As the material weakens it sags, closing
down the kerf and pinching the blade.
C. Cutting off a cantilevered or overhanging piece of material
from the bottom up in a vertical direction. The falling cut off
piece can pinch the blade.
D. Cutting off long narrow strips (as in ripping). The cut off strip
can sag or twist closing the kerf and pinching the blade.
E. Snagging the lower guard on a surface below the material
being cut momentarily reducing operator control. The saw can
lift partially out of the cut increasing the chance of blade twist.
9
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