Millarco 62.090 - Blade Thrust (Kickback)

Blade thrust (kickback)
Blade thrust (kickback) is the sudden, forceful, and uncontrolled movement of a
blade-equipped multi-tool that may occur if the blade binds in the cut or strikes a
solid object. It throws the multi-tool in the direction opposite blade rotation at the
point of contact, and the jolt received by the operator can result in further loss of
control.
To reduce the risk of loss of control:
• Replaceorre-sharpendullblades.Dullbladesaremorelikelytobindinthe
cut and cause blade thrust.
• Watchoutforhiddenobstacles,suchasrocks,stumps,roots,etc.,that
could cause the blade to kick back if struck. Blade thrust is more likely to
 occurinareaswhereitisdifculttoseewhatisbeingcut.
•Understandthereactionforcesoftheblade.
When using a brush blade to saw through heavy brush and small saplings, saw
with the side of the brush blade that is moving toward you and tends to pull the
multi-tool away from you.
• Bladesonmulti-toolsrotatecounterclockwise,asviewedfromtheoperator’s
position. Therefore, the left side of the blade is moving toward you. Sawing
with the left side of a brush blade will give you better control and less risk of
kickback, though it will throw the sawdust toward you
• Cutfromthesideofsaplingsthatwillcausethemtofallawayfromthe
multi-tool.
• Thiswillhelppreventthebladefrombindinginthecutandkickingback.
•Acceleratetheenginetomaximumspeedbeforestartingthecut,andsaw
through with uniform pressure.
Operation on Slopes
• Startonthelowsideofaslope,andworkupward.Thiswillreduceyourrisk
of slipping and falling, and it will give you a cutting angle that will better enable
you to direct debris away from you.
• Donotletthecuttinglineorbladedigintotheslope,becausethatcancause
stones and dirt to be thrown at you.
BLADETHRUST