
8
ADDITIONAL SAFETY FOR MITRE SAWS
- Mitre saws are intended to cut wood or wood-like products and they cannot be used with
abrasive cut-off wheels for cutting ferrous material such as bars, rods, studs, etc. Abrasive
dust causes moving parts such as the lower guard to jam. Sparks from abrasive cutting will
burn the lower guard, the kerf insert, and other plastic parts.
- Use clamps to support the workpiece whenever possible. If supporting the workpiece by
hand, you must always keep your hand at least 100mm from either side of the saw blade.
Do not use this saw to cut pieces that are too small to be securely clamped or held by
hand. If your hand is placed too close to the saw blade, there is an increased risk of injury
from blade contact.
- The workpiece must be stationary and clamped or held against both the fence and the
table. Do not feed the workpiece into the blade or cut “freehand” in any way.
Unrestrained or moving workpieces could be thrown at high speeds, causing injury.
- Push the saw through the workpiece. Do not pull the saw through the workpiece. To make
a cut, raise the saw head and pull it out over the workpiece without cutting. Start the
motor, press the saw head down, and push the saw head through the workpiece. Cutting
on the pull stroke is likely to cause the saw blade to climb on top of the workpiece and
violently throw the blade assembly towards the operator.
- Never cross your hand over the intended line of cutting either in front or behind the saw
blade. Supporting the workpiece “cross handed” i.e., holding the work piece to the right of
the saw blade with your left hand or vice versa is very dangerous.
- Do not reach behind the fence with either hand closer than 100mm from either side of the
saw blade, to remove wood scraps, or for any other reason while the blade is spinning. The
proximity of the spinning saw blade to your hand may not be obvious and you may be
seriously injured.
- Inspect your workpiece before cutting. If the workpiece is bowed or warped, clamp it with
the outside bowed face towards the fence. Always make certain that there is no gap
between the workpiece, fence, and table along the line of the cut. Bent or warped
workpieces can twist or shift and may cause binding on the spinning saw blade while cutting.
There should be no nails or foreign objects in the workpiece.
- Do not use the saw until the table is clear of all tools, wood scraps, etc., except for the
workpiece. Small debris or loose pieces of wood or other objects that contact the revolving
blade can be thrown at high speed.
- Cut only one workpiece at a time. Stacked multiple workpieces cannot be adequately
clamped or braced and may bind on the blade or shift during cutting.
- Ensure the mitre saw is mounted or placed on a level, firm work surface before use. A level
and firm work service reduces the risk of the mitre saw becoming unstable.
- Plan your work. Every time you change the bevel or mitre angle setting, make sure the
adjustable fence is set correctly to support the workpiece and will not interfere with the
blade or the guarding system. Without turning the tool “ON” and with no workpiece on the
table, move the saw blade through a complete simulated cut to assure there will be no
interference or danger of cutting the fence.
- Provide adequate support such as table extensions, sawhorses, etc. for a workpiece that is
wider or longer than the tabletop. Workpieces longer or wider than the mitre saw table can