Craftsman 137.218030 - Manual (Page 18)

CUTTING OPERATIONS
There are two basic types of cuts: ripping and
crosscutting. Ripping is cutting aiong the length and with
the grain of the workpiece. Crosscutting is cutting either
across the width or across the grain of the workpiece.
Neither ripping nor crosscutting may be done safely
freehand. Ripping requires the use of the rip fence and
crosscutting requires the miter gauge. NEVER USE
A RIP FENCE AND MITER GAUGE AT THE SAME
TIME.
A
WARNING
Before using the saw each and every time, check
the following:
1. Blade is tight on the arbor.
2. Bevel angle lock knob is tight.
3. if ripping, fence lock handle is tight and fence is
parallel to the blade.
4. Blade guard Is in place and working properly.
5. Safety glasses are being worn.
The failure to adhere to these common safety rules, and
others printed within this manual, can greatly increase
the likelihood of injury.
RIPPING (FIG. X, Y)
A
WARNING
To prevent serious injury:
• Never use the miter gauge when ripping.
• Never use more than one rip fence during a
single cut.
• Do not allow familiarity or frequent use of your
table saw to cause careless mistakes. Remember
that even a careless fraction of a second is
enough to cause a severe injury.
• Keep both hands away from the blade and path
of the blade.
• The workpiece must have a straight edge against
the fence and must not be warped, twisted, or
bowed.
A
DANGER Never attempt to pull the
workpiece backwards during a cutting operation.
This will cause kickback and serious injury to the
user can occur.
1. Remove the miter gauge. Secure the rip fence to the
table or if using the extension fence, set the position
and remove all other rip fences from the table.
2. Raise the blade so it is about 1/8 in. higher than the
top of the workpiece.
3. Place the workpiece flat on the table and against the
fence. Keep the workpiece about 1 in. away from the
blade.
4. Turn the saw ON and wait for the blade to come up
to speed.
5. Slowly feed the workpiece into the blade. To feed
workpiece into blade, only push against the back of
the workpiece on the part (1) that will pass between
the blade and the fence. Use a push stick at all times.
(Fig. X)
A
WARNING
AVOID KICKBACK: To avoid kickback, only push
against the back of the workpiece on the part (1)
that will pass between the blade and the fence. Use
a push stick at all times.
Fig.X
6. Keep your thumbs off the blade top. When both of
your thumbs touch the front edge of the table (2),
finish the cut with a push stick. You can make a push
stick using the pattern on page 28.
7. The push stick (3) should always be used for any
ripping operation.
8. Continue pushing the workpiece with the push stick
(3) until it passes the blade guard and clears the rear
of the table.
9.
A
DANGER
Never attempt to pull the
workpiece backwards during a cutting operation.
This will cause kickback and serious injury to the
user can occur. When the blade completely stops
raise the anti-kickback pawls (4) on each side of
the splitter and slide the workpiece out.
18