Hitachi C 9SA2 - Manual (Page 6)

5
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL SAWS
DANGER:
a) Keep hands away from cutting area and the blade.
Keep your second hand on auxiliary handle, or
motor housing.
If both hands are holding the saw, they cannot
be cut by the blade.
b) Do not reach underneath the workpiece.
The guard cannot protect you from the blade
below the workpiece.
c) Adjust the cutting depth to the thickness of the
workpiece.
Less than a full tooth of the blade teeth should
be visible below the workpiece.
d) Never hold piece being cut in your hands or across
your leg. Secure the workpiece to a stable
platform.
It is important to support the work properly to
minimize body exposure, blade binding, or loss
of control.
e) Hold power tool by insulated gripping surfaces when
performing an operation where the cutting tool
may contact hidden wiring or its own cord.
Contact with a “live” wire will also make exposed
metal parts of the power tool “live” and shock
the operator.
f) When ripping always use a rip fence or straight
edge guide.
This improves the accuracy of cut and reduces
the chance of blade binding.
g) Always use blades with correct size and shape
(diamond versus round) of arbour holes.
Blades that do not match the mounting hardware
of the saw will run eccentrically, causing loss
of control.
h) Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers
or bolt.
The blade washers and bolt were specially
designed for your saw, for optimum performance
and safety of operation.
⅜ Never use any abrasive wheels
Burst of abrasive wheel cause serious injury of
operator or persons around the working area.
FURTHER SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL
SAWS
Causes and operator prevention of kickback:
– kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound
or misaligned saw blade, causing an uncontrolled
saw to lift up and out of the workpiece 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 rapidly back toward
the operator;
– if 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 the result of saw misuse and/or incorrect
operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given below.
a) Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the saw
and position your arms to resist kickback forces.
Position your body either side of the blade, but
not in line with the blade.
Kickback could cause the saw to jump backwards,
but kickback forces can be controlled by the
operator, if proper precautions are taken.
b) When blade is binding, or when interrupting a cut
for any reason, release the trigger and hold the
saw motionless in the material until the blade
comes to a complete stop.
Never attempt to remove the saw from the work
or pull the saw backward while the blade is in
motion or kickback may occur.
Investigate and take corrective actions to
eliminate the cause of blade binding.
c) When restarting a saw in the workpiece, centre
the saw blade in the kerf and check that saw teeth
are not engaged into the material.
If saw blade is binding, it may walk up or
kickback from the workpiece as the saw is
restarted.
d) Support large panels to minimize the risk of blade
pinching and kickback.
Large panels tend to sag under their own weight.
Supports must be placed under the panel on
both sides, near the line of cut and near the
edge of the panel.
e) Do not use dull or damaged blades.
Unsharpened or improperly set blades produce
narrow kerf causing excessive friction, blade
binding and kickback.
f) Blade depth and bevel adjusting locking levers
must be tight and secure before making cut.
If blade adjustment shifts while cutting, it may
cause binding and kickback.
g) Use extra caution when making a “plunge cut”
into existing walls or other blind areas.
The protruding blade may cut objects that can
cause kickback.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAWS WITH
INNER PENDULUM GUARD
a) Check lower guard for proper closing before each
use. Do not operate the saw if lower guard does
not move freely and close instantly. Never clamp
or tie the lower guard into the open position.
If saw is accidentally dropped, lower guard may
be bent.
Raise the lower guard with the retracting handle
and make sure it moves freely and does not
touch the blade or any other part, in all angles
and depth of cut.
b) Check the operation of the lower guard spring. If
the guard and the spring are not operating
properly, they must be serviced before use.
Lower guard may operate sluggishly due to
damaged parts, gummy deposits, or build-up of
debris.
c) Lower guard should be retracted manually only
for special cuts such as “plunge cuts” and
“compound cuts”. Raise lower guard by retracting
handle and as soon as blade enters the material,
the lower guard must be released.
For all other sawing, the lower guard should
operate automatically.
d) Always observe that the lower guard is covering
the blade before placing saw down on bench or floor.
An unprotected, coasting blade will cause the saw
to walk backwards, cutting whatever is in its path.
Be aware of the time it takes for the blade to
stop after switch is released.