Specific Safety Rules - Makita 4101RH Instruction Manual

SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES

DO NOT let comfort or familiarity with
product (gained from repeated use)
replace strict adherence to cutter safety
rules. If you use this tool unsafely or
incorrectly, you can suffer serious per-
sonal injury.
1. DANGER! Keep hands away from cutting area
and wheel. Keep your second hand on auxiliary
handle or motor housing. If both hands are holding
the tool, they cannot be cut by the wheel.
2. Keep your body positioned to either side of the
wheel, but not in line with the wheel. KICKBACK
could cause the tool to jump backwards. (See
"Causes and Operator Prevention of Kickback")
3. Do not reach underneath the work. Do not attempt
to remove cut material when wheel is moving.
CAUTION: Wheels coast after turn off.
4. Always observe that the wheel has stopped
spinning before placing tool down on bench or
floor. A coasting wheel will cause the tool to walk
backwards, cutting whatever is in its path. Be aware
of the time it takes for the wheel to stop after switch
is released.
5. NEVER hold piece being cut in your hands or
across your leg. It is important to support the work
properly to minimize body exposure, wheel binding,
or loss of control.
6. Hold tool by insulated gripping surfaces when
performing an operation where the cutting tool
may contact hidden wiring or its own cord. Con-
tact with a "live" wire will also make exposed metal
parts of the tool "live" and shock the operator.
7. When ripping always use a rip fence or straight
edge guide. This improves the accuracy of cut and
reduces the chance for wheel binding.
8. Always use wheels with correct size and shape
(diamond vs. round) arbor holes. Wheels that do
not match the mounting hardware of the tool will run
eccentrically, causing loss of control.
9. Never use damaged or incorrect wheel washers
or bolts. The wheel washers and bolt were specially
designed for your tool, for optimum performance and
safety of operation.
10. Causes and Operator Prevention of Kickback:
Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound,
or misaligned wheel, causing an uncontrolled tool to
lift up and out of the workpiece toward the operator.
When the wheel is pinched or bound tightly by the
kerf closing down, the wheel stalls and the motor
reaction drives the unit rapidly back toward the oper-
ator.
If the wheel becomes twisted or misaligned in the
cut, the teeth at the back edge of the wheel can dig
into the top surface of the material being cut causing
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the wheel to climb out of the kerf and jump back
toward the operator.
Kickback is the result of tool misuse and/or incorrect
operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given
below:
Maintain a firm grip on the tool and position your
body and arm to allow you to resist KICKBACK
forces. KICKBACK forces can be controlled by the
operator, if proper precautions are taken.
When wheel is binding, or when interrupting a
cut for any reason, release the trigger and hold
the tool motionless in the material until the
wheel comes to a complete stop. Never attempt
to remove the tool from the work or pull the tool
backward while the wheel is in motion or KICK-
BACK may occur. Investigate and take corrective
actions to eliminate the cause of wheel binding.
When restarting a tool in the workpiece, center
the wheel in the kerf and check that teeth are not
engaged into the material. If wheel is binding, it
may walk up or KICKBACK from the workpiece as
the tool is restarted.
Support large panels to minimize the risk of
wheel 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.
To minimize the risk of wheel pinching and kickback.
When cutting operation requires the resting of the
tool on the workpiece, the tool shall be rested on the
larger portion and the smaller piece cut off.
Do not use dull or damaged wheel. Unsharpened
or improperly set wheels produce narrow kerf caus-
ing excessive friction, wheel binding and KICK-
BACK.
Wheel depth and bevel adjusting locking levers
must be tight and secure before making cut. If
wheel adjustment shifts while cutting, it may cause
binding and KICKBACK.
Use extra caution when making a "Pocket Cut"
into existing walls or other blind areas. The pro-
truding wheel may cut objects that can cause KICK-
BACK.
NEVER place your hand or fingers behind the
tool. If kickback occurs, the tool could easily jump
backwards over your hand, leading to serious per-
sonal injury.
11. When operating the tool, keep the cord away
from the cutting area and position it so that it will
not be caught on the workpiece during the cut-
ting operation. Operate with proper hand sup-
port, proper workpiece support, and supply cord
routing away from the work area.
WARNING: It is important to support the work-
piece properly and to hold the tool firmly to pre-
vent loss of control which could cause personal
injury.
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