Craftsman 315.114260 Operator's Manual

Also see for 315.114260: Operator's manual

Contents

5SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES Check the operation and condition of the lowerguard spring. If the guard and the spring are notoperating properly, they must be serviced beforeuse. Lower guard may operate sluggishly due todamaged parts, gummy deposits, or a buildup of debris. Lower guard should be retracted manually only forspecial cuts such as “Pocket Cuts” and “Com-pound Cuts”. Raise lower guard by RetractingHandle. As soon as blade enters the material, lowerguard must be released. For all other sawing, thelower guard should operate automatically. Always observe that the lower guard is covering theblade before placing saw down on bench or floor.An unprotected, coasting blade will cause the saw towalk backwards, cutting whatever is in its path. Beaware of the time it takes for the blade to stop afterswitch is released. NEVER hold piece being cut in your hands oracross your leg. It is important to support the workproperly to minimize body exposure, blade binding, orloss of control. Hold tool by insulating gripping surfaces whenperforming an operation where the cutting tool maycontact hidden wiring. Contact with a “live” wire willalso make exposed metal parts of the tool “live” andshock the operator. When ripping always use a rip fence for a straightedge guide. This improves the accuracy of cut andreduces the chance of blade binding. Always use blades with correct size and shape(diamond vs. round) arbor holes. Blades that do notmatch the mounting hardware of the saw will runeccentrically, causing loss of control. Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers orbolts. The blade washers and bolt were speciallydesigned for your saw, for optimum performance andsafety of operation. Causes and Operator Prevention of Kickback:Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound, ormisaligned saw blade, causing an uncontrolled saw tolift up and out of the workpiece toward the operator.When the blade is pinched or bound tightly by the kerfclosing down, the blade stalls and the motor reactiondrives 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 thetop surface of the wood causing the blade to climb outof the kerf and jump back toward the operator.Kickback is a result of tool misuse and/or incorrectoperating procedures or conditions and can be avoidedby taking proper precautions as given below: Maintain a firm grip on the saw and position yourbody and arm in a way that allows you to resistKICKBACK forces. KICKBACK forces can be con-trolled by the operator, if proper precautions are taken. When blade is binding, or when interrupting a cutfor any reason, release the trigger and hold the sawmotionless in the material until the blade comes toa complete stop. Never attempt to remove the sawfrom the work or pull the saw backward while theblade is in motion or KICKBACK may occur. Investi-gate and take corrective actions to eliminate the causeof blade binding. When restarting a saw in the workpiece, center thesaw blade in the kerf and check that teeth are notengaged into the material. If saw blade is binding, itmay walk up or KICKBACK from the workpiece as thesaw is restarted. Support large panels to minimize the risk of bladepinching and KICKBACK. Large panels tend to sagunder their own weight. Supports must be placed underthe panel on both sides, near the line of cut and nearthe edge of the panel. Do not use dull or damaged blade. Unsharpened orimproperly set blades produce narrow kerf causingexcessive friction, blade binding, and KICKBACK. Blade depth and bevel adjusting locking leversmust be tight and secure before making cut. If bladeadjustment shifts while cutting, it will cause binding andKICKBACK. Use extra caution when making a “Pocket Cut” intoexisting walls or other blind areas. The protrudingblade may cut objects that can cause KICKBACK.