Dewalt DC390K Instruction Manual - Page 16

English LOWER BLADE GUARD WARNING: The lower blade guard is a safety feature which reduces the risk of serious personal injury. Never use the saw if the lower guard is missing, damaged, misassembled or not working properly. Do not rely on the lower blade guard to protect you under all circumstances. Your safety depends on following all warnings and precautions as well as proper operation of the saw. Check lower guard for proper closing before each use as outlined in Additional Safety Rules for Circular Saws. If the lower blade guard is missing or not working properly, have the saw serviced before using. To assure product safety and reliability, repair, maintenance and adjustment should be performed by an authorized service center or other qualified service organization, always using identical replacement parts. Blades WARNING: To minimize the risk of eye injury, always use eye protection. Carbide is a hard but brittle material. Foreign objects in the work piece such as wire or nails can cause tips to crack or break. Only operate saw when proper saw blade guard is in place. Mount blade securely in proper rotation before using, and always use a clean, sharp blade. CAUTION: Do not cut ferrous metals (steel), masonry, glass, masonry-type planking, cement board or tile with this saw. Do not use abrasive wheels or blades. A dull blade will cause slow, inefficient cutting overload on the saw motor, excessive splintering, and could increase the possibility of kickback. Please refer to the table on next page to determine the correct size replacement blade for your model saw. Blade Diameter Teeth Application DW9155 6-1/2" 18 General Purpose Cutting DW9154 6-1/2" 24 Smooth Wood Cutting DW9153 6-1/2" 90 Non-carbide, Plywood/ Vinyl Siding Cutting If you need assistance regarding blades, please call 1-800-4-DEWALT (1-800-433-9258). 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 more likely to occur when any of the following conditions exist. 1. IMPROPER WORKPIECE SUPPORT A. Sagging or improper lifting of the cut off piece can cause pinching of the blade and lead to kickback (Fig. 10). B. Cutting through material supported at the outer ends only can cause kickback. As the material weakens it sags, closing down the kerf and pinching the blade. C. Cutting off a cantilevered or overhanging piece of material from the bottom up in a vertical direction can cause kickback. The falling cut off piece can pinch the blade. D. Cutting off long narrow strips (as in ripping) can cause kickback. The cut off strip can sag or twist closing the kerf and pinching the blade. 14