Replies

1. 
   knight | May 01, 2006 03:09pm | #1

   The only time I have ever clamped anything to a saw is when the piece is too small to hold by hand, and thats pretty rare.  The safe thing to do would probably be to always use a hold down.  But we're supposed to use our tablesaw guards too, and I doubt there are many of us that do that either. My advice is...take your time, and if the operation doesn't feel safe, don't do it.  I still have all my fingers...so far.

   By the way, if the flooring you mentioned is laminate, use an old or inexpensive blade.  Laminate flooring will kill an $80 blade in no time.

2. 
   hammer1 | May 01, 2006 05:40pm | #2

   Congratulations on buying a great saw and taking the time to read the manual. Don't ever go by what you may see either on TV or in the workplace. I think you will find that many operating these saws haven't bothered to read the manual. Start by making sure that the saw is secured to a work bench or stand. With a slider, you pull the saw out and push it back through the work. You should leave the blade down until it comes to a stop. This is one rule that many don't follow. It can improve the quality of the cut but more importantly it will reduce the possibility of getting cut.

   You want to be free to concentrate on the cut and not worry about the work piece flopping around. Provide good support for long pieces. You don't want the piece to move while cutting. You can hold the work by hand as long as both the saw and the work are not going to move around. In some cases, the kerf can pinch on the blade. With the sliding action, this can make both the blade and the work jump upwards. Clamping the work will prevent this. It can be challenging to align the work and clamp it. With some compound cuts, the clamp may be in the way of the saw travel, however, a clamp will help get the best possible cut. In some cases you may have to clamp the waste piece, depending on how the saw is tilted.

   The worst accident I have seen with a slider was a young person that severed their arm. This person had their hands crossed in front of the saw. The work was to the left, person was right handed. Instead of switching hands and pulling the saw with the left, holding the work with the right, they did the opposite. The saw was not left down until it stopped. The work was not fully supported. At the end of the cut, the work started to fall and the arm in front of the blade got pushed into it.

   Most of us that work with these saws everyday, hand hold a majority of our cuts. This depends on the type of stock and type of cut. It can be done safely but it does require you to pay attention to two things at once. Cross cutting a 2 1/2" piece of hardwood flooring is a rather basic cut and can be hand held. If you are mitering an outside corner on 1x8 red oak baseboard, you will probably want to use a clamp. It's the accuracy of the cut we are looking for. Anything you can do to make sure that the cut comes out the way you want it is worth doing. Just don't do anything that could jeopardize your safety to get the job done.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

3. 
   dgreen | May 01, 2006 05:49pm | #3

   Keep us posted if you would, on how you like this saw especially how well the double slide works over time. Sure is a nice light saw, the finish/trim guys were asking for them 6 mos. before they hit the stores.

4. 
   Marion | May 02, 2006 04:27pm | #4

   Good answers. I clamp boards that are 12" or shorter. I have extension fences(and tables) most times on saw. If you need to cross your arms to cut, you should clamp. You can use other clamps(I use Irwin quick clamps). Remember that a piece of trim costs less than $10 per foot--a trip to ER a couple thousand. I used Makita on one jobsite. It was nice saw. Good blade out of box.
   Marion

5. 
   paulcs | May 02, 2006 05:51pm | #5

   Thanks alot  for your replies, I really apprecciate all your advice, it,s so useful to use these forums and learn from other people,s experience and expertise. Cheers

6. 
   eddiefromAustralia | May 02, 2006 11:16pm | #6

   Paul,

    

   I'd suggest that you go through each of these sheets in detail - they give practical advice on the save way to run machines, even though the terminology's different to that which you are used to.

   http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/woodindx.htm

    

   This one specifically relates to mitre saws - I've never seen a 'downstroking saw' in the way that it is described here, but potentially they could be referring to a Sliding Compound Mitre Saw.

   http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis36.pdf

   There are a few key points in the use of these saws, but they are better shown practically than attempting to describe their use over the internet.

   Cheers,

   eddie

   
   

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   Edited 5/2/2006 4:18 pm by eddiefromAustralia

1. 
   paulcs | May 03, 2006 12:50am | #7

   Cheers Eddie, I checked out those links and will save them.  I live in the UK so terminology not a problem.

   Paul

1. 
   Biscardi | May 03, 2006 05:23am | #8

   Safety aside (it usually ends up that way anyhow), I have always found that the best miter cuts are made when the workpiece is clamped down. Even smal movement of the wood adds slop to the resulting joint.

   Frank