Sad but I've never really used a mitre saw for anything. Just got a big makita one and need to cut some 4*4 posts, straight and 45°.
Any tips?
Tips to not cut my fingers off?
Sad but I've never really used a mitre saw for anything. Just got a big makita one and need to cut some 4*4 posts, straight and 45°.
Any tips?
Just like, use the built in clamps. Miter saws are nowhere near as bad as table saws.
understand what these pictures mean and you're golden
I dun understand
Where are these clamps (serious)
Keep looking at the saw, don't stop until you found something that can be used as a clamp.
Ah so that black Turney bit with the knob. I'm thinking I'm just gonna use up my clamps to stick the saw to my table then the wood to the saw.
Great advice, yeah this saw has a really long extension on it.
Also note my old man is going to come by and help out since hes retired and bored, he's good with wood.
No problem, I use one a lot for work and they're only dangerous if you're not paying attention.
One last thing to check for is that the piece you're cutting is flat and flush against the back fence (on both sides of the blade)
If it's not it will shift when the saw engages which is sketchy
thanks anons, ill post my hands on tuesday when I'm all done, fingers hopefully intact.
Treat it like a firearm- never put your finger on the trigger until you are 100% prepared to use it.
It's especially important with chop saws because of the way they pivot and are controlled- the torque of even a tiny blip of rotation makes the blade want to drop, the return spring resistance almost vanishes and does so instantaneously...
To make matters worse, the hand that controls the blade/motor assembly is the same one your trigger finger is on, so any grip/force you might apply to prevent chopping what's beneath it is working opposite the need to let off the trigger.
Even worse, while the blade spins up in a flash, they don't slow down nearly as fast even with a blade brake and even minimal rotation can hack you up.
There's precious little time to react to this kind of accidental triggering, and directly cutting yourself isn't the only danger...if the blade touches a workpiece that isnt firmly in place it can do all kinds of damage, and potentially suck your hand in if you are holding the work.
For that latter reason, if there is any need to hold material close to the blade or reason it can't be held firmly, use clamps.
Also for big/ heavy material like you describe, take the time to make supports to keep it flat during and after the cuts; if the material starts moving under its own weight as the cut deepens it can cause all kinds of problems that can damage the material, create unsafe conditions, or both.
So to be super safe, and maybe overkill but.
>unplug it
>put my piece down
>clamp and check the blade location etc.
>hands way the fuck off
>plug in
>make cut without holding the piece at all and rely on clamps
?
learn to use either hand on the switch + handle, I don't care if you're left handed or right handed it's not hard
frequently you will need to make cuts near the end of a board with the cut-off being on either side
never cross your arms in front of the saw, if you're using your right hand to operate the saw your left hand should be on the left side of the blade (and vice versa)
you don't really need to clamp stuff unless it's very small, I always keep my hands at least 10" away from the blade though
if the board you're cutting is bowed (even slightly), there's a chance it will not rest flat on the saw platform. This can make it bind up the blade as you cut
to avoid this roll the board until it is touching the platform and one (or both) ends are floating above the bench. this will let the two pieces fall away from the blade, not into it
also, if you're using a sliding miter saw (like the one in your picture) it's better to do a couple passes than to just sink it into the board
depending on the species of wood it will struggle to cut it all in one go, and forcing it to can stall it or make it roll forward on the slide towards you
pull the slide all the way out before you begin your cut, so that you're aware of how far the blade can come towards you (and stand clear of it)
don't stick your fingers in the spinny thing, it's that simple
This is about the extent that I think about it when I cut with any saw. Stick some other scrap in there if you're cutting a tiny piece
t. carpenter
Never cross your arms when you use the tool.
The smaller the piece, the more dangerous the cut and especially at an angle. At a certain size I will only hold the piece with a scrap piece. The chances of the piece getting tossed increase with smaller sizes.
Allowing the blade time to cut will reduce chance of the blade grabbing the piece.
Keep your chest away from the cut too. I had a retarded boss shim the guard and lean into the blade while trying to cut deck posts.
Is this a meme thread
I bought an old dewalt sliding compound from ebay about a decade ago cheap because all of the guards had broken off.
I never ever considered any risk of the blade biting or kicking and injuring me, then again I always (subconsciously) hold the work or saw with my hands out of danger.
Is my blade dull or something?
It feels like one of the safest tools I own tbh. Even a drill driver I have chipped a torx bit putting in concrete screws that nearly put my eye out.
Chop saw biggest danger is hearing loss from extended use in a confined shop
>Chop saw biggest danger is hearing loss from extended use in a confined shop
Foam ear plugs are cheap, washable and clean your ears. They saved most of my hearing working jet engines. I use them at home too of course.
Someone at my work ordered a bag of 5000 of these despite everyone having ear defenders and only one person authorised to use any machines and nobody having any work to do in the workshop for the next year or so.
I put a pair in for a treat now and again I like the noise and feeling they make when they expand
I got cored ones, it was a paradigm shift for me. i do not lose them, I get new ones only when the pair i am using are concerningly dirty
I used to instruct new guys at my job and yes, there are several easy mistakes to make that create danger
had one guy repeatedly cross his arms despite me saying not to several times, very slowly because he couldn't figure out how to operate it with either hand
if it's someone's first time using a tool (like OP) you go over every safety situation despite a lot of it seeming like common sense
There's a reason why those guards are there, anon. It really changes the game when you've got that 10-12" blade running free willy. Shit happens and those guards prevent a ton of disasters. They'll catch pieces of wood flying out at your face or the odd happenstance that your shirt or something snags on it. Sure that saw looks real badass without the guard, but god forbid one day you're a little clumsy and you get wrecked by that thing. Even if you aren't clumsy, bits of wood will fly around, it is inevitable, especially while making fine cuts on smaller pieces. It also helps keep the dust contained back into the outlet. Or SOMEONE ELSE uses your saw and mutilates themselves. Then again, humanity always needs that one idiot to fuck around and find out why we have these basic safety precautions in the first place. So keep your saw runnin' naked for all we care.
>Even if you aren't clumsy, bits of wood will fly around, it is inevitable, especially while making fine cuts on smaller pieces.
i normally stand in front of it when cutting, not behind it crouched down with my eye lined up with the dust port at the back
Small bits of cut off (or shattered) material can get bounced or drawn into the fixed part of the blade housing by air currents and shot back towards the operator if the pivoting part of the guard is removed, and sometimes even when it's installed but retracted at the bottom of a cut.
Bench grinders can do it too with small parts/pieces that fall into the wheel housing.
Inhalation of wood products is up there too, anon. MDF in particular has a lot of heavy metals and things like formaldehyde and it disintegrates into very fine particles that ruin the lungs.
Never cross your hands. This is the most important thing.
Always hold the workpiece firmly onto the table and against the fence.
Never daisy chain extension cords or higher gauge wire on a nicer saw as it will wear the motor down. I've ruined one that way before. You really want a 12 GA cord for your saw.
To find where the cut will be: Move the saw blade down keeping your fingers off the trigger. Find the saw kerfs and line one up so its edge will meet the workpiece. Most saw blades will have alternating kerf edges, so find the kerf relevant to your cut. Assuming you are square, that's where the cut will be. Expect about 1/16 or less of material to be removed, so measure accordingly.
Always check the table insert before a cut to make sure there's no debris in the way. Sometimes the saw will kick up a chunk of wood and send it flying if it's in the way.
If you need a clean cut on a finished piece, tape it to prevent blowout. I like Frog Tape.
Squaring your saw is another can of worms and you should tackle that after you're comfortable with using the saw for basic cuts.
Good luck OP.
wood against fence, anything smaller than fence use clamp & keep hands away, stand to the side I like to be on the side with the most material incase something goes wrong the larger material will distrubt the impact and the leverage will damage the machine and not me, wait for the blade to spin up, let the blade do the work I don't think i am putting more than 5lbs of pressure on the handle, WAIT FOR THE BLADE TO SPIN DOWN completely sing a song go over your plan wait for the blade to stop spinning
ppe is recommended eyes ears I think gloves are a no no.