Dangerous kickbacks happen to the best of us, even to experienced carpenters. However, knowing what kickback is and how it happens will help to avoid them. Focus on three areas: proper blade depth, standing and holding the saw correctly and keeping the material securely held.
Before we start, let's go over a few safety points. Don't ever underestimate the serious injuries that a circular saw can cause. Eye injuries and cuts are the most common. Always wear safety glasses. You just never know when something is going to fly up in the air. Different materials create all kinds of dust and particles that can fly up at any time.
A kickback occurs when the blade of the saw binds in the cut; this causes the saw to kick back toward the user. The depth of the cut should be adjusted for the blade to extend about ¼ to ½ inch below the bottom of the material. This is the first step and does two things. It minimizes the area of the blade that's in contact with the material, thereby reducing the forced that would be generated from a bind. The proper blade depth also exposes a less amount of the blade if the saw should kick back.
Several types of situations can cause the saw to bind and kick back. The first situation to look for is to make sure that the waste piece has plenty of room to fall off and away from the saw. This position allows the weight of the cutoff piece to keep the saw kerf open and free while making the cut. Another little subtle trick I learned is to not cut uphill when you're working on a sawhorse and other type of work platform. Cutting uphill can cause the saw to bind. It is much better to raise the back part of the material so that the saw is actually cutting slightly downhill.
If you have a helper, have him hold the cutoff piece firmly and apply a slight downward pressure; this keeps the saw kerf more open. A little practice and the helper will be a great friend and make cutting much easier.
The most common cause of kickbacks is trying to make a cut between two sawhorses. A little thought will show why this is so. In this situation, both sides of the cut are being supported, and the weight of the saw is directly on the cut. This will cause the saw kerf to tighten up and bind the blade. The way to avoid this dangerous setup is to slightly lift the side being cut off as you are making the cut. Better still, rearrange the material so that the cutoff material is outside one of the sawhorses and can freely fall off after the cut.
By its design, a circular saw likes to cut in a straight line. When the blade drifts away from a straight path, the angle of the rear of the blade causes it to press against the side of the cut, creating a bind.
Always position your body so that you're out of the line of a possible kickback. A kickback saw can turn your wrist, hand and arm holding the saw. The best defense against a kickback is to have the proper setup in the beginning and always think about what you are doing and being conscious of creating the possibility of a kickback.
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