How to Use a Skill Saw
Skill saws, also known as circular saws, are just the right tools for people needing to make quick cross cuts or even short rip cuts. For any carpenter or home renovator, a skill saw is a requirement. Although there are several different models, such as worm drives and side-winders, the differences in the models lie primarily in the amount of torque each motor provides. Regarding usage, techniques for successfully and safely operating a skill saw remain the same from model to model. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4 saw horses
- Carpenter's pencil
- T-square
- Leather work gloves
- Safety goggles
- Ear plugs
- Tape measure
Instructions
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Instructions
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1
Draw a "cut-mark" on the wood by laying a T-square across the board and marking along the T-square's straight edge.
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2
Place the tip of the shoe on the board, and align the blade with the cut-mark. The shoe is the flat piece of metal guard in front of the blade.
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3
Mark the blade's working area by drawing a "shoe-mark" at the blade edge of the shoe and a "plate-mark" at the motor-edge of the plate. The area within these two lines is the blade's working area.
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4
Extend the shoe-mark and plate-mark across the entire board by laying the T-square on the board and drawing a line along the T-square's straight edge.
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5
Set the blade depth by releasing the blade-depth lever and extending the blade depth to 1/4 inch beyond the bottom edge of the wood. Once the blade-depth is set, be sure to re-engage the blade-depth lever.
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Plug in the saw
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Lay the shoe of the skill saw on the edge of the board, and align the blade with the cut-mark. Remember: you've made three marks; the cut-mark is the center mark between the shoe-mark and the plate-mark.
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8
Squeeze the trigger, and ease the blade into the wood. Maintain slight but firm forward pressure. Because it's often easier to see the side of the shoe than it is to see the blade, keep the shoe aligned with the shoe-mark throughout the duration of the cut. If it's easier to see the plate, keep the plate aligned with the plate-mark.
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9
Follow through with the cut until the blade clears the wood, and release the trigger. Wait for the blade to stop rotating before putting the skill saw down.
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10
Unplug the skill saw.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Never begin the cut with the blade against the wood. The blade might catch and jerk the saw.
Always unplug the saw when you're not actually making a cut.
Keep the unplugged saw in a storage area at all times. This habit will ensure you are habituated to the fact that any time the saw is not in the storage area, it is plugged in and potentially dangerous.
Be sure to use at least four sawhorses or pieces of support. Two sawhorses should support the project wood, and two sawhorses should support the waste wood. Less than two sawhorses for each side of the wood will cause one section to tip and snap as you complete the cut. This could hit the saw and cause a potentially life-threatening situation.
