Circular Saw Safety Tips

(Page 3 of 3)

April 2, 2009
By Bob Johnston 
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Now, take your finger off the trigger and do not move the saw. Let the motor and blade come to a complete stop. Never lift or move a saw from a cut while it is still running. This is the most important thing to remember.

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Now, for those of you who have never or rarely used a circular saw and are now afraid of even picking one up, let me say that a circular saw is a safe tool — if used properly. For your first few hundred cuts, I suggest not using a speed square as a guide. Make your mark, draw a line on the board and make the cut. It takes a little longer, but it will build your confidence.

Maintenance and Other Tips

Never depend on a blade guard to protect you. Blade guards are notorious for hanging up and not going back down, especially when you drop the saw on the guard a few times. Keep the guard well lubricated and keep the housing clean of pitch and sawdust.

Check all of the screws and bolts on your saw to make sure they are tight.

If you are cutting a board and the motor slows down, you are either crowding the saw (pushing too hard), cutting on a bowed down table, have a dull blade or the lumber is pinching. If your saw slows down and starts binding, stop the motor and pry the blade out of the cut. Try to cut it from the other side or throw the board away.

Be careful, making one mistake with a circular saw could be the last thing you ever do in your life. But when used correctly, a circular saw is a wonderful tool for increasing efficiency in your building projects.

Bob Johnston, of Cloudcroft, N.M., has been a carpenter for over 50 years.

You might also be interested in reading Choose Rechargeable Tools for Safety and Versatility and You Can Build Sawhorses.

Do you have other safety tips? Share them in the comments section below.
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Comments

  • Teddy Deane 4/9/2009 10:07:05 PM

    As an additional safety tip for circular saws, I'm always aware of my cord placement. Sometimes the saw will just seem hard to move when cutting a panel only to find out that the cord is caught up somewhere. If you don't realize this you start pushing harder and this is obviously very dangerous, especially if the cord suddenly lets go..

  • oliver 4/9/2009 3:58:57 PM

    having spent the last 3 months in surgery and rehab after nearly cutting my thumb with one, I am now kind of ok: thanks to modern micro surgery
    My ONE extra advice: ALWAYS hold your saw with TWO hands...
    kickback with 2 hands is manageable(maybe),it is not with one.


    and not sure yet when I will be confident enought to start using one again!!!!

  • Jim Wurzbach 4/9/2009 1:19:56 PM

    And always keep your hands where you can see them or your fingers may end up on the floor.

  • Keith Hallam 4/8/2009 9:47:02 AM

    Hi, any adjustments to the circular saw, or any power tool for that matter, should be done with the power cable unplugged from the wall. This wasn't made clear when adjusting the depth of the cut.

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