Use and Safety Guidelines

!WARNING: DO NOT operate saw machine without proper saw blade guard in place. Other important instructions and warnings regarding your safety are contained in saw machine owner's manual. Failure to heed these instructions and warnings could result in serious bodily injury. Operator is responsible for safety for themselves and others. To achieve excellent results in the safest manner, we recommend the following:

1. Never force-feed materials into saws, causing machine to operate below safe speeds
2. Before mounting saw blade, always inspect the blade for damage or foreign materials. Cut material in a safe area.
3. Keep body and clothing clear of all cutting tools and moving parts.
4. Mount saws to rotate in the proper direction as instructed in the owner's manual.
5. Sharpen blade regularly. Maintain original specifications and tolerances. Rely upon a professional sharpener to sharpen and repair top quality blades
6. Only cut material for which blade was designed.
7. Wear ANSI compliant safety goggles/shields at all times.
8. Never exceed recommended maximum RPMs.
9. Professional instruction and training is always recommended.
10. Professional results Start and Finish with Safety.

Optimizing Blade Performance

Best peformance is achieved with MATSUSHITA blades by avoiding some pitfalls that can occur as a result of misuse of the blade.

PITFALLS:

1. Worn saw bearings
2. Using the wrong style blade for the application.
3. Improperly adjusting blade height in the equipment.
4. Dirt lodged between the flanges and the blade.
5. Using the blade to "chop" rather than to cut.
6. Improper removal or insertion of bushings.
7. Pushing the blade beyond its capacity (e.g. give users a blade that goes 65, they push it to 85 then 95 and expect the blade to have no limits.)

MATSUSHITA blades are extremely sharp and stay sharp because of the materials and craftmanship used to make them. But, blades do get dull eventually. Running a dull blade will cause overheating and resistance to straight line cutting. (WHEN BLADES BECOME DULL, THEY NEED TO BE SHARPENED.) Improper alignment of a saw fence or guide can cause saw marks in the material. Also, a blade set too high above the material or too deep below the material can cause saw marks. (NOTE: The carbide tooth should come through the material but should never leave the cut. That is, allow only 1/2 of the carbide to come through the material.)

Carbide teeth can and do chip or break because of hard impacts. "Feeding" the blade into material slowly will prevent carbide teeth from chipping or breaking. Few people have a full and perfect set of teeth in their mouth (that have their own), but they can eat a steak just fine. A chipped or broken toothe seldom stops a MATSUSHITA blade from performing beautifully. Most often the operator does not even notice. The "dentists" of the blade business are saw sharpeners. Dull, chipped or broken teeth are normal wear and tear. Professional sharpeners can keep blade"alive" and in production often for years. Ten to fifteen sharpening is not unusal. Find a good sharpener. There are some excellent ones out there.

Let them keep your MATSUSHITA blades sharp so that what you make looks sharp. too!