Craftsman 509398 - Manual (Page 5)

5
Guard Function and Features
The guard is a very important safety feature,
designed to reduce the risk of injury associ-
ated with blade contact. Install the guard
correctly. Follow the specific instructions
in the ripping and crosscutting sections
to set and use the guard correctly for
each type of cut.
Guard Features Include:
1. A non-moveable metal upper portion,
(Upper Guard) which is fastened to the
motor by the guard clamp screw, and which
fully covers the upper half of the blade.
2. A moveable clear plastic portion, (Plas-
tic Lower Guard) which partially covers the
lower half of the blade. It protects against
contact with the side of the blade during
crosscutting when blade is in its rearmost
position and the guard is resting on the
table, so the leading and trailing teeth of the
blade are not exposed. It also protects
against contact with the outfeed side of the
blade during ripping, and acts as a barrier to
prevent wrong way feed.
3. A squeeze trigger in the saw handle to
fully raise the clear plastic guard at the start
of a crosscut. Note:
This is necessary because
the guard will not automatically raise to clear the
fence.
4. A hold down to be lowered to just clear
the top of the workpiece for ripping. It acts as
a barrier to the infeed side of the blade,
keeps the workpiece from fluttering, and acts
as a sawdust deflector. It is locked/unlocked
by the hold down knob.
5. A riving knife to be lowered to the table
for ripping. It keeps the workpiece kerf open,
thereby reducing blade pinching and the risk
of kickback. It also acts as a barrier to the
hazardous outfeed side and prevents wrong
way feed. It is locked/unlocked by the riving
knife/pawls knob. When lowered for cross-
cutting, it acts as a barrier to the leading
edge of the blade.
Handle/Squeeze
Trigger
Workpiece
Hold Down
Pawls
Riving
Knife
Pawls, Riving
Knife Knob
Plastic Lower
Guard
Hold Down
Knob
Upper Guard
Safety