How to use a rotary saw
Preparation and assembly
When installing a luffing saw, it is important that you choose a suitable site to work that is flat, level, and free of loose materials, debris, or debris. Check that the flip saw is steady and does not move.
Your power supply must come from a safe point with enough capacity to start a powerful motor, often around 2000w. This supply should have some kind of circuit protection, preferably a sensitive switch that will trip even in the event of an accident. If you use a 110V transformer, place it next to the outlet and use a suitable 110V extension cord for the luffing saw. DO NOT connect a 240V extension cord to the 110V transformer on the saw!
Carefully route the power cord to the luffing saw away from the work area and do not hang it off the ground in any way to cause a tripping hazard.
Gather your personal protective equipment (PPE), which should at least include proper safety glasses and a good push stick if you use the rotary saw in table cutting mode. Hearing protectors are a good idea if you are in a confined space or using the saw for long periods of time and are absolutely essential if cutting aluminum (a special blade is required) (as noise from these blades can! to be terrible!). especially if long pieces of material are torn or working in a confined space.
As always, wear sturdy steel-toed boots, sensitive clothing, and put away anything loose that might get into the blade. The use of rings and other jewelry is also not recommended. Helmets are necessary if there is a hazard from above or if large sections of wood are passed overhead.
Your stock of material should be located by hand and stacked securely – removing a single span shouldn’t cause the stack to collapse!
This writer likes to position the saw so that I don’t have to walk around it to bring the freshly cut workpiece to the job site and then stack the materials on the left side for convenience. This leaves a clear path between the tilting saw and the job site. Being efficient means getting more work done with less effort!
If you cut lengths greater than, say, 1 meter, some form of side supports will be necessary. Either commercial saw stands or custom modified ‘saw horses’. This writer uses metal folding-type sawhorses with a wooden packing piece bolted to the top; making them exactly the same height as the ‘bed’ of the miter saw. Three is ideal, two on the left and one on the right to catch the cut. Two are needed on the left, as the material can get smaller and smaller by cutting multiple sections of a single length. This is essential for safe work and to prevent the blade from clinging to the workpiece when cutting it.
Plan your work to minimize the number of times you need to “flip” the saw to tabletop mode and vice versa, if you can. For instance; Make all your table saw cuts first and then switch to your miter saw cuts. However, this is not always feasible or practical, and fortunately most rotary saws are quickly changed.
Working with a rotary saw
If you’ve set up as described above, you’ll be up and running efficiently and most importantly, safely.
Miter saw cuts
The material should be gently placed on the rotary saw and slid into the area to be marked and cut. Dropping heavy material onto the base of the saw will eventually ruin the precision settings of the flip saws and can even damage the saw.
Long sections must be marked from the left and short sections, for example below one meter, must be marked from the right. This is to ensure that the longest side of the material to be cut is to the left, as this is the side that you will hold firmly while the saw does its job.
Place the material under the blade and grasp the handle with the blade guard release DO NOT PRESS THE POWER SWITCH AT THIS POINT.
Gently pull the saw down until the blade almost touches the material and adjust the material from side to side, until the blade is positioned on the waste / cut side of your mark.
Release the saw to its rest point and, holding the workpiece firmly, start the engine.
While you wait for the blade to reach full speed, listen to it. Familiarize yourself with the sound of the engine and keep an eye out for anything unusual. Sometimes small pieces of material get caught in the guard mechanism and can rub against the blade until they fly off without warning. Stop, turn off the power, and investigate any unusual sounds immediately!
With the blade at full speed and with a good sound, gently pull the saw down and through the workpiece. Get familiar with how the blade feels and cuts, learn to judge how much pressure to apply, and don’t excessively slow the blade down – about 10% or so is the right thing to do. Once all the material has gone through, gently return the saw to its upright position, turn off the motor, and wait for the blade to come to a complete stop.
Done, you should now have the correct size workpiece. Ready to transfer to the job site for fixing.
Never leave a rotary saw between cuts. In a crowded place, a running engine can be dangerous and deceptively quiet.
Table saw cuts
Fold down the “head” of the saw and secure as directed in the manufacturer’s instructions (varies slightly), “flip” the saw and hear the click of the locator latch. Always ‘double check’ visually that the saw base is secure in position.
Always use riving knife and blade guard when chipping wood, again according to manufacturer’s description. This prevents the wood from grabbing onto the blade after cutting and prevents the blade from ‘throwing’ the wood towards you at a certain speed!
Install the fence or fence by making a parallel cut using the graduated marks on the base of the saw table or by measuring between the fence and the blade with a tape measure.
If you have set up the saw per the instructions above, you should have a clear area in front of the rotary saw (it is very tempting to stack material behind you, but as you can see this is a mistake).
Once you’re ready, turn on the rotary saw and walk away from the machine with the material in hand. Again, listen to the motor as the blade rotates at full speed and place your material on the front edge of the table and align it with the guide.
At this point the blade will be running at full speed, gently but firmly feed the material into the blade, maintaining firm side and down pressure on the material in the guide rail and table bed. Once you are halfway there, you have the option to stop, remove the material, flip end to end, and go the other half until you find the first cut. Shorter lengths can be fed directly in one go, keeping your hands well away from the blade, or with a push stick or two.
Personally, this writer doesn’t like to get any closer to a moving blade than about 100mm or 4 “- sure I know many that run much closer than this one, but hey, I like all my fingers!
Cut management
Always know where your court is going. Small ones can be thrown out if not handled properly and long cuts can skew and catch the blade, which can also cause problems. Good support is the answer, BEFORE, DURING and AFTER cutting.
Limitations
Assuming you have the right size saw for the job at hand and can physically cut through the material. The only limitation you will encounter with a rotary saw is having to continually flip the machine between the two modes if the job demands it or if you don’t properly plan your cuts. Going around the saws means you have to look a little further ahead and think about what you are doing.
As with many combination machines, there is a trade-off to flexibility. With rotary saws, this may mean that the table saw base is a bit small or that the miter saw’s capacity is a bit less because it doesn’t have a sliding arm.
Ultimately, however, using a rotary saw is simple, along with good capabilities and versatility, meaning that a rotary saw can handle most jobs, whether on site or in the home workshop.
Further reading
Amazon stores several hundred books on this subject; Look for power saws, table saws, or miter saws for the best results.
Currently, reviews can be found on most tool supply sites.
Conclusions
Choose a suitable and safe place to install the jigsaw, ideally away from other workers.
Make sure the rotary saw is on a firm footing and does not move.
Use a safe and secure power supply and sensitive cable routing. *
Make sure your ‘pusher’ and personal protective equipment (PPE) are close at hand.
Arrange materials close to hand and stacked securely to your left (when facing the saw).
Make sure your route from the rotary saw to the job site is logical, clear, and safe.
Plan your work, dividing jobs into miter saw and table saw modes.
Use side supports if the material is more than one meter long.
Mark the material from the left unless the cut is less than one meter, then mark from the right.
Hold the workpiece firmly and do not allow the blade to touch the material until it reaches full speed.
Never leave the saw running between cuts.
Always use the riving knife and blade guard when tearing material.
Keep your hand / fingers at least 100mm or more away from a running blade.
Clean up the sawdust and save it carefully for next time.
Gently clean the blade with a light oil if you are not going to use the saw again for several weeks.
Keep the saw’s storage area locked and the saw under an old sheet or blanket.
Warnings
Your protected power supply must be from a safe point with enough capacity to start a powerful motor, often around 2000w.
If you use a 110V transformer, place it next to the outlet and use a suitable 110V extension cord for the luffing saw. DO NOT connect a 240V extension cord to the 110V transformer on the saw!
Carefully route the power cord to the luffing saw away from the work area and do not hang it off the ground in any way to cause a tripping hazard.
Gather your personal protective equipment (PPE), which should at least include proper safety glasses and a good push stick if you use the rotary saw in table cutting mode.
Hearing protectors are a good idea if you are in a confined space or using the saw for long periods of time and are absolutely essential if cutting aluminum (a special blade is required as the noise from these blades can be terrible).
Consider nuisance dust masks if you don’t use an extraction system.
As always, wear sturdy steel-toed boots, sensitive clothing, and put away anything loose that might get into the blade.
The use of rings and other jewelry is also not recommended.
Helmets are also necessary if there is a danger from above or if long stretches of wood are passed overhead.