Makita DCS551, Instruction Manual

4 

23.10.2014 

000331 

Yasushi Fukaya 

Director 

Makita, Jan-Baptist Vinkstraat 2, 3070, Belgium 

GEA010-1 

General Power Tool Safety 
Warnings 

WARNING Read all safety warnings and all 

instructions.

 Failure to follow the warnings and instructions 

may result in electric shock, fire and/or serious injury. 

Save all warnings and instructions for 

future reference. 

GEB058-4 

CORDLESS METAL CUTTER 
SAFETY WARNINGS 

Cutting procedures 

1. 

DANGER: Keep hands away from cutting area 

and the blade. Keep your second hand on 
auxiliary handle, or motor housing.

 If both hands 

are holding the tool, they cannot be cut by blade. 

2. 

Do not reach underneath the workpiece.

 The 

guard cannot protect you from the blade below 
the workpiece. 

3. 

Adjust the cutting depth to the thickness of 
the workpiece.

 Less than a full tooth of the blade 

teeth should be visible below the workpiece. 

4. 

Never hold piece being cut in your hands or 
across your leg. Secure the workpiece to a 
stable platform.

 It is important to support the 

work properly to minimize body exposure, blade 
binding, or loss of control. 

5. 

Hold the power tool by insulated gripping 
surfaces only, when performing an operation 
where the cutting tool may contact hidden 
wiring.

 Contact with a "live" wire will also make 

exposed metal parts of the power tool "live" and 
could give the operator an electric shock. 

6. 

When ripping, always use a rip fence or 
straight edge guide.

 This improves the accuracy 

of cut and reduces the chance of blade binding. 

7. 

Always use blades with correct size and 
shape (diamond versus round) of arbour 
holes.

 Blades that do not match the mounting 

hardware of the tool will run eccentrically, causing 
loss of control. 

8. 

Never use damaged or incorrect blade 
washers or bolt.

 The blade washers and bolt 

were specially designed for your tool, for optimum 
performance and safety of operation. 

Kickback causes and related warnings 

−

Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound or 
misaligned blade, causing an uncontrolled tool to lift up 
and out of the workpiece toward the operator. 

−

When the blade is pinched or bound tightly by the kerf 
closing down, the blade stalls and the motor reaction 
drives the unit rapidly back toward the operator. 

−

If the blade becomes twisted or misaligned in the cut, 
the teeth at the back edge of the blade can dig into the 
top surface of the workpiece causing the blade to climb 
out of the kerf and jump back toward the operator. 

Kickback is the result of tool misuse and/or incorrect 
operating procedures or conditions and can be avoided 
by taking proper precautions as given below. 

9. 

Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the 
tool and position your arms to resist kickback 
forces. Position your body to either side of 
the blade, but not in line with the blade.

Kickback could cause the tool to jump backwards, 
but kickback forces can be controlled by the 
operator, if proper precautions are taken. 

10. 

When blade is binding, or when interrupting a cut 
for any reason, release the trigger and hold the tool 
motionless in the material until the blade comes to 
a complete stop. Never attempt to remove the tool 
from the work or pull the tool backward while the 
blade is in motion or KICKBACK may occur.

Investigate and take corrective actions to eliminate the 
cause of blade binding. 

11. 

When restarting a tool in the workpiece, 
center the blade in the kerf and check that 
blade teeth are not engaged into the material.

If blade is binding, it may walk up or kickback 
from the workpiece as the tool is restarted. 

12. 

Support large panels to minimise the risk of blade 
pinching and kickback.

 Large panels tend to sag 

under their own weight. Supports must be placed under 
the panel on both sides, near the line of cut and near 
the edge of the panel. 

13. 

Do not use dull or damaged blades.

 Unsharpened or 

improperly set blades produce narrow kerf causing 
excessive friction, blade binding and kickback. 

14. 

Blade depth and bevel adjusting locking 
levers must be tight and secure before 
making cut.

 If blade adjustment shifts while 

cutting, it may cause binding and kickback. 

15. 

Use extra caution when making a "plunge cut" into 
existing walls or other blind areas.

 The protruding 

blade may cut objects that can cause kickback. For 
plunge cuts, retract lower guard using retracting handle. 

Lower guard function 

16. 

Check lower guard for proper closing before 
each use. Do not operate the tool if lower 
guard does not move freely and close 
instantly. Never clamp or tie the lower guard 
into the open position.

 If tool is accidentally 

dropped, lower guard may be bent. Raise the 
lower guard with the retracting lever and make