Milwaukee 0740-20, Operator'S Manual

7

operaTion

Warning 

To reduce the risk of injury, 

wear safety goggles or glasses with side 

shields.

Warning 

Always  remove  battery 

pack  before  changing  or  removing  acces-

sories. Only use accessories specifically 

recommended for this tool. Others may be 

hazardous.

• When restarting a saw in the workpiece, centre 

the saw blade in the kerf and check that saw 

teeth are not engaged into the material. 

If saw 

blade is binding, it may walk up or kickback from 

the workpiece as the saw is restarted.

• 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.

• Do not use dull or damaged blades. 

Unsharp-

ened or improperly set blades produce narrow 

kerf causing excessive friction, blade binding and 

kickback.

• 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.

• Use extra caution when sawing into existing 

walls or other blind areas. 

The protruding blade 

may cut objects that can cause kickback.

General Operation

Always clamp the workpiece securely on a saw 

horse or bench. See “APPLICATIONS” for the cor-

rect way to support your work in different situations. 

1. Draw a cutting line. Place the front of the shoe on 

the edge of the workpiece without making blade 

contact. Hold the handle with one hand and the 

front handle with the other (Fig. 3). 

2. Line up the sight line with your cutting line. Posi-

tion your arms and body to resist KICKBACK. 

3. To start the saw, push the lock-off button down 

while pulling the trigger. Allow the motor to reach 

full speed before beginning cut.

  Note: LED comes on when the lock-off button is 

pushed down.

4. While  cutting,  keep  the  shoe  flat  against  the 

workpiece and maintain a firm grip. Do not force 

the saw through the workpiece. Forcing a saw 

can cause KICKBACK. Use a light, continuous 

pressure to make the cut while following the cut 

line through the transparent guard or sight line.

5. If making a partial cut, restarting in mid-cut or 

correcting direction, allow the blade to come to 

a complete stop. To resume cutting, center the 

blade in the kerf, back the saw away from cut-

ting edge a few inches, push the lock-off button 

down while pulling the trigger and re-enter the 

cut slowly.

Fig. 3

Kickback causes and related warnings

–  Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, 

bound or misaligned saw blade, causing an un-

controlled saw 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 wood causing 

the blade to climb out of the kerf and jump back 

toward the operator.

Kickback is the result of saw misuse and/or incor-

rect operating procedures or conditions and can 

be avoided by taking proper precautions as given 

below:

• Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the 

saw 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 saw to jump backwards, but kick-

back forces can be controlled by the operator, if 

proper precautions are taken.

• When blade is binding, or when interrupting 

a cut for any reason, release the trigger and 

hold the saw motionless in the material until 

the  blade  comes  to  a  complete  stop.  Never 

attempt to remove the saw from the work or 

pull the saw backward while the blade is in 

motion or kickback may occur. 

Investigate and 

take corrective actions to eliminate the cause of 

blade binding.

Warning 

To reduce the risk of injury, 

do not remove the transparent front guard. 

If the transparent front guard is damaged 

or missing, return tool to authorized service 

station for replacement.

4. Lift the depth adjusting lever up towards the 

motor housing to secure the shoe position.

Transparent Front Guard

The transparent front guard allows easy viewing of 

the cutting line. If the transparent guard is cracked 

or broken, return it to a

 MILWAUKEE

 service facility 

for replacement. Never use the metal cutter with a 

damaged or missing transparent guard.