Harbor Freight Tools 69702 Product manual
Owner’s Manual & Safety Instructions
Save This Manual Keep this manual for the safety warnings and precautions, assembly, operating,
inspection, maintenance and cleaning procedures. Write the product’s serial number in the back of the manual
near the assembly diagram (or month and year of purchase if product has no number). Keep this manual and
the receipt in a safe and dry place for future reference.
ITEM 69702
5-3/8" METAL CUTTING
CIRCULAR SAW
Visit our website at: http://www.harborfreight.com
Email our technical support at: tech@harborfreight.com
When unpacking, make sure that the product is intact
and undamaged. If any parts are missing or broken,
please call 1-800-444-3353 as soon as possible.
Copyright© 2012 by Harbor Freight Tools®. All rights reserved.
No portion of this manual or any artwork contained herein may be reproduced in
any shape or form without the express written consent of Harbor Freight Tools.
Diagrams within this manual may not be drawn proportionally. Due to continuing
improvements, actual product may differ slightly from the product described herein.
Tools required for assembly and service may not be included.
Read this material before using this product.
Failure to do so can result in serious injury.
SAVE THIS MANUAL.
Table of Contents
Safety ......................................................... 2
Specifications ............................................. 9
Setup .......................................................... 9
SAFETY OPERATION MAINTENANCESETUP
Operation ................................................... 10
This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential personal injury hazards.
Maintenance .............................................. 12
Parts List and Diagram .............................. 14
Warranty .................................................... 16
WARNING SYMBOLS AND DEFINITIONS
Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to avoid possible injury or death.
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
will result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injury.
Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in minor or moderate injury.
Addresses practices not related to personal injury.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
General Power Tool Safety Warnings
Read all safety warnings and 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.
The term ″power tool″ in the warnings refers to your mains-operated (corded) power tool.
Work area safety
1. Keep work area clean and well lit.
Cluttered or dark areas invite accidents.
2. Do not operate power tools in explosive
atmospheres, such as in the presence of
flammable liquids, gases or dust. Power tools
create sparks which may ignite the dust or fumes.
3. Keep children and bystanders
away while operating a power tool.
Distractions can cause you to lose control.
Page 2 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353. Item 69702
Electrical safety
1. Power tool plugs must match the outlet.
Never modify the plug in any way.
Do not use any adapter plugs with grounded
power tools. Unmodified plugs and matching
outlets will reduce risk of electric shock.
2. Avoid body contact with grounded surfaces
such as pipes, radiators, ranges and
refrigerators. There is an increased risk of
electric shock if your body is grounded.
3. Do not expose power tools to rain or wet
conditions. Water entering a power tool
will increase the risk of electric shock.
Personal safety
1. Stay alert, watch what you are doing and use
common sense when operating a power tool.
Do not use a power tool while you are tired
or under the influence of drugs, alcohol or
medication. A moment of inattention while operating
power tools may result in serious personal injury.
2. Use personal protective equipment. Always wear
eye protection. Safety equipment such as
dust mask, non-skid safety shoes, hard hat,
or hearing protection used for appropriate
conditions will reduce personal injuries.
3. Prevent unintentional starting. Ensure the Trigger
is in the off-position before connecting to
power source, picking up or carrying the tool.
Carrying power tools with your finger on
the Trigger or energizing power tools that
have the Trigger on invites accidents.
4. Remove any adjusting key or wrench
before turning the power tool on.
A wrench or a key left attached to a rotating part
of the power tool may result in personal injury.
4. Do not abuse the cord. Never use the cord for
carrying, pulling or unplugging the power tool.
Keep cord away from heat, oil, sharp edges
or moving parts. Damaged or entangled
cords increase the risk of electric shock.
5. When operating a power tool outdoors,
use an extension cord suitable for
outdoor use. Use of a cord suitable for outdoor
use reduces the risk of electric shock.
6. If operating a power tool in a damp location
is unavoidable, use a Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter (GFCI) protected supply.
Use of a GFCI reduces the risk of electric shock.
5. Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and
balance at all times. This enables better control
of the power tool in unexpected situations.
6. Dress properly. Do not wear loose clothing or
jewelry. Keep your hair, clothing and gloves
away from moving parts. Loose clothes, jewelry
or long hair can be caught in moving parts.
7. If devices are provided for the connection of
dust extraction and collection facilities, ensure
these are connected and properly used. Use of
these devices can reduce dust-related hazards.
8. Only use safety equipment that has been
approved by an appropriate standards agency.
Unapproved safety equipment may not provide
adequate protection. Eye protection must be
ANSI-approved and breathing protection
must be NIOSH-approved for the
specific hazards in the work area.
SAFETYOPERATIONMAINTENANCE SETUP
Power tool use and care
1. Do not force the power tool. Use the
correct power tool for your application.
The correct power tool will do the job better and
safer at the rate for which it was designed.
2. Do not use the power tool if the Trigger
does not turn it on and off.
Any power tool that cannot be controlled with the
Trigger is dangerous and must be repaired.
3. Disconnect the plug from the power source
before making any adjustments, changing
accessories, or storing power tools.
Such preventive safety measures reduce the
risk of starting the power tool accidentally.
4. Store idle power tools out of the reach of
children and do not allow persons unfamiliar
with the power tool or these instructions
to operate the power tool. Power tools are
dangerous in the hands of untrained users.
5. Maintain power tools. Check for misalignment
or binding of moving parts, breakage of parts
and any other condition that may affect the
power tool’s operation. If damaged, have the
power tool repaired before use. Many accidents
are caused by poorly maintained power tools.
Page 3For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.Item 69702
6. Keep cutting tools sharp and clean. Properly
maintained cutting tools with sharp cutting edges
are less likely to bind and are easier to control.
7. Use the power tool, accessories and tool bits
etc. in accordance with these instructions,
taking into account the working conditions
and the work to be performed. Use of the
power tool for operations different from those
intended could result in a hazardous situation.
SAFETY OPERATION MAINTENANCESETUP
Service
Have your power tool serviced by a qualified repair person using only identical replacement parts.
This will ensure that the safety of the power tool is maintained.
Circular Saw Safety Warnings
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 saw, they cannot be cut by the 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 power tool by insulated gripping
surfaces when performing an operation
where the cutting tool may contact hidden
wiring or its own cord. Contact with a ″live″
wire will also make exposed metal parts of the
power tool ″live″ and shock the operator.
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 arbor holes.
Blades that do not match the mounting hardware of
the saw 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 saw, for
optimum performance and safety of operation.
9. Causes and Operator Prevention of Kickback:
• Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched,
bound or misaligned saw blade, causing
an uncontrolled 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 incorrect
operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given below:
a. 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 kickback forces can be controlled by the
operator, if proper precautions are taken.
b. 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.
c. When restarting a saw in the workpiece,
center 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.
d. Support large panels to minimize 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.
Page 4 For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353. Item 69702
e. Do not use dull or damaged blades.
Unsharpened or improperly set blades
produce narrow kerf causing excessive
friction, blade binding and kickback.
f. Blade depth adjusting locking lever must
be tight and secure before making cut.
If blade adjustment shifts while cutting,
it may cause binding and kickback.
g. 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.
10. Check lower guard for proper closing before
each use. Do not operate the saw if lower
guard does not move freely and close instantly.
Never clamp or tie the lower guard into the
open position. If saw is accidentally dropped,
lower guard may be bent. Raise the lower guard
with the retracting handle and make sure it
moves freely and does not touch the blade or
any other part, in all angles and depths of cut.
11. Check the operation of the lower guard spring.
If the guard and the spring are not operating
properly, they must be serviced before use.
Lower guard may operate sluggishly due to damaged
parts, gummy deposits, or a build-up of debris.
12. Lower guard should be retracted manually
only for special cuts such as ″plunge cuts″
and ″compound cuts.″ Raise lower guard
by retracting handle and as soon as blade
enters the material, the lower guard must
be released. For all other sawing, the lower
guard should operate automatically.
18. Maintain labels and nameplates on the tool.
These carry important safety information.
If unreadable or missing, contact
Harbor Freight Tools for a replacement.
19. Avoid unintentional starting.
Prepare to begin work before turning on the tool.
20. Do not lay the tool down until it has come to
a complete stop. Moving parts can grab the
surface and pull the tool out of your control.
SAFETYOPERATIONMAINTENANCE SETUP
21. When using a handheld power tool,
maintain a firm grip on the tool with both
hands to resist starting torque.
22. Do not depress the spindle lock when
starting or during operation.
23. Do not leave the tool unattended when it is plugged
into an electrical outlet. Turn off the tool, and
unplug it from its electrical outlet before leaving.
24. This product is not a toy.
Keep it out of reach of children.
25. People with pacemakers should consult their
physician(s) before use. Electromagnetic fields in
close proximity to heart pacemaker could cause
pacemaker interference or pacemaker failure.
In addition, people with pacemakers should:
•Avoidoperatingalone.
•DonotusewithTrigger locked on.
•Properlymaintainandinspecttoavoid
electrical shock.
•Properlygroundpowercord.GroundFaultCircuit
Interrupter (GFCI) should also be implemented
– it prevents sustained electrical shock.
13. Always observe that the lower guard is covering
the blade before placing saw down on bench
or floor. An unprotected, coasting blade will cause
the saw to walk backwards, cutting whatever
is in its path. Be aware of the time it takes for
the blade to stop after Trigger is released.
14. DO NOT USE THIS SAW WITH THE
SAW HELD UPSIDE DOWN IN A VISE.
The saw is not designed for such use and
cannot be used safely in that position.
15. Do not use abrasive blades or masonry-cutting
blades. The guards of this saw are not designed
to protect against the failure of such blades.
16. Place the larger portion of the saw base on
the larger, supported part of the workpiece.
This will help maintain balance and
control while the cut is completed.
17. Blades must be rated to at least the
maximum speed marked on the tool.
26. WARNING: Some dust created by power sanding,
sawing, grinding, drilling, and other construction
activities, contains chemicals known [to the State
of California] to cause cancer, birth defects or
other reproductive harm. Some examples of
these chemicals are:
•Leadfromlead-basedpaints
•Crystallinesilicafrombricksandcementor
other masonry products
•Arsenicandchromiumfrom
chemically treated lumber
Your risk from these exposures varies, depending on
how often you do this type of work. To reduce your
exposure to these chemicals: work in a well ventilated
area, and work with approved safety equipment, such
as those dust masks that are specially designed to
filter out microscopic particles.
(California Health & Safety Code § 25249.5, et seq.)
27. WARNING: Handling the cord on this product will
expose you to lead, a chemical known to the State of
California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other
reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
(California Health & Safety Code § 25249.5, et seq.)
Page 5For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353.Item 69702
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