Hercules HC72B Owner's Manual & Safety Instructions
Owner’s Manual &
Safety Instructions
19k
Model
HC72B
6-1/2″ Cordless Circular Saw
WARNING: To prevent serious injury, User must read and
understand Owner’s Manual. SAVE THIS MANUAL.
When unpacking, make sure that the product is intact and
undamaged. If any parts are missing or broken, please call
1-888-866-5797 as soon as possible. Reference 64984.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
General Power Tool Safety Warnings
Read all safety warnings, instructions, illustrations
and specifications provided with this power tool.
Failure to follow all instructions listed below 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 or
battery-operated (cordless) power tool.
1. Work area safety
a. Keep work area clean and well lit.
Cluttered or dark areas invite accidents.
b. 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.
c. Keep children and bystanders away
while operating a power tool. Distractions
can cause you to lose control.
2. Electrical safety
a. Power tool plugs must match the outlet.
Never modify the plug in any way. Do not use
any adapter plugs with earthed (grounded)
power tools. Unmodified plugs and matching
outlets will reduce risk of electric shock.
b. Avoid body contact with earthed or grounded
surfaces, such as pipes, radiators, ranges
and refrigerators. There is an increased risk of
electric shock if your body is earthed or grounded.
c. Do not expose power tools to rain or wet
conditions. Water entering a power tool
will increase the risk of electric shock.
d. 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.
e. 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.
f. 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.
3. Personal safety
a. 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.
b. Use personal protective equipment. Always
wear eye protection. Protective equipment
such as dust mask, non-skid safety shoes, hard
hat, or hearing protection used for appropriate
conditions will reduce personal injuries.
c. Prevent unintentional starting. Ensure the
switch is in the off-position before connecting
to power source and/or battery pack, picking
up or carrying the tool. Carrying power tools
with your finger on the switch or energizing power
tools that have the switch on invites accidents.
d. 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.
e. Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and
balance at all times. This enables better control
of the power tool in unexpected situations.
f. 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.
g. If devices are provided for the connection of
dust extraction and collection facilities, ensure
these are connected and properly used. Use of
dust collection can reduce dust-related hazards.
h. Do not let familiarity gained from frequent
use of tools allow you to become
complacent and ignore tool safety principles.
A careless action can cause severe
injury within a fraction of a second.
i. 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.
j. Avoid unintentional starting.
Prepare to begin work before turning on the tool.
k. 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.
Page 2 For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797. Item 64984
l. When using a handheld power tool,
maintain a firm grip on the tool with both
hands to resist starting torque.
m. Do not depress the spindle lock when
starting or during operation.
n. Do not leave the tool unattended when
it is plugged into an electrical outlet the
Battery Pack is connected. Turn off the
tool, and unplug it from its electrical outlet
remove the Battery Pack before leaving.
o. This product is not a toy.
Keep it out of reach of children.
p. 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:
• Avoid operating alone.
• Do not use with Trigger locked on.
• Properly maintain and inspect to avoid
electrical shock.
• Properly ground power cord.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
should also be implemented – it prevents
sustained electrical shock.
q. The warnings, precautions, and instructions
discussed in this instruction manual cannot
cover all possible conditions and situations
that may occur. It must be understood by the
operator that common sense and caution are
factors which cannot be built into this product,
but must be supplied by the operator.
4. Power tool use and care
a. 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.
b. Do not use the power tool if the switch
does not turn it on and off. Any power
tool that cannot be controlled with the switch
is dangerous and must be repaired.
c. Disconnect the plug from the power
source and/or remove the battery pack,
if detachable, from the power tool before
making any adjustments, changing
accessories, or storing power tools.
Such preventive safety measures reduce the
risk of starting the power tool accidentally.
d. 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.
e. Maintain power tools and accessories.
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.
f. Keep cutting tools sharp and clean. Properly
maintained cutting tools with sharp cutting edges
are less likely to bind and are easier to control.
g. 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.
h. Keep handles and grasping surfaces
dry, clean and free from oil and grease.
Slippery handles and grasping surfaces
do not allow for safe handling and control
of the tool in unexpected situations.
5. Service
a. 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.
b. Maintain labels and nameplates on the tool.
These carry important safety information.
If unreadable or missing, contact
Harbor Freight Tools for a replacement.
6. Circular Saw Safety Warnings
- Cutting procedures
a. 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.
b. Do not reach underneath the workpiece.
The guard cannot protect you from
the blade below the workpiece.
c. 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.
d. Never hold the workpiece in your hands or
across your leg while cutting. Secure the
workpiece to a stable platform. It is important
to support the work properly to minimise body
exposure, blade binding, or loss of control.
e. Hold the 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 could give the operator an electric shock.
f. When ripping, always use a rip fence or
straight edge guide. This improves the accuracy
of cut and reduces the chance of blade binding.
Page 3For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797.Item 64984
g. 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 off-center, causing loss of control.
h. 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.
7. Kickback causes and related warnings
- kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched,
jammed 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 jammed
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,
centre the saw blade in the kerf so that the
saw teeth are not engaged into the material.
If a saw blade binds, it may walk up or kickback
from the workpiece as the saw is restarted.
d. 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.
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 and bevel adjusting locking
levers must be tight and secure before
making the cut. If blade adjustment shifts while
cutting, it may cause binding and kickback.
g. Use extra caution when sawing into existing
walls or other blind areas. The protruding
blade may cut objects that can cause kickback.
8. Lower guard function
a. Check the lower guard for proper closing
before each use. Do not operate the saw if the
lower guard does not move freely and close
instantly. Never clamp or tie the lower guard
into the open position. If the saw is accidentally
dropped, the 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.
b. 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.
c. The lower guard may be retracted manually
only for special cuts such as “plunge cuts”
and “compound cuts”. Raise the lower guard
by the retracting handle and as soon as the
blade enters the material, the lower guard
must be released. For all other sawing, the
lower guard should operate automatically.
d. Always observe that the lower guard
is covering the blade before placing
the 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 switch is released.
9. Riving knife function
a. Use the appropriate saw blade for the riving
knife. For the riving knife to function, the body
of the blade must be thinner than the riving
knife and the cutting width of the blade must be
wider than the thickness of the riving knife.
b. Adjust the riving knife as described in
this instruction manual. Incorrect spacing,
positioning and alignment can make the riving
knife ineffective in preventing kickback.
c. Always use the riving knife except when
plunge cutting. The riving knife must be
replaced after plunge cutting. The riving
knife causes interference during plunge
cutting and can create kickback.
d. For the riving knife to work, it must be engaged
in the workpiece. The riving knife is ineffective
in preventing kickback during short cuts.
e. Do not operate the saw if the riving
knife is bent. Even a light interference
can slow the closing rate of a guard.
Page 4 For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797. Item 64984
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