OPERATOR’S MANUAL 12 in. COMPOUND MITER SAW WITH ADJUSTABLE LASER Double Insulated R4121 Your miter saw has been engineered and manufactured to our high standard for dependability, ease of operation, and operator safety. When properly cared for, it will give you years of rugged, trouble-free performance. WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, the user must read and understand the operator’s manual before using this product. Thank you for buying a RIDGID® product.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2 � General Safety Rules .....................................................................................................................................................3-4 � Specific Safety Rules ............................................................................................................
GENERAL SAFETY RULES SECURE WORK. Use clamps or a vise to hold work when practical, it is safer than using your hand and frees both hands to operate the tool. WARNING: Read and understand all instructions. Failure to follow all instructions listed below, could result in electric shock, fire and/or serious personal injury. DO NOT OVERREACH. Keep proper footing and balance at all times. MAINTAIN TOOLS WITH CARE. Keep tools sharp and clean for better and safer performance.
GENERAL SAFETY RULES NEVER USE IN AN EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE. Normal sparking of the motor could ignite fumes. DO NOT USE TOOL IF SWITCH DOES NOT TURN IT ON AND OFF. Have defective switches replaced by an authorized service center. INSPECT TOOL CORDS PERIODICALLY. If damaged, have repaired by a qualified service technician at an authorized service facility. The conductor with insulation having an outer surface that is green with or without yellow stripes is the equipment-grounding conductor.
SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES NEVER hand hold a workpiece that is too small to be clamped. Keep hands clear of the cutting area. mistake. ALWAYS REMEMBER that a careless fraction of a second is sufficient to inflict severe injury. MAKE SURE WORK AREA HAS AMPLE LIGHTING to see the work and that no obstructions will interfere with safe operation BEFORE performing any work using your saw.
SYMBOLS Some of the following symbols may be used on this tool. Please study them and learn their meaning. Proper interpretation of these symbols will allow you to operate the tool better and safer.
SYMBOLS The following signal words and meanings are intended to explain the levels of risk associated with this product. SYMBOL SIGNAL MEANING DANGER: Indicates an imminently hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. WARNING: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. CAUTION: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.
ELECTRICAL DOUBLE INSULATION EXTENSION CORDS Double insulation is a concept in safety in electric power tools, which eliminates the need for the usual three-wire grounded power cord. All exposed metal parts are isolated from the internal metal motor components with protecting insulation. Double insulated tools do not need to be grounded.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Anti-Kickback Pawls (radial arm and table saws) A device which, when properly installed and maintained, is designed to stop the workpiece from being kicked back toward the front of the saw during a ripping operation. Arbor The shaft on which a blade or cutting tool is mounted. Bevel Cut A cutting operation made with the blade at any angle other than 90° to the table surface. Chamfer A cut removing a wedge from a block so the end (or part of the end) is angled rather than at 90°.
FEATURES PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS Cutting Capacity with Miter at 0°/Bevel 0°: Maximum nominal lumber sizes: ..............................2 x 10 Blade Diameter .......................................................... 12 in. Arbor Hole .................................................................... 1 in. No Load Speed .....................................4,000 r/min. (RPM) Input ................................
FEATURES KNOW YOUR COMPOUND MITER SAW ELECTRIC BRAKE See Figure 1. An electric brake quickly stops blade rotation after the switch trigger is released. The safe use of this product requires an understanding of the information on the tool and in this operator’s manual as well as a knowledge of the project you are attempting. Before use of this product, familiarize yourself with all operating features and safety rules. LASER GUIDE For more accurate cuts, a laser guide is included with your miter saw.
FEATURES SWITCH TRIGGER REPEAT-A-CUT™ See Figure 5. The Repeat-A-Cut™ feature on both the left and right side miter fences can be used when making repetitive cuts. Simply mark the fence with a pencil, make the desired number of cut(s), then wipe the mark off with a soft cloth. SPINDLE LOCK BUTTON SELF-RETRACTING LOWER BLADE GUARD The lower blade guard is made of shock-resistant, seethrough plastic that provides protection from each side of the blade.
TOOLS NEEDED The following tools (not included) are needed for making adjustments or installing the blade: COMBINATION WRENCH, 12 mm PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER FRAMING SQUARE COMBINATION SQUARE Fig.
LOOSE PARTS The following items are included with your miter saw: Dust Bag Dust Guide Work Clamp Blade Washer Blade Bolt Blade Wrench Laser Guide (installed on tool) Hex Bolt (installed on tool) Hex Key, 4 mm Hex Key, 5 mm Hex Key, 1/16 in. Blade Operator’s Manual (not shown) INSTALLED ON TOOL BLADE n m HEX BOLT LASER GUIDE BLADE WASHER BLADE BOLT HEX KEY, 4 mm WORK CLAMP HEX KEY, 1/16 in. DUST BAG HEX KEY, 5 mm BLADE WRENCH DUST GUIDE Fig.
ASSEMBLY UNPACKING WARNING: This product requires assembly. Carefully lift saw from the carton by the carrying handle and the saw base, and place it on a level work surface. NOTE: This tool is heavy. To avoid back injury, lift with your legs, not your back, and get help when needed. This saw has been shipped with the saw arm secured in the down position. To release the saw arm, push down on the “D” handle, cut the tie-wrap, and pull out on the lock pin. Lift the saw arm by the handle.
ASSEMBLY NOTE: Many of the illustrations in this manual show only portions of the compound miter saw. This is intentional so that we can clearly show points being made in the illustrations. Never operate the saw without all guards securely in place and in good operating condition. UPPER BLADE GUARD EXHAUST PORT DUST GUIDE See Figure 9. Insert the dust guide inside the exhaust port in the upper blade guard. Turn the guide so that the open end is facing down. DUST GUIDE DUST BAG See Figure 10.
ASSEMBLY NOTE: BEFORE USE, REPLACE SCREW AND TIGHTEN SECURELY TO PREVENT GUARD MOVEMENT WARNING: Make sure the spindle lock button is not engaged before reconnecting saw to power source. Never engage spindle lock button when blade is rotating. OUTER BLADE WASHER BLADE BOLT BLADE INSTALLING THE BLADE BLADE BOLT COVER SCREW See Figure 12. WARNING: A 12 in. blade is the maximum blade capacity of the saw.
ASSEMBLY CUTTING A SLOT IN THE ZERO CLEARANCE THROAT PLATE In order to use your compound miter saw, you must cut a slot through the zero clearance throat plate to allow for blade clearance. To cut the slot, set your saw at 0° miter, turn saw on and allow the blade to reach full speed, then carefully make a straight cut as far as it will go through the throat plate. Turn your saw off and allow the blade to come to a complete stop before raising the saw arm.
ASSEMBLY ADJUSTING THE MITER LOCK LEVER See Figures 14 - 15. Prior to squaring the saw blade to the fence, check the miter lock lever for proper adjustment. The blade must be set at an “unindexed” miter position other than 0˚, 15˚, 22.5˚, 31.6˚, and 45˚ to test. In the “locked” position, the action of pushing the miter lock lever down should feel tight and secure. Considerable effort should be required to move the miter table.
ASSEMBLY Rotate the miter table to 0° . Lock the miter lock lever by pushing it down. Remove the sliding miter fence by loosening the fence screw and lifting the fence off the saw. Lay a framing square flat on the miter table. Place one leg of the square against the fence. Slide the other leg of the square against the flat part of saw blade. BLADE NOTE: Make sure that the square contacts the flat part of the saw blade, not the blade teeth.
ASSEMBLY ADJUSTING THE BEVEL LOCK LEVER See Figures 21 - 23. Prior to squaring the saw blade to the miter table, check the bevel lock lever for proper adjustment. The blade must be set at an “unindexed” bevel position other than 0°, 22.5°, 33.9°, and 45° to test. In the “locked” position, the action of pushing the bevel lock lever forward should feel tight and secure. PULL FORWARD TO UNLOCK BEVEL LOCK LEVER Considerable effort should be required to bevel the blade.
ASSEMBLY SQUARING THE BLADE TO THE MITER TABLE See Figures 24 - 27. Unplug the saw. Pull the saw arm all the way down and lock in transport position. Lift the miter lock lever to unlock. Rotate the miter table and set the saw at 0° miter. NOTE: The miter table will seat itself in the index point. Lock the miter lock lever by pushing it down. Pull the bevel lock lever forward to unlock and set the saw at 0° bevel (blade set 90° to miter table and locked in bevel index point).
OPERATION WARNING: WARNING: Do not allow familiarity with tools to make you careless. Remember that a careless fraction of a second is sufficient to inflict severe injury. To avoid serious personal injury, keep your hands outside the no hands zone, at least 3 in. from blade. Never perform any cutting operation freehand (without holding workpiece against the fence). The blade could grab the workpiece if it slips or twists.
OPERATION MITER THUMBWHEEL The miter thumbwheel, when used with the miter lock lever lifted (unlocked), can release the miter table from pre-set index points. To align with miter scale: Lift the miter lock lever to unlock. Rotate and hold thumbwheel so that the yellow dot on the thumbwheel aligns with indicator point (white dot) on the miter lock lever to override index points. When close to desired angle, release the thumbwheel.
OPERATION TO BEVEL CUT See Figures 30 - 32. A bevel cut is made by cutting across the grain of the workpiece with the blade angled to the workpiece. A straight bevel cut is made with the miter table set at the zero degree position and the blade set at an angle. NOTE: It may be necessary to adjust or remove the sliding miter fence to insure proper clearance prior to making the cut. BEVEL LOCK LEVER SCALE INDICATOR BEVEL SCALE Raise saw arm to its full height. Lift the miter lock lever to unlock.
OPERATION TO COMPOUND MITER CUT See Figure 33. A compound miter cut is a cut made using a miter angle and a bevel angle at the same time. This type of cut is used to make picture frames, cut molding, make boxes with sloping sides, and for certain roof framing cuts. To make this type of cut the control arm on the miter table must be rotated to the correct angle and the saw arm must be tilted to the correct bevel angle.
OPERATION SUPPORTING LONG WORKPIECES See Figures 34 - 35. Long workpieces need extra supports. Supports should be placed along the workpiece so it does not sag. The support should let the workpiece lay flat on the base of the saw and miter table during the cutting operation. Use the work clamp or a C-clamp to secure the workpiece. NOTE: When making a compound miter cut as shown in figure 34, it may be necessary to adjust or remove the sliding miter fence to insure proper clearance prior to making the cut.
OPERATION MAKING AN AUXILIARY FENCE See Figure 37. Certain unusual cuts may benefit from a thicker miter fence (auxiliary fence) due to the size and position of the workpiece. The holes provided in the miter fence are there for just this purpose. The miter fence holes are used to secure the auxiliary fence which requires a piece of wood 1/2 in. thick, 6 in. high, and 23 in. long to make. AUXILIARY FENCE NOTE: The auxiliary fence can only be used when the bevel is set at 0˚.
OPERATION CUTTING COMPOUND MITERS To aid in making the correct settings, the compound angle setting chart below has been provided. Since compound cuts are the most difficult to accurately obtain, trial cuts should be made in scrap material, and much thought and planning made, prior to making your required cut. PITCH OF SIDE 0° 5° 10° 15° 20° 25° 30° 35° 40° 45° 50° NUMBER OF SIDES 4 5 6 7 8 M- 45.00° B- 0.00° M- 44.89° B- 3.53° M- 44.56° B- 7.05° M- 44.01° B- 10.55° M- 36.00° B- 0.00° M- 30.
OPERATION CUTTING CROWN MOLDING The following chart illustrates the miter and bevel angle settings of the miter saw for both 52˚/38˚ and 45˚/45˚ crown molding, when the angle between the walls run from 67˚ to 146˚. With the crown molding laying flat, cut at the following angles: WALL ANGLE 38˚ / 52˚ MITER / BEVEL 45˚/45˚ MITER/BEVEL WALL ANGLE 38˚/52˚ MITER/BEVEL 45˚/45˚ MITER/BEVEL 67 42.93/41.08 46.89/36.13 107 24.49/27.95 27.62/24.87 68 42.39/40.79 46.35/35.89 108 24.10/27.59 27.19/24.
OPERATION CUTTING CROWN MOLDING When cutting crown molding by this method, the bevel angle should be set at 33.85°. The miter angle should be set at 31.6° either right or left, depending on the desired cut for the application. See the chart below for correct angle settings and correct positioning of crown molding on miter table. The settings in the chart below can be used for cutting All Standard (U.S.) crown molding with 52° and 38° angles.
OPERATION Bevel Angle Setting USING A CROWN MOLDING JIG Place the crown molding upside down on the miter table with the bottom of the molding against the wood fence. Use the chart on this and the previous page to select the proper miter angle. Lift the miter lock lever and position the miter table to the desired setting. Push the miter lock lever down to securely tighten the miter table. Slowly lower the blade into and through the molding.
OPERATION CUTTING WARPED MATERIAL See Figures 40 - 41. When cutting warped material, always make sure it is positioned on the miter table with the convex side against the fence as shown in figure 40. If the warped material is positioned the wrong way as shown in figure 40, it will pinch the blade near the completion of the cut. WRONG Fig. 41 WARNING: To avoid kickback and serious personal injury, never position the concave edge of bowed or warped material against the fence. RIGHT Fig.
ADJUSTMENTS WARNING: Before performing any adjustment, make sure the tool is unplugged from the power supply. Failure to heed this warning could result in serious personal injury. ADJUSTMENT SCREW TO ADJUST THE LASER GUIDE See Figure 42. LASER BUTTON NOTE: Avoid direct eye exposure when using the laser guide. Set both the bevel angle and the miter table at 0°. Use the work clamp or a C-clamp to secure a piece of scrap wood.
MAINTENANCE BRUSH REPLACEMENT BRUSH ASSEMBLY BRUSH ASSEMBLY See Figure 43. The saw has externally accessible brush assemblies that should be periodically checked for wear. BRUSH CAP Proceed as follows when replacement is required: Unplug the saw. WARNING: Failure to unplug the saw could result in accidental starting causing serious injury. BRUSH CAP Remove brush cap with a screwdriver. Brush assembly is spring loaded and will pop out when you remove brush cap. Remove brush assembly.
MAINTENANCE CHECKING MOTOR BELT TENSION AND REPLACING THE BELT D TENSION MARK See Figure 45. The motor belt tension was adjusted at the factory but should still be checked periodically. To check belt tension: Using a phillips screwdriver, remove the screws holding the belt cover on the right side of the saw arm. Lift off the cover. The belt tension is correct when the tension mark on the spring bracket is between “C” and “D” (see figure 54).
WARRANTY RIDGID® HAND HELD AND STATIONARY POWER TOOL 3 YEAR LIMITED SERVICE WARRANTY WHAT IS NOT COVERED Proof of purchase must be presented when requesting warranty service. This warranty applies only to the original purchaser at retail and may not be transferred.
OPERATOR’S MANUAL 12 in. COMPOUND MITER SAW WITH ADJUSTABLE LASER Double Insulated R4121 CUSTOMER SERVICE INFORMATION For parts or service, contact your nearest RIDGID authorized service center. Be sure to provide all relevant information when you call or visit. For the location of the authorized service center nearest you, please call 1-866-539-1710 or visit us online at www.ridgid.com. The model number of this tool is found on a plate attached to the motor housing.