Wrecked Aluminium from chopsaw

[CENTURION]

We've been using a wood chop saw to cut tubing, C-channel, and 80/20 for the entire time I've been in FIRST (five years I think? something like that).

But we have rules about how to use it:

Always use a secondary clamp (We use a C-clamp), make sure the part is clamped in a way where it's physically restrained (If you've got a 1x2 bar, the 2" side should be against the fence, where the clamp is putting pressure).

Your hand that's not on the handle should be at your side, or behind your back. No need for it to be anywhere near the cutting area.

Go slow, let the saw do the cutting. It should take 3-5 seconds to get through a 1010 bar of 80/20. (You can actually go a fair bit faster, but this is a good range for students, because if the accidentally go a little too fast, it's not an issue)

Bring the blade all the way down, turn it off, and don't bring it up until it's stopped spinning.

And of course, make sure you've got a proper blade for aluminum. Honestly I forget the tooth count on ours, but it's a tri-chip blade, I'd guess it's an 80-tooth.

As far as I know, we've only had one accident with that saw, and that was one time long ago where I brought it up while still under power. Either the bar expanded from heat, or slipped in it's clamp, and it caught the back edge of a carbide tooth. It broke three teeth off, and threw them at me. Luckily I was okay, they didn't even get through my shirt.

So one minor accident over five years and thousands of cuts, and that due to improper use. We've never had any issues from people using the above rules.