On 9/28/2011 3:51 PM, Father Haskell wrote:

Set the blade to full depth. Runs cooler with less strain
on the motor. You don't gain any safety advantage by
setting a portable saw light, since your fingers are
well-shielded by a 2" thick slab of wood.

I seem to remember being taught to have the blade protrude only a
half-inch or so. It might have been shop class, or maybe my Dad, but
either way it would have been in the Seventies. I don't specifically
remember it being a safety tip.

It seems undeniable that the blade would contact less of the work if it
is used at full depth, especially with a thick piece of wood, and thus
present less of a strain to the motor. But are there any consequences
for the cut itself? It seems to me that the teeth would cut through the
top surface of the wood nearly vertically. Would that not tend to chip
it more than if the angle had been smaller?