Attention Saw Stop Users!

[mmayo]

I am upgrading the drip water hose distribution system I have before next spring. My mammalian neighbors (raccoons, skunks etc) decided that they can get water by gnawing through my drip hoses. To that end I decided to use 1" pvc pipe to encase the hoses before they enter my screened planter beds. In the past I used my table saw to cut the pvc. My new SawStop was great until half way through the first cut when the blade brake was activated. My hands were far from the blade as usual so it did not protect my fingers this time. It cost me nearly $190 for that event with a new 10" brake cartridge and Freud 80 tooth cross cut blade.

My advice- don't try this in your shop. My chop saw of circular saw will get this task from now on.

 

[Rob]

I am upgrading the drip water hose distribution system I have before next spring. My mammalian neighbors (raccoons, skunks etc) decided that they can get water by gnawing through my drip hoses. To that end I decided to use 1" pvc pipe to encase the hoses before they enter my screened planter beds. In the past I used my table saw to cut the pvc. My new SawStop was great until half way through the first cut when the blade brake was activated. My hands were far from the blade as usual so it did not protect my fingers this time. It cost me nearly $190 for that event with a new 10" brake cartridge and Freud 80 tooth cross cut blade.

My advice- don't try this in your shop. My chop saw of circular saw will get this task from now on.

Mark, I've had that same saw for a number of years and cut quite a bit of different plastics (plexiglass etc) and never had an issue like this. I recommend a call to Sawstop and discuss with them. I did have an unexpected activation once before and they asked me to send the cartridge for analysis. A week or so later they sent an email and then replaced the cartridge at no cost to me. Best of luck.
Rob

 

[InkyMike]

Mark - curious - why a new blade as well? Does the stop activation destroy the blade?

 

[mmayo]

Mark, I've had that same saw for a number of years and cut quite a bit of different plastics (plexiglass etc) and never had an issue like this. I recommend a call to Sawstop and discuss with them. I did have an unexpected activation once before and they asked me to send the cartridge for analysis. A week or so later they sent an email and then replaced the cartridge at no cost to me. Best of luck.
Rob

Thanks. It was an expensive lesson so far but I do have many other ways to cut pipe. Static electricity?

 

[mmayo]

Mark - curious - why a new blade as well? Does the stop activation destroy the blade?

Oh yeah it is destroyed

 

[jjjaworski]

Sorry to hear this.
Had this happen a couple of times when I was working in a university Theatre Arts Department Scene shop.
Once was cutting styrofoam with a mylar film on it and another time was cutting some cardboard.
I wasn't paying for the new blades or cartridges but it does slow things down when you rely on a table saw to build scenery.

After that, I would always use the bypass key on the switch.

We had to replace our Delta Unisaw with these for safety concerns in an educational setting.

I much preferred the Unisaw.

Also-- make it a habit to check the blade clearance when changing saw blades. That can also trigger the brake cartridge as soon as you turn on the saw. This happened to someone in one of the other campus shops.

 

[mmayo]

Sorry to hear this.
Had this happen a couple of times when I was working in a university Theatre Arts Department Scene shop.
Once was cutting styrofoam with a mylar film on it and another time was cutting some cardboard.
I wasn't paying for the new blades or cartridges but it does slow things down when you rely on a table saw to build scenery.

After that, I would always use the bypass key on the switch.

We had to replace our Delta Unisaw with these for safety concerns in an educational setting.

I much preferred the Unisaw.

Also-- make it a habit to check the blade clearance when changing saw blades. That can also trigger the brake cartridge as soon as you turn on the saw. This happened to someone in one of the other campus shops.

I check with every blade change!

 

[mmayo]

I check with every blade change!

I like my fingers a lot. After 25 years of cutting wood I still have them. The saw will help me keep them.

 

[Curly]

If I am about to cut something that could possibly activate the brake I touch it to the blade before turning it on. The lights on the display will let you know if it might trip. Also a good self test (touch the blade with it off) to be sure everything is happy since the last time. I've also found that if you have an extra cartridge on hand you won't need it. I don't use Freud blades because they are something under 10" which means fewer sharpening before the cartridge is at the adjustment limit. Not a problem if you toss dull ones and buy new.

 

[penicillin]

Mark - curious - why a new blade as well? Does the stop activation destroy the blade?

When the SawStop brake activates, it plunges an aluminum block into the spinning blade. The blade cuts into the aluminum and is stopped quickly.

The action of the brake puts a lot of force on the blade's carbide tips. A few carbide tips may break off entirely. I have seen it from demos. The brake may also crack or flex the welds of other carbide tips that remain attached to the blade. The welds may have been weakened in a way that is not obvious from a visual inspection.

-> The danger is that a carbide tip may suddenly break loose from the blade while in use.

Speaking for myself, I do not like the thought of a razor sharp carbide tip heading straight for my nose at 120 mph. Others may not object to it as much, so they reuse their blades. :-o

 

[penicillin]

Questions for Mark (@mmayo):
(Note: I assume that you didn't change the blade and forget to reset the feeler gauge setting, right?)

-> Were you cutting ordinary dry PVC pipe?
-> Was there anything special about it like a metallic coating or bits of metal filings, something like that?

I would call SawStop customer service to ask them about it. I am surprised that it triggered on plain, dry PVC pipe. As others have pointed out, SawStop may want to inspect the brake.

I have cut a variety of plastics (sheets) on my SawStop table saw without triggering it. I usually make a test cut in bypass mode if I am unsure of the material.The SawStop indicators tell you if the brake would have triggered if you had not used bypass mode. That is not a foolproof test, but it provides a level of reassurance.

(IMPORTANT: The safety brake is disabled in bypass mode!)

Safety experts warn you against using the miter saw to cut PVC pipe. I am very careful about safety, but I have used the miter saw on occasion. Most of the time I use those ratcheting cutters or a handsaw.

Related, about Raccoons:
The last two years, our backyard has been overrun by raccoons. They dig up the grass looking for grubs. They figured out how to dump one of the hanging hummingbird feeders to get all the sugar water. They play with my spouse's yard decorations and move them around the yard. The babies ring the windchimes for fun. They tipped over my sundial, which had remained perfectly calibrated for 15 years. They took every last orange from our orange tree and were going after the satsumas next, until my spouse painted a warning sign to deter them. The sign has been very effective, but maybe the fence helps. (... and yes, she made the mosaic posts that label the trees around the yard, too.)

 

[mmayo]

Thanks for all of the info. My last saw was a 20+ year old contractor's saw. It just worked until I wore it out. Snow coming for days. I'll re-read the sawstop manual with an eye for bypass mode.

 

[InkyMike]

When the SawStop brake activates, it plunges an aluminum block into the spinning blade. The blade cuts into the aluminum and is stopped quickly.

The action of the brake puts a lot of force on the blade's carbide tips. A few carbide tips may break off entirely. I have seen it from demos. The brake may also crack or flex the welds of other carbide tips that remain attached to the blade. The welds may have been weakened in a way that is not obvious from a visual inspection.

-> The danger is that a carbide tip may suddenly break loose from the blade while in use.

Speaking for myself, I do not like the thought of a razor sharp carbide tip heading straight for my nose at 120 mph. Others may not object to it as much, so they reuse their blades. :-o

Thanks - I've never seen a demo of one of these so I wasn't sure how the brake worked (clearly I was too lazy to YouTube it lol)

 

[Curly]

Thanks - I've never seen a demo of one of these so I wasn't sure how the brake worked (clearly I was too lazy to YouTube it lol)

The SawStop site has a video or two with the information on all their models.

 

[penicillin]

Thanks - I've never seen a demo of one of these so I wasn't sure how the brake worked (clearly I was too lazy to YouTube it lol)

There are plenty of videos on YouTube, and I am writing those words without ever searching or looking myself. I have heard of dumb people using their body parts to demonstrate. They clamp a board, raise the blade until the tiniest bit protrudes, then touch it with the palm of the hand. So I have been told, but never seen. (I wonder why the world keeps creating ever more foolish fools.)

I have given the "hot dog demo" several times. There isn't much to see. You cut a piece of wood with a hot dog across it. The instant the hot dog reaches the blade, there is a loud bang and the blade is gone. You do not see the blade stop instantly and drop down. It happens much too fast to see. What you see is "spinning blade there" and then "blade not there."

We pass the hot dog around after the demo. Everybody looks, but it is common that nobody can find the spot where the blade contacted the hot dog. We are taught to cut the board/hot dog quickly, and I have seen others do it way too fast for my comfort in an attempt to get a blade mark on the hot dog. I tried using a Sharpie to put a dot on the hot dog where the blade will contact it. Even knowing where to look and cutting the wood faster than I prefer, I still could not find the blade mark after the demo and neither could the audience. I have seen a tiny scratch or nick from others' demos, but even when a mark is there, it can be hard to find. I have yet to see anyone eat the hot dog after a demo. :-o

Resetting the system is relatively quick and easy. Removing the blade/brake combination is the hardest part. Sometimes it takes a little wiggling. You must pull the blade/brake combination straight off three "shafts" - two for the brake, and also the blade off the arbor at the same time. (Remember to remove the arbor nut first!) After that, you reset the dropped mechanism to its normal "up" position, install a new brake, attach a new blade, (adjust the spacing with the feeler gauge on most SawStop models), and you are ready to run.

 

[David350]

Mark, unfortunately, I've experienced the same as you have. I was cutting some western red cedar with a Freud dado stack when I had a brake activation. Was very surprised to say the least. It took me about 30 minutes to pry it all off the arbor and trashed the dado stack. Definitely an expensive lesson. I now use the bypass mode anytime I do something new to see if it reports a problem before sawing in normal mode...