Shop safety

[genek]

First i am no expert however i have learned a lot from seeing accidents and by having one.. So i thought i would start up a thread and hope that all will join in and add a word or two. This is in hopes that this thread will save someone from having a very bad accident.

Table saws... 1. Always us a push stick or something other than you hand to push with.
2. Always set the blade just high enough to break thru the material, but never no more than 1/16 of a inch above it..this way if you get cut it is not deep at all.
3. Make sure your fence is adjusted to fit tight against the table.( ply wood and thin material can slide under it and foul. Which can cause the material to kick back.
4. Watch out for lose knots and splits. The saw blade can kick lose material back and it is know to head for the head and eyes.
5. Stand to side of board so that if it does kick back it will not hit you. (a saw blade can kick a board back so hard that it will go thru the side of a building...
6. Always unplug or turn off the breaker when working on the blade or any part of the saw.
7. Have kill switch so that you can hit it with your knee just in case you have to hold on to the board.
8 use the riving knife. But also be ready to shut down the saw. And add a wedge to free the board from the saw. If you do shut down with the board in place. Have someone else turn it back on while you hold the board. Never do this without help on restarting with board in place.
9. Keep the bed cleaned and waxed. This helps with cutting and keeps the top from rusting.
10. Stay alert.

Band saw..
1. Never push on material with your bare hands. If you have to use your hands make sure if you slip or if the material breaks thru that your fingers or arm will not touch the blade. More fingers and arms have been cut off with the band saw than any other tool.
2. Always turn power off (unplug or turn off the breaker) when working on saw or changing blades.
3. Correct blade for the job or material.
4 keep table top of saw clean and waxed.
5. Wear safety glasses. (more eye injuries happen with the band saw than any other tool.) band saws are bad to kick back small lose objects that contact the blade.

This is a start. Would like everyone to add to this for all of our safety.

[Brian Harnett]

Be alert if your tired stop.

Don't get too complacent about the tool but do not be afraid of it either, I have seen a lot of guys scared of a tool have an issue, especially kickbacks on table saws.

Wear safety gear and keep your glasses clean.

In over 30 years of working with tools luckily I have not had a serious injury a few nips here and there, each accident I did have was from being tired or doing a task I had done many times before.

[bobmoore]

Always use a sharp blade. Dull blades are much more likely to kickback or make you push too hard to get wood trough.
I once had an employee reach under the dust skirt on a CNC with a 7 1/2 horse spindle to feel which bit was in the collet. It was spinning at 1200 rpm and you couldn't hear it. He of course got bit.
I had more employees injured from razor knives than any other tool(some were quite serious). We built our own boxes because of the odd shapes we manufactured.

[harryball]

Never reach through the frame or into in "pinch" areas of any cnc machine while it is running.

Never depend on the cnc machine to keep moving exactly as you expect it while working around it. Malfunctions happen.

Never get on the table (crawl, walk, sit etc...) while the machine is running.

Never attempt to remove/install the dust skirt while the bit is still turning.

Never clamp yourself to your own table with the vac system and a gasketed vac mask by forgetting the vac is on and catching your fingers under the board. The holddown force is impressive and you may not escape before the wife videos you and puts it on YouTube. I was fortunate.

If it sounds wrong, figure out why, don't just keep running.

Maintenance is a requirement, not a suggestion. Well maintained tools will do more to keep you safe than posting safety rules on the wall.

Instruct guests to your shop to the proper behavior and how to be safe. Don't take for granted that someone is a seasoned shop worker. Your shop and equipment is different and you can be polite and skip the basic stuff but yes I would like to know where your FA kit is located, where the nearest sink or water is located, that the blade brake on your miter saw doesn't work and for the love of Pete don't pull that overhead drawer out too far or it will fall. The fact you've "been meaning to fix that" won't put the skin back on my shin and by dang it did you have to load it with chisels and saw blades?

If you have animals in your shop, think of their safety too. Cats are curious and if you leave a 4" vac port open you may have to get the cat out of the dust bin. Dogs are nosey, don't leave your spindle warming up so the dog can jump up and nose it to see what it is.

Have a plan. If you must work alone never work without someone knowing you are working that can check on you randomly. A radio on you with a page button is a good idea.

Never walk up behind someone working in a noisy shop and slap them on the back yelling "Hey, you ready for lunch?" This goes double if they are using a table saw or bandsaw.

/RB

[steve_g]

Never walk up behind someone working in a noisy shop and slap them on the back yelling "Hey, you ready for lunch?" This goes double if they are using a table saw or bandsaw.

When I'm working... my wife will switch a light off and on if she needs my attention.

SG

[dana_swift]

A couple notes from my near misses..

If the material you are cutting has fibers or stringy shavings, they can get caught in a bandsaw blade jerking the part you are cutting forward into the blade. If you are holding the part with your bare hands they go into the blade also.

I had never heard of this possibility until it happened to me. Luckily I was not injured just startled.

Another bandsaw warning- be sure your material is well seated on the table and the blade cuts all the way to the material resting on the table. Cutting something like a dowel rod is asking the blade teeth to grab into the material and spin it at very high speeds in your hands. I have had that happen also, more than once. The friction burns are awful, splinters in burns are even less fun. If I have to cut round material on the bandsaw I hold it with channel locks instead of my hands to counteract the torque.

And the number of times a drill press had grabbed my work and spun it around beating me up in the process is more than I can count. Vises bolted to the drill press table are a wonderful invention.

The best news is, that once I bought my ShopBot, I have not used the table saw since (not even once). Things still go wrong, but my hands (or the rest of me) is not nearly as exposed to risk. And the ShopBot does most of my drilling (pocket) operations now, so the drill press hazard has gone way down. The bandsaw gets used a lot still.

As good as all this is, there is always one more risk than the planning allowed for and that is what gets us. Things go wrong in such creative ways..

D

[dana_swift]

One other thing comes to mind- things flying out from under the dust skirt. It happens from time-to-time. And they have hit me, never causing any injury. But its a reminder not to lower my head down to the plane of the router cut.

I would like to thank those recent posters who have told on themselves and how they have injured themselves. We all need the warnings.

Thanks

D

[curtiss]

As spindles are very quiet, seems they should have some sort of "running light" mounted in proper view.

Thank goodness for my "always screaming" PC router :)

[myxpykalix]

Harry,

Never clamp yourself to your own table with the vac system and a gasketed vac mask by forgetting the vac is on and catching your fingers under the board. The holddown force is impressive and you may not escape before the wife videos you and puts it on YouTube. I was fortunate.

"Many a truth is said in jest"...this makes me think there is a video of this floating around somewhere...:eek: going to youtube shortly...What terms should i use to search...
"boob gets stuck to table"...:confused: :D

[michael_schwartz]

Table Saw, Riving Knives, and Kickback

Modern table saws feature riving knives that can be used for nearly any cut and they do not get in the way, and can even be used for bevel, or non through cuts. This is the single greatest innovation to table saw safety other than flesh sensing technology. You don't even need to buy a SawStop, to get it.

The rule in my shop is that if the guard, and splitter combo are not in place the riving knife must be installed. The exception, is for dado cuts, with proper use of feather boards.

I have experienced a particularly violent kickback, that would have been prevented if I were using, either the riving knife, or splitter. This happened so quickly, and violently I could not have reacted. Had I not been using a push stick, my fingers would have likely been pulled into the blade. I do have a SawStop, but I don't ever want to set it off because I refuse to rely on it as a safety feature. It is there only as a last resort.

Had the piece of material not stuck the thick leather belt I was wearing, I may very well have had to take a trip to the ER.

Shapers

$1300 for a heavy duty 4 wheel power feed will not only result in superior cut quality it may save your fingers. If you do enough work to justify, a shaper, a good power feed is a no brainer. Get the best you can.

Router Table

This is one tool, that tends to seem somewhat harmless. Treat them with the same respect, that you would, a table saw, or shaper. Use push blocks, or push sticks whenever they make sense. Keep them handy so that it is a no brainer.

Build a tall, sturdy fence so that your hands are well away from the bit, if you are using a vertical panel raising bit.


Miter Saw

This is another tool that, you end up trusting, a little to much the more you use one.

I don't know anybody, myself included who has not had a scary kickback with one. Keep your hands as far away from the blade as you can. Don't push the limits. It is tempting to cut small pieces. Just don't do it, unless you can hold them safely with a clamp, push stick, or other fixture. It is much safer to cut small pieces using a cross cut sled, at the table saw.

When a blade starts to get dull, it may still cut with decent results, but the risk of kickbacks goes up substantially. A new blade = $50-100.00. Don't push your luck.

Get used to keeping your hands, well outside of the cutting area. You never know when you will go to make a miter cut, rather than 90, and end up placing your hand in line with the blade without realizing it because you are so used to holding the material there.

[steve_g]

I do have a SawStop, but I don't ever want to set it off


Several months ago I was at my local Woodcraft store... an older gentleman was there picking up his eleventh SawStop cartridge. Good greif!:eek:

SG

[dana_swift]

The only thing I have seen a saw stop do is destroy a perfectly edible hot dog..

Actually- I think its a marvelous machine, but the price is pure "gouging". Safety should be affordable, not a "rip off".

D

[myxpykalix]

Actually- I think its a marvelous machine, but the price is pure "gouging". Safety should be affordable, not a "rip off".

Actually i totally agree with you but regardless of the price it's still cheaper then no fingers.:D I think in time other manufacturers will adopt this same safety philosophy and develop safety systems (hopefully).

This guy picking up his eleventh cartridge? I think this guy needs to lose at least one finger...that'll teach him!:rolleyes:

[dlcw]

Actually- I think its a marvelous machine, but the price is pure "gouging". Safety should be affordable, not a "rip off".

Actually i totally agree with you but regardless of the price it's still cheaper then no fingers.:D I think in time other manufacturers will adopt this same safety philosophy and develop safety systems (hopefully).

This guy picking up his eleventh cartridge? I think this guy needs to lose at least one finger...that'll teach him!:rolleyes:

Actually, I think this guy should consider, VERY SERIOUSLY, getting away from woodworking totally. He is a menace to himself and could possibly someday be getting emergency care at the hospital on the backs of taxpayers.

[dlcw]

If it doesn't feel right, you are probably setting yourself up for a big surprise. Be 100% confident in the operation you are about to perform or find another way that does make you feel 100% confident. :eek:

Be there 100% or leave. When tired - walk away. Even in a production shop where it is your livelihood. Lost finger aren't worth any amount of money.

Ten fingers in - ten fingers out: A good day in the shop. :)

Never leave the keyboard dialog open on SB3 if you are going to be touching the spindle/router. I always exit the keyboard dialog when I'm going to be changing bits. I don't want a "software brain-fart" to do something strange like turn the spindle on when I'm trying to change a bit.

[steve_g]

I feel it may be necessary to clarify some things regarding SawStop... I have no connection to them but do support rewarding creativity and ingenuity...

The SawStop:

Stops a blade in milliseconds... and can still nick a hot dog. The "Whirlwind" (Jack's link another thread) stops a blade in 1/8th second... way too slow!

Is the result of good old American ingenuity... saw a problem and solved it.

Was offered to all manufacturers for a royalty... would have added about $100.00 to the cost of a table saw. Inconsequential to all but the cheap $200.00 saws that cause an inordinate amount of the 4000 annual finger amputations.

Was designed and patented by a patent attorney... he understands the patent process and how to extend patents forever. Over 50 patents filed to date... Don't look for expired patents to bring inexpensive SawStop technology to all manufacturers any time soon!

Pricy? yes... Worth it? Ask anyone missing a finger...

SG

[michael_schwartz]

Actually- I think its a marvelous machine, but the price is pure "gouging". Safety should be affordable, not a "rip off".

D

$2,999.00 3HP Sawstop, PCS with 52" fence http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/sawstopprofessionalcabinettablesawpcs10-1.aspx

$2,999.00 3HP, Powermatic 2000 , 52" fence
http://www.amazon.com/Powermatic-1792000K-Horsepower-Accu-Fence-Extension/dp/B000BWY78I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339676824&sr=8-1

$2,999.00 3HP, Unisaw, with 52" fence.

http://www.amazon.com/36-L352-10-Inch-Unisaw-52-Inch-Biesemeyer/dp/B002YQDKM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339676845&sr=8-1


I have worked with quite a few older powermatics, and a more recent unisaw. I am sure the current, versions listed above would be nice. I have worked with every version of the sawstop. The ICS, and PCS are both very well made saws, and well worth the money. I own the contractor saw, and I think it is a bit pricy for what you get. I bought it because the PCS, was not available, and otherwise, I would have purchased that instead.

[jerry_stanek]

Just because it triggered doesn't mean his hand touched the blade. High moisture content of the wood or a stool chip can trigger it.

[dana_swift]

Sometimes its nice to find I am in error! Michael thanks for the price comparisons. It seems SawStop had to be competitive to sell, I am not against paying MORE for safety at all. I have done it in in tools, vehicles, etc.

When SawStop was introduced they wanted more like 2X the price of an equivalent saw without the stop. Not $100 more. That impression has stayed with me until your correction.

Before I bought the ShopBot I used my table saw a lot. It was a primary tool. I still use a drill press on occasion, but not like before I owned the ShopBot. Tapping threads with the ShopBot eliminated another thing I used to do sometimes with a drill press, and the results are even better now. I posted a youtube video when I started that, and now the Indexer is my tap/die driver. Tap and die injuries are nothing compared to table saws, but the point is the ShopBot changed the way I think about getting something made. Using an indexer to do tap/die operations has raised new potential safety issues also.

I am not in the market for a table saw, as I have stated- so I don't watch the prices anymore, I have not turned mine on once in the five years I have owned a ShopBot. The day will come in the not distant future when I will just sell it. (I probably should go plug it in to see if the motor still runs!) Several years ago I got rid of my second table saw, as it had no more use than my present one.

Ingenuity is appreciated, and the saw stop is a wonderful idea. No doubt if one was available when I bought the table saw I would have bought one. The ingenuity behind both the SawStop and the ShopBot have saved many injuries. Yet nothing can be made foolproof as fools are so ingenious.

And recognizing when I am tired has no doubt avoided accidents. My last real shop injury involved a hand chisel. That was just a nasty cut, and happened when I was not cutting with the chisel, it was just in the way of where my hand wanted to go. Accidents are like that. I kicked myself for putting myself in a situation that allowed that accident to happen, but hindsight is quite keen eh? Why didn't I put the chisel away properly?

My digits are all still attached, although they have been cut, pinched, and scraped too many times. I am not immune from the injuries, just fortunate. I certainly credit the ShopBot with the reduction in injuries of any kind, even minor ones.

The only thing the ShopBot doesn't reduce is splinters. I still get those...

Thanks for the price information.. I stand corrected!

D

[michael_schwartz]

One of the most important safety considerations is that your mind will inevitably wander, or you will become distracted. Getting in the habit, of using the right machine for the job and using repeatable safe technique goes along way. Developing technique, that will keep your hands in the right place at all times out of habit will go along way.

Take the extra time to build, jigs or fixtures, and be creative. It does not take very long to find a way to make a risky operation, safe. For example, I never felt comfortable using taper jigs that ride up against the fence on the tables saw. I made my own, that rides, in the miter slot instead.

[Ajcoholic]

The only thing I have seen a saw stop do is destroy a perfectly edible hot dog..

Actually- I think its a marvelous machine, but the price is pure "gouging". Safety should be affordable, not a "rip off".

D

I am not sure why so many woodworkers consider a sawstop saw a "ripoff".

Ripoff to me means paying for something, and getting less than you expected.

When I set up my new woodworking shop, as well as my 10 foot sliding panel saw (a Griggio) I bought a 5HP Industrial model of the Saw stop. Here in Canada, it cost me $5000 with the extended fence, and table. Maybe $1000 more than what I would have paid for a competitor's 5HP 10" cabinet saw.

I think, the saw is wonderful! It is well made - I'd put it up against anything else on the market in the 10" size. It is smooth, has excellent dust collection, a super fence, and top notch table inserts. What did I get "ripped off" on?

The fact that it might possibly save my fingers from a mutilation I saw my dad go through, not once but twice on both of the Delta Unisaw's we had in the other shop to me is WELL worth the extra grand. WELL worth it!

WHen a company designs something - they are more then entitled to make money on their investment IMO.

I feel it is a shame, on so many wood working sites, that I see many complaining about the Sawstop saws, when they are a great product, and offer protection that to date NO one else can. Stopping a blade in a few milliseconds. If I save myself from one accident in my working career, I'd have paid a LOT more than the thousand bucks extra.

Just my way at looking at it...

AJC

PS there are several cnc's less expensive than Shopbot. But, I chose them due to a lot of research and felt I was getting a good value for my dollar. I dont mind paying for quality, and for someone's hard work to develop, design and bring a product to market.

[Ajcoholic]

And just for the record, I probably use a table saw a lot more than many of you (from the sounds of what a lot post).

Today I was sawing up a 1/2 lift of sheet stock (20 + sheets) for a bunch of closet cabinets - probably 4 hours on the large (14") Griggio.

My eyes do not ever leave the blade and my hands when working on the saw. I might be only 41... but I have close to 50,000 hours working in the shop to date. Saws, shapers (even with power feed) big 16" jointer, lathes, etc. They can ALL end your career in a split second, or worse.

Safety is not something to "remember" from time to time. It is a way to work each day you step into the shop. You have to start young and develop a sense of working safe each and every time you approach any machine in the shop.

I plan to work to at least 65. And, I will say with confidence I will still be strumming my guitar, and carving, and tying my own shoes, etc with my fingers intact when I retire. Why? Because I dont ever take risks, and I work safe. Plan ahead, etc. Talking about it is one thing, making it a part of your daily work is another.

AJC

[dlcw]

I don't think the issue is whether or not the Sawstop is good technology that can really benefit the woodworker. I think this technology is great. And if I could afford to buy a new tablesaw I would vote with my $$ by purchasing one.

The issue is the way this patent attorney has decided that he is going to use every level of government to force consumers to have to pay for his invention. One of these has now been approved in California. All tablesaws have to have some sort of "sawstop" technology to be sold in California. This is blatant misuse of the law. He is circumventing the free market and shoving his invention down every ones throat and forcing them to pay for it if they want to buy a tablesaw. That is wrong, period. Let purchasers decide with their pocketbooks as to whether or not they want this feature.

[steve_g]

Don

I think you would be singing a different song if it were your invention! The bottom line is he's using every Legal means possible to protect and promote his invention. It's the position we all wish we were in! IMHO he should be the next multi billionaire and not some social media groupie.

SG

[donek]

All tablesaws have to have some sort of "sawstop" technology to be sold in California.

That's just wrong. What happened to freedom? I think there's a prime business opportunity just over the border in Nevada.

[maxheadroom]

Don's got it right, just depends if you want the government telling you what to do, from people that want to control everything IN your life.

Check out the comments in the trade magazines: most will agree, it's a great device, but the lawyers are acting just like lawyers, out for their own best interest.

When they couldn't force/cajole Rockwell/Delta and PowerMatic to install their product, they hit their political leaders, to write a law... outlawing the sale of any saw WITHOUT a saw top, working state by state. They are now looking at a national ban of 'old' style saws, to FORCE all manufactures to have a saw stop installed.

Yep, steve, you've got it right too. They are doing it through all 'legal' means (maybe). That doesn't mean it's either ethical, or mandatory. Much like the current administration.

Let the free market decide what customers want, not sleazeball attorneys out for their own monetary gain!

[cnc_works]

Seatbelts? Motorcycle helmuts?

Saved a lot of lives and mayhem, saved us money not having to care for those who refused to use them.

I have the same distaste for restrictions on how I live my life, but this situation isn't black and white.

[kevin]

2 weeks ago I used the the saw at a school for a week.I thought the saw was a toy before i tried it .I was mistaken it had lots of power even throught 2 thick cherry .It had the best dust collection port I've ever seen in a saw it was well thought out .

But there is alway one but they have cartriges that have to be set corectley .There's a different cartigage for a dado blade .There will be someone not setting these cartigarge up properly and thinking they work .

It had the split fenece on which I have taken off my saw at my shop which is stupid on my part

The same price for a delta or sawstop da .When I was setting up my shop there was no saw stop .I would not sell my saw to buy one

I use to work in sheet metal way more dangeros .

[Ajcoholic]

2 weeks ago I used the the saw at a school for a week.I thought the saw was a toy before i tried it .I was mistaken it had lots of power even throught 2 thick cherry .It had the best dust collection port I've ever seen in a saw it was well thought out .

But there is alway one but they have cartriges that have to be set corectley .There's a different cartigage for a dado blade .There will be someone not setting these cartigarge up properly and thinking they work .

It had the split fenece on which I have taken off my saw at my shop which is stupid on my part

The same price for a delta or sawstop da .When I was setting up my shop there was no saw stop .I would not sell my saw to buy one

I use to work in sheet metal way more dangeros .

Kevin,
I use my 10" saw for dado/rabbets and am changing my blades over lots. Like anything else, once the cartridges are set (simple) it is a simple matter of swapping them out when blade changing. In over a year, I have not had to readjust anything.

You know yourself, with employees, it is one less worry. If an employee gets cut on the saw, you as the employer are in a lot of trouble. At least here in Ontario... even with the proper training, and guards in place a sever injury can put a small business like mine OUT of business.

I have a co-op student currently starting, and a summer stident/possible apprentice working currently. Ill say it is a LOT less stress when I see them working on the saw, when I know the worse that can happen is a cartirdge and blade replacement... and no trips to the emerg room or visits from the Govnt lawyers.

AJC

[waynelocke]

I bought a Unisaw on January 2, 1980 when I opened my shop — great saw. I immediately removed the guard because it didn't function well and was more often in the way. As near as I can tell the guard was a lawyer device which allowed Delta, Powermatic, Jet, et al to defend themselves by saying, "We supplied a guard but they took it off". In the 30 years I owned the saw Delta (and the other manufacturers) couldn't or at least didn't design a guarding system which functioned and was usable and I think that the same basic guard was still used when the saw was discontinued. That tells volumes about the regard in which they hold my digits and yours. When you read of the table saw carnage (something like 30,000 hand injuries annually) it is pretty unconsciencable that none of the manufacturers addressed this in at least over 50 years. Can you think of ANY safety feature that these manufacturers made besides the riving knife (mandated in in the last few years). So when I hear the moans about the lawyers trying to force the manufacturers to do something, sorry, I forgot my hearing aids. Who do you think has the lawyers, Sawstop or the power tool trade group and Delta, Jet, Ryobi, Porter Cable and the rest.

I sold my Unisaw a couple of years ago and bought a Sawstop. It is the finest saw I have ever used. It is a very well designed and engineered tool and a pleasure to use. I have set off a couple of cartridges. I hit a screw once and recently did not overide the system when I started to cut some aluminum. Those were impressive and expensive displays. But it is reassuring to know that the protection is there. By the way Kevin, the cartridge cannot be put in incorrectly and even if it could the saw would not run.

[Ajcoholic]

I bought a Unisaw on January 2, 1980 when I opened my shop — great saw. I immediately removed the guard because it didn't function well and was more often in the way. As near as I can tell the guard was a lawyer device which allowed Delta, Powermatic, Jet, et al to defend themselves by saying, "We supplied a guard but they took it off". In the 30 years I owned the saw Delta (and the other manufacturers) couldn't or at least didn't design a guarding system which functioned and was usable and I think that the same basic guard was still used when the saw was discontinued. That tells volumes about the regard in which they hold my digits and yours. When you read of the table saw carnage (something like 30,000 hand injuries annually) it is pretty unconsciencable that none of the manufacturers addressed this in at least over 50 years. Can you think of ANY safety feature that these manufacturers made besides the riving knife (mandated in in the last few years). So when I hear the moans about the lawyers trying to force the manufacturers to do something, sorry, I forgot my hearing aids. Who do you think has the lawyers, Sawstop or the power tool trade group and Delta, Jet, Ryobi, Porter Cable and the rest.

I sold my Unisaw a couple of years ago and bought a Sawstop. It is the finest saw I have ever used. It is a very well designed and engineered tool and a pleasure to use. I have set off a couple of cartridges. I hit a screw once and recently did not overide the system when I started to cut some aluminum. Those were impressive and expensive displays. But it is reassuring to know that the protection is there. By the way Kevin, the cartridge cannot be put in incorrectly and even if it could the saw would not run.

My original point exactly. I fear that due to the "legislative stuff" going on in the USA - that many who might otherwise buy a Sawstop refuse to even consider it on that fact alone.

Like you, I think the Sawstop is an excellent made saw on its own merits.

I can understand that many of us do not like being told what to do or what to buy. I can completely understand that, and I respect your opinions. But, dont forget the primary fact we are discussing is not politics,lawyers or anything else... but safety. And it is a proven fact more accidents happen in a woodworking shop on the simple table saw than any other. Now we have the ability to almost eliminate this issue.

AJC

[kevin]

"By the way Kevin, the cartridge cannot be put in incorrectly and even if it could the saw would not run."

What the teacher said is they have to be properley spaced .I did ask him if the stop was ever used he said no in 3 years

[Ajcoholic]

"By the way Kevin, the cartridge cannot be put in incorrectly and even if it could the saw would not run."

What the teacher said is they have to be properley spaced .I did ask him if the stop was ever used he said no in 3 years

Yes the aluminum block part of the cartridge must be within 3/32" (if memery serves me correctly) of the blade or the saw will not turn on. But, once that is set for the 10" and 8" blades youre good to go. Unless you have a weirdly under or over size blade.

I havent tripped one yet, and I dont plan on it. I still treat the saw as if it were any regular saw without the stopping technology. After so many years it is in my head. I dont take any chances on the sawstop. And, of course, it wont prevent kickbacks, lifted material flying into your face, etc which are still potential issues if you are careless.

AJC