15 replies to this topic

[Renee]

First off, I just want to say how much I love my Saw Stop TS. It is well made and easy to adjust and use and I feel safe using it.
However, I have a sad event to report. I was making a test dado cut on a piece of kiln dried western red cedar when the cartridge engaged and dropped the blade. I was about halfway through the cut when it happened.
I am stymied why it engaged. I am especially sad since it trashed my Freud SD508 dado set. If I have to pay to replace it is gonna set me back $335: $200 for dado set and $135 for the cartridge. Plus I am out of action for a bit.

The facts on the cut:
Hands were well away from the blade: nearest skin > 8" from blade
Wood measured at 8% moisture with no metal in it and no coatings on it.
Miter gauge did not come close to the blade
The throat plate was made of Baltic birch plywood with no coatings or metal

Of course it happened on a Friday evening on a holiday weekend so I may have to stew on this all weekend before I can talk to someone at Saw Stop.

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[Paul Nunya]

sounds like a misfire I have heard good story's about the company's support tho so fingers crossed they will reimburse you for the cartridge and blades.

[Doug G.]

The Fine Woodworking website had a story about one of the editors not checking the clearance between dado and the brake cartridge when they installed it on the saw only to have it fire. I don’t remember if it fired when they turned the saw on, or after they had run some material. But my take away was to always check the clearance with any blade change.

[Paul-Marcel]

Sucks that you had a misfire; certainly not the norm. Like Doug said, it is likely that you didn't have the dado cartridge adjusted for enough clearance. That yellow plastic thingy with the hex key in it is used to adjust the clearance; only need to do it once. I had to do it to mine otherwise I'm sure I would have had a misfiring.

Talk to SawStop's tech support; they were always very helpful with me.

[Renee]

I am very happy to report that it was my own idiocy/fault and that the saw did not misfire. One variable I did not double-check and assumed that it was good: the clearance between blade an Incra miter gauge. I DID have it set up to clear a standard blade but not a dado width. The saw woiked poifectly.

My apologies to Saw Stop and the poor dado cartridge that gave it's life trying to save me only to die on my blunder.

The cartridge prices have come down since I bought the saw and so it only cost $89 to replace that. The only part of the dado set damaged (I went over the blades with a loupe to make sure) is the 1/16 chipper. I ordered that online and with shipping will only be $33.

I don't like spending money on blunders like this but I am thrilled that it was not a misfire. That would have left me nervous and doubting the saw.

[David Allred]

I know how you feel when the safety device goes off, I actually got my hand in the way and it went off, saved a few fingers, lost a blade and the cartridge. I have a post here talking about the incident. Sawstop save

Glad you figured out the issue, SawStop replaced my cartridge and I bought a new blade, total cost of about $50 and 3 weeks waiting for the unit from SawStop.

[Paul-Marcel]

I am very happy to report that it was my own idiocy/fault and that the saw did not misfire. One variable I did not double-check and assumed that it was good: the clearance between blade an Incra miter gauge. I DID have it set up to clear a standard blade but not a dado width.

Ah, had I known you were using an Incra miter gauge, I would have pointed out to check it... because I might know someone who had a blade/brake pair on the wall as a clock now because of that exact thing

But when you get the new cartridge, do check the clearance with your dado stack; my stack is larger than 8" by about 1/8" so it pretty much required an adjustment.

[stahlee]

Renee, either way, what is important is that you are safe and sound.

[nateswoodworks]

Suff like that happens, main thing is that you didn't get hurt and I am sure that is something that will never happen again. Now you can say "been there done that"
Nate

[Scott]

Glad to hear there is a reasonable explanation and that you were not injured.

A replacement cartridge should only cost $65-$75. The Dado set is another matter!

[LKK]

I had a very similar experience. I set-up my dado blade and was making a test cut when the Sawstop brake engaged. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong until I looked carefully at the piece of wood I was cutting. Someone had shot a 23 gauge pin into the wood and the pin contacted the blade. I had looked at the wood before starting the cut, but apparently not well enough. Here's the interesting thing, the pin was shot with enough pressure to that it was below the surface of the wood so it wasn't contacting me, or the miter gauge that I was using to push the wood through the blade. I spoke with Sawstop and learned that they place a radio frequency signal on the blade. If you accidently touch the blade the amplitude of the signal is reduced which the causes the brake to engage. What they think happened in my case was that even though the pin wasn't in direct contact with my skin or the miter gauge, it was very close. When the blade contacted the pin, it acted as an antenna directing the signal to my skin or the miter gauge I was using. This caused the signal level to drop, triggering the brake.

The moral of the story is be sure to carefully inspect any material you plan to run through the Sawstop. If you are not sure, place it in Bypass mode. Of course I had just purchased the dado (a Freud dial-a-width)only a few months before. After this incident it was a total loss, a very costly lesson to learn. The good news is the Sawstop technology works really well. The dado was set-up with the inner and outer blades plus 3 chippers, a lot of mass, and it stopped within a half revolution - pretty amazing

[Chet]

The cartridge prices have come down since I bought the saw and so it only cost $89 to replace that.

I was going to tell you the brakes are sold locally by me for 85 bucks. I was going to offer to buy you one and send it to you, but sounds like you found that out already.

Glad to hear you are safe and sound.

I too love my SawStop TS.

Take care.

[Bobbie]

Renee,
I went through the same sad situation.

I did spend some time with the Sawstop folks up to and including them connecting my dado brake to their analysis program. Here is what I learned about the problem and its solution...

European blades like Freud list the measurement in inches BUT that is a nominal measurement because it is really a metric size. The Freud blades, Dado and regular, are slightly larger than the listed size.

The Sawstop ICS I purchased was tuned to inches. The means that for metric blades there was not enough free space between the blade and the brake. Yes you cranked it down as far as it would go. You tested it to ensure it moved freely and it did. BUT the distance from the blade to the brake was not large enough and the brake fired.

The solution, I learned, is to adjust the table saw brake bolt. This the big yellow allen screw we adjust. Yes it is actually a bolt. That was the key piece of information for me.

When you remove the blade and the brake you can see the nut on the end this bolt. The Sawstop folks talked me through loosening this nut a couple of turns. When you loosen this nut you increase the distance that the brake can be from the blade. The factory setting does not allow enough space for the metric dado blades. I understand that Sawstop has recalibrated the distance and the saw comming off the line today do not have this problem.

I hope I was able to provide a coherent explanation of the problem and its solution. If you have any discomfort, I would not hesitate to reach out the Sawstop folks. For me they were great.

Regards,
Bobbie

[Beechwood Chip]

My Sawstop came with a hex wrench and a plastic spacer. The instructions said that after every blade change you should use the hex key to adjust the break clearance. You stick the tip of the plastic spacer between the brake and the blade and spin the blade. If it doesn't spin freely, you need to increase the gap. I've done this a few times, and it's pretty fast and easy.

The first time I drove myself crazy trying to set the gap exactly. That blade was a little small, and the brake was "too far away" even when I cranked it all the way up. I asked Sawstop, and they said that mainly you don't want the blade too close. As long as the brake is close and the blade spins freely with the spacer, then it's good. You don't want to crank the brake all the way down and leave it there, but the gap doesn't have to be exact.

[jcolliflower]

Not cool about the misfire!
I was worried about that when I used my new aftermarket throat plate--the first of its kind! I was skeptical....should I....will it trigger the stop....But I went ahead and bought it and....I more than love it! All these years there has been only one option for a SS throat plate: the stock plate!!! And then this company started selling them. They are made with all clearances, anodized (red) aluminum, replaceable wood inserts, both dado and single compatible, riving knife friendly!!! It was like a dream come true
I bought it when they were being sold on Amazon.com, but I think they're cheaper at Infinity Tools:
http://www.infinityt...searchprods.asp
No more misfires!

[CessnaPilotBarry]

I was taught to check the gap with every blade change.

To make this super easy and fast, I set up a dedicated kit. The kit includes a go/no-go pair of 1/16" and 1/8" thick plastic shims and a T-handle hex wrench that fits the yellow bolt. Since I don't use the SawStop miter gauge, I keep the T-wrench in the hooks on the motor cover. The shims sit in the miter rail channel. In use, the 1/16" shim should pass at each end of the brake, and the 1/8" should not.

The T-handle wrench is great, as it's very easy to dial in a half or quarter turn to get in the ballpark. If you pay attention to wrench position, and know you're going back to the same blade you took off, you can whip the adjustment right back to where it was, as you remove the dado and reinstall your previous blade. Check with the shims, and you'll almost always be in the usable gap range.

I often switch between rip and crosscut blades, the adjustment takes only seconds once you keep the tools handy and do it a few times.

Keep in mind that blades can get smaller when resharpened, and different brands and grinds of 10" blades can vary in overall size, so checking every time is a great habit to develop.