Could anyone share their knowledge and explain why or why not it is bad for a table saw blade to be stopped by shoving wood into the blade to stop it after it has been turned off and winding down? Thx John in Hawaii
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
By considering things like energy-efficient mechanicals, window orientation, and renewable energy sources, homes can be evaluated to meet the energy codes. Here's what the IRC has to say.
Featured Video
How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post CornersHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
?
First, I've got to know why you want to do that.
Well, for starters by just shoving wood into a moving blade it could cause kick back with any number of bad results. It probably isn't good for the blade, and there just doesn't seem to be much of a need to do it given the risks. Just let the blade wind itslef down. IMHO.
Peace,
Casey
Would be a good way to bend a tooth on the blade, or worse.
The why don't you bend a tooth every time you use the saw?
To me it makes sense to use a piece of wood to gently stop the blade if you're setting up for the next cut.
To me it makes sense to use a piece of wood to gently stop the b
Apparently, you didn't exactly read the first post?
I did read it. One could interpret "shoving wood into it" several different ways, some good, some bad.
If you feed a piece of wood into the infeed side of the blade, on the table, feeding more or less in-line with the blade and at a reasonable rate, then you're doing no more than when you feed a workpiece into the blade, and with reasonable care no damage or injury should result. The blade can't "catch" the piece, and there's not enough blade contact path for the piece to be thrown more than a few inches.
If, on the other hand, you shove the piece in very rapidly, shove it in at an angle, have the wood off the table, or feed from the wrong side than clearly there's a danger of either damaging the blade or tossing the wood.
You might croak if you saw this...........
Lowering wood onto the running blade from the outfeed side-to make the relief cut on that (whatever it's called trim) casing where there's a mitre and straight cut at the butt joints (head/sides).................
Naaaah...
do it all the time, but gently. Table saws are kinda predictable when stuff is shoved into the blade.
one way to bend a tooth...........
A blade running at design speed cuts the wood fibers cleanly and the workpiece is easy to control.
A slow running blade hacks at the fibers and the work piece may be pulled askew turning the hacking into hammering.
Then a variety of things can go bad fast.
Once again, if the piece is on the table and the feed is in line with the blade (on the normal infeed side) and at a reasonable rate then nothing untoward is going to happen. Yeah, if you take a piece and drop it on top of the blade or rapidly jam a piece into the blade from the side then you could have a problem.
If it's a thin kerf blade, I think the biggest problem would be the risk of bending a tooth. Those blades are no fun to use when teeth get bent.
Don't ask me how I know this....
If ya want a simple way to stop blade faster than coast, put a momentary switch with a DC source on it, works with either a brush or squirrel cage induction motorl
It would really depend on how high the blade is, wouldn't it?
If your blade was up 3" from the table, then sticking a 1x flat on the table and into the blade is probably OK...
But it you are cutting 1x with your blade just 1" above the deck, and you just jamb in another piece of 1x, the slowing blade will have an increasing chance of gaining traction on the 1x and sending it flying. Like a tire that is burning out, it will gain more traction when the road and the tire come closer together in speed - then it really takes off.
You DON'T want to make a habit of stopping the blade like this - while it might be OK sometimes, it's not safe all the time. All those other times is where an abdomen perforation occures... if not to you, then to your buddy walking by.
Blade stopping
There are commercial units designed to stop saw blades rapidly. One of these units was installed on my shop saw (3 phase - 110volt) on the insistance of a safety inspector. It worked for less than a year before it died. Factory installed a new one (under warrantee) which also died within a year. New safety inspector came around and asked why I had installed it, as it is not needed in my type of shop. They can be installed on most saws, but are a bit pricy and are NOT that good..
It sounds like you've been talking to an efficiency expert. If I save 10 seconds each time I jam a piece of wood into the spinning blade to stop it, at the end of the day I can save a whole three minutes. There are several problems... first, you can bend the blade, second, you can get a kick-back, and third, this type of action CAN loosen up the nut holding the blade onto the arbor. The cure for any of the above actions will take more than the three minutes saved, especially if the kick-back sends you to the emergency room (estimated time in most emergency rooms, 3 to 6 hours). There is also the possibility that you can bend the arbor shaft., More time wasted to either replace the arbor if it is a cabinet saw, or more time looking to buy a new saw if it is a contractor saw. Bottom line, let the blade stop by itself!
SawdustSteve .... from Knots BB