Table saw fires?

[Cliff Newton]

I was cutting some half coves for a cabinet door (first time doing this, really cool, you need to try it:D ) with some pine and my whole shop filled with smoke and it got me to thinking. Can a tablesaw cause so much friction on wood that the sawdust could catch fire? Does this ever happen? :eek:

[Steve Cox]

Yes, it can happen. As for how often it does happen I'm not sure. Another culprit is if you happen to cut a nail and it drops in the sawdust it could catch.

[Dave Richards]

Wow. Smoke, huh? Maybe next time you could hang some meat or fish in your shop and use hickory instead of pine for your cove molding. :D

I suppose you got some of the pine pitch hot enough to smoke. I've never heard of a fire caused by heat generated in the wood from the blade. I have heard of hot bits of metal from hitting a nail setting sawdust to smolder. Even then I think conditions would have to be perfect to get that.

[Tyler Howell]

A local WWs DC started to smolder after a run of red oak:eek: . He suspects binding started it to cook. He was lucky to be home before any damage was caused.

[Christopher Stahl]

Indeed it can. Be safe and keep an ABC fire extinguisher in your shop. One of adequate size. :)

chris

[Mark Singer]

Sounds delicious!!!
A local WWs DC started to smolder after a run of red oak:eek: . He suspects binding started it to cook. He was lucky to be home before any damage was caused.

[Mark J Bachler]

I know a guy that cleaned pine pitch off his table saw table with lacquer thinner & then hit the start switch with the fumes trapped in the saw cabinet. Woof . Luckily the dust collector wasn’t going so it was contained in the saw.



I’ll never do THAT again.

[Cliff Newton]

I'm glad you (I mean your friend) wasn't hurt ;)




I know a guy that cleaned pine pitch off his table saw table with lacquer thinner & then hit the start switch with the fumes trapped in the saw cabinet. Woof . Luckily the dust collector wasn’t going so it was contained in the saw.



I’ll never do THAT again.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

This is the only time I am glad I have a contracters table saw! No cabinet for the dust to collect in :) It is something I will have to keep in mind when I button mine up for Dust Collection. Thanks!

[Alan Turner]

Many years ago when I had a delta contractors saw, I ahd a number of incidents of smoldering in the dust pile (no DC back then). Thinking back, I bet was excess heat generated by a miss-set fence, coupled with a dirty blade.
Alan

[Jerry Ingraham]

Before I had my 1023, I used my Craftsman c.s. One day I was cutting some 16/4 walnut and it was smoking like crazy when suddenly from my bench a leftover smoke detector from a rental house renovation started going off! That made me wonder about embers dropping down into the pile of sawdust underneath :cool: . I'm sure that it could happen.