Tripped my SawStop brake

[Ted Baxter]

I tripped the brake on my saw I cut through a glue joint that was only about an hour old. I never gave it a thought before hand.

Is there a good way to remove the brake from the blade so I can inspect it and see if it's still usuable?

[Brian Tymchak]

I've been able to wiggle the brake off the blade on 2 blades with cartridge appendages. One was easy, the other took more force to get it to move the first bit. The blade on that 2nd one was bent so I trashed it. It seems like it hit harder than the first brake. Don't know why that would be true though.

[Jim Dwight]

You will know better when you remove the blade and cartridge but I strongly suspect that at least several teeth will be missing from the blade. If it is a really expensive blade it might be worth getting it repaired. I triggered the dado cartridge and it completely trashed all the dado blades (but saved my fingers). It took awhile to get the mess of cartridge and blades out of the saw.

[Prashun Patel]

I wouldn’t use the blade even if you think it looks fine. Get a new one unless you have a way of sending the blade for an inspection that can ensure it is balanced and not at risk of premature failure.

[Ted Baxter]

Thanks for the comments maybe I'll just nail the whole thing to the wall like it is.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I don't have a Saw Stop, so please forgive me for asking what may be a stupid question ...

Ahe glue joint would not ordinarily cause a blade to be destroyed, so is the Saw Stop brake that may have destroyed the blade?

[Ted Baxter]

The sawstop system uses an aluminum block to slam into the blade and stop it as it descend's under the table. You can search videos on youtube that show it in slow motion,

[Prashun Patel]

Yes, the brake digs into the blade. It's softer than the blade, so it takes the brunt of the damage. I tripped my SS 3x when I owned one. Each time the blade "looked" ok, but I was counselled not to to use it. I stopped using expensive blades pretty quickly.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the comments maybe I'll just nail the whole thing to the wall like it is.

I have a decorative item like that ;-)

[Jim Dwight]

The sawstop brake is triggered by a change in conductance at the blade. It takes the change to mean a person has touched the blade. I have not experienced a false trip but others have reported them from cutting wet wood. Sometimes even pressure treated wood. It seems like the OP experienced something like this due to the moisture content of the glue. The brake will also trip if you hit a piece of metal while simultaneously touching the metal.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Got it. So the when the Saw Stop is triggered, the blade is expendable, and one's fingers are not.

[derek labian]

I tripped the brake on my saw I cut through a glue joint that was only about an hour old. I never gave it a thought before hand.

Is there a good way to remove the brake from the blade so I can inspect it and see if it's still usuable?

When I first got a PCS I tripped a couple of breaks into like new blades. After the second trip, I removed the blade from the break, it looked "perfect" so I tried running it. It resonated differently though, i.e. it sounded a bit different then it should. Long story short, it ended up tripping another break shortly after as the blade failed thus being out two brakes and a blade.

Moral of the story, take the advice others have said, trash the blade IMHO.

Good Luck!

Derek

[Greg Quenneville]

Remember those Sears Craftsman saw blade wall clocks? There ought to be a kit for those.

[Stan Calow]

Ted, thanks for this. I would never had thought about wet glue being a trigger.

Here's a closeup of my new wall hanging. You can see the brake's solid block of aluminum has absorbed a good chunk of the blade and teeth. I never considered the blade could be salvaged.

487332

[Larry Frank]

I have a wall hanging right next to my saw as a reminder.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have a decorative item like that ;-)

My local Woodcraft uses mine for their show-and-tell.

[Ted Baxter]

I put mine on the wall today.

[John Goodin]

I agree, Prashun. No sense paying a premium for a safety feature and then careless try to save a hundred bucks when it works. I think Dynamic Saw in Buffalo can inspect and repair. They do retipping and flattening.


I wouldn’t use the blade even if you think it looks fine. Get a new one unless you have a way of sending the blade for an inspection that can ensure it is balanced and not at risk of premature failure.

[Jack Frederick]

I took a tripped blade to my local Rockler a couple years ago. I had worked the cartridge carefully off the new blade and it was missing a tooth. Rockler said their guy could replace the tooth an it being a new blade I thought I’d try it. Picked it up, mounted it turned on the saw and boom another trigger. I had carefully set the clearance on the blade, but did not do so on the new tooth. Turns out, upon inspection that the replaced tooth was substantially high. Essentially it was a one tooth saw blade. I was ready to throw a show at Rockler, but ended up throwing the show in the mirror for not doing my own careful inspection. I did ask that they talk to their saw sharpener. When the saw was new I tripped it. I have an Accumiter and was doing a cross cut an boom. SS gave me a one time replacement with the suggestion that I not set that AL bar so close to the blade. It’s been a great saw

[Jim Dwight]

It is implied by the other replies but for anybody who has not experienced it, the brake actuation is VIOLENT. Loud Band and the blade disappears. Mine might have been worse due to the 3/4 dado stack I was using at the time, I don't know. The cartridge is engineered to stop the blade quickly so it has to absorb the energy in the rotating blade, and arbor, and motor, and belt. The motor bracket is set up to flip to a new position which may help absorb energy and it gets the blade down below the top of the saw. You have to reset it after you replace the cartridge.

I thought at first the violence of the brake actuation broke my finger but I think it was the blade contact. I was not surprised the blades were badly damaged. The emphasis of the design is stopping the blade as quickly as possible. SawStop claimed early that their device could not be easily retrofitted to other saws and after experiencing an activation I think they have a point. I'm not sure all saws can take it. I also believe I've seen reports of even SawStops being damaged (mine is fine).