SawStop false trigger?

[Jeff Wittrock]

I don't own a SawStop, and I doubt I ever will... but I'm just curious about something. Has anyone that owns a SawStop ever had a false triggering of the safety system.

Maybe cutting along and hitting a damp portion of wood or something? Forgive me if its a sill question, but its something I've always wondered about. Just how careful do you have to be about cutting certain materials when the safety system is active?

-Jeff

[Brian Penning]

I had a false trigger the day I installed it. Saw started up with the motor cover door open. This wasn't supposed to happen. After a couple of efforts of trying to get the door closed, upon finally getting the door closed the brake fired. The brake is on it's way back to SawStop. The tech guy told me it was possible for this to occur.
Since then I haven't been able to repeat the action. (saw starting with any door open)

[Don Bullock]

Jeff, I haven't had a false triggering or any for that matter with my SawStop. I'm not counting on any either. If you're not planning on ever buying a SaWStop why are you bringing this up? It's a subject that has been discussed here and elsewhere far too often. You can do a search for more information.

[Jeff Wittrock]

Jeff, I haven't had a false triggering or any for that matter with my SawStop. I'm not counting on any either. If you're not planning on ever buying a SaWStop why are you bringing this up? It's a subject that has been discussed here and elsewhere far too often. You can do a search for more information.

I guess just because I will probably never be able afford such a tool doesn't prevent me from being curious :(. Like I said, sorry if its a silly question. My son and I were just watching the video on the manufacturers web site, and wondered how easy it was to trip it.

[Fred Voorhees]

Jeff, I haven't had a false triggering or any for that matter with my SawStop. I'm not counting on any either. If you're not planning on ever buying a SaWStop why are you bringing this up? It's a subject that has been discussed here and elsewhere far too often. You can do a search for more information.

I would think that having this question is a natural progression. It isn't a big jump to wondering about this after watching the video and realizing how the mechanism works.

[Randal Stevenson]

On another video, that I can no longer remember where it is, they showed how to determine if you had to shut off the brake, due to moisture or cutting of a material that is naturally conductive (like aluminum).

We did have someone post here, that they triggered their saw, one of the first days they had it, by cutting into (not through), their miter bars extension.

[Brad Townsend]

Jeff, I haven't had a false triggering or any for that matter with my SawStop. I'm not counting on any either. If you're not planning on ever buying a SaWStop why are you bringing this up? It's a subject that has been discussed here and elsewhere far too often. You can do a search for more information.
Don, We see questions get repeated on here all the time. I DO plan on buying one someday and feel its a perfectly legitimate question, even if its been asked/answered before. Are we perhaps being a little too sensitive?:)

[Andy Pratt]

I've used mine for over a year and have never had a false trigger on a wide variety of woods of different moisture levels. Before you cut a questionable material, you can touch the material to the blade. A specific light pattern will blink if the material is likely to trigger the brake system. This test is instantaneous and should easily put this issue to bed. I run my lumber by a portable metal detector prior to any milling, with these two safeguards I think I'm fairly unlikely to hit a false trigger. My $.02.

Andy

[Mike Heidrick]

I have never had a trigger of any kind incuding false triggers. That is a great thing. I have cut wet treated lumber with no problems. I try and test if I suspect the wood may be extremely wet. So far no problems.
I also use a lumber wizard if I even remotely suspect there may be foreign metal in the wood.

[Dave Hale]

Not a trigger actually, but I had the SS shut down (cut off/power down) due to some 2" Cedar that was damp in the center.
Once I looked at the flashing lights, and then the manual ( :) ), I realized what was wrong. Used the key to bypass and finished the cuts.

[Ben Grunow]

The lumber wizard makes sense Mike but the SS will not trigger if you cut metal unless you are touching the metal when it touches the blade.

I am to the point now that I know when the wood is too moist to cut with the brake on. Just takes a little getting used to.

[jason lambert]

I know three people that have had one over a year and never a issue. I am so sold not only because of safety but I think it is one of the best table saws, I just ordered one. The dealer was out of stock in the 3hp small table one but has another truck load comming in this week. I was shocked when Force Machinery in NJ told me they stock several, and usally have it guess they move them. Can't waite till next weekend, it will be a good easter.

[Dave Lehnert]

I think it was Popular Woodworking Magazine had a misfire happen. Wet wood I think was the problem.

[Pat Germain]

FWIW, Consumer Reports magazine did a small feature on the Saw Stop awhile back. They tried to trip the brake with wet wood and a few other things I don't recall. They couldn't get a false trigger, yet the hot dog test tripped the brake every time.

Anyone not familiar with Consumer Reports should be aware they are about as safety concious as can be; sometime annoyingly so. If those guys couldn't get a false trigger from a Saw Stop, it's highly unlikely any normal use would produce such a situation.

Also, if the folks who developed the Saw Stop technology have any brains, which they do, they are very aware false triggers would be a death sentence for their invention. All it would take are a few reports of trashing a $100 blade for no good reason and sales would plummet. On the other hand, a few reports of trashing a blade in lieu of trashing a few digits or even an entire hand are good for sales and make insurance companies happy.

[Scott Rollins]

I cut though a "staple" today with my SS. I did not see or find it with my lumber wizard. The sawstop cut though it with no trip. I found it when I was cleaning up the scrap pile. I was cutting some reclaimed lumber with nails in it for a primitive piece. The "staple" sized piece appears to have been part of the nail I removed yesterday.
I am putting parenthesis around staple becasue it was the joining element for the nails when used in a nail gun and not actually a staple. It was buried about 1" into the wood.

[Matthew Dworman]

The lumber wizard makes sense Mike but the SS will not trigger if you cut metal unless you are touching the metal when it touches the blade.


Not true. We have had several (5) "false triggers" in the 2.5 years that we have had our 2 saw stops in the shop. 2 While cutting plastic, 1 cutting pressure treated, 1 happened when the machine wasn't cutting anything at all, and the most recent one happened while someone was cutting some MDF. I sent the cartridge back to SawStop to evaluate and they determined that there must have been a small piece of metal in the MDF which caused the brake to trip. I asked them if there was any way for them to fine tune the system better to distinguish between metal and a finger and they said that they are working on this issue now and will be improving the system in the near future. Hopefully this will be a firmware fix that can be implemented in older machines as well.

FWIW, not a single blade was damaged as a result of the brake firings. We were easily able to remove the blades from the spent brakes. They were thoroughly inspected for damage, broken or loose teeth, etc. There were no problems with the blades whatsoever.

Matthew