Miter saw kick back problem

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I have a 10" Hitachi SCMS set up in a 12' miter station. The problem is when I cut long rough boards that aren't perfectly straight the blade will get caught in the kerf and the saw kicks back at me. This is no fun. I don't have a problem cutting off small ends or cutting straight flat boards. But I like to use it for cross cutting rough boards. Should I lock out the sliding function to do this? Any help much appreciated. Alan in Md.

[Dave Richards]

I guess if you don't need to use the sliding function to get the reach, you should lock it.

I believe what is happening is the board isn't in full contact with the face or the table. The board is pinching the blade as it is allowed to move during the cut. I would look at shimming the board near the cut line. Also I would clamp the board in place however clamping could cause the board to pinch harder so you have to watch out for that.

If you are cutting rough wood, are you making rough cuts? Maybe it would be better to make the cut in two passes, one from each side. Just set the depth stop (does it have one? Mine does.) to slightly more than half the thickness of the board.

Be careful and good luck.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Dave, Yes I'm making rough cuts and yes my saw does have a depth limiter. I may try your idea and see how it works. Thanks

[Chris Padilla]

Alan,

Along the lines of the double-cut, try making the kerf wider:

Cut half-way, bump/tap the board, make another half-cut...bump it back and make a full cut between the two kerf cuts. The two kerf cuts doen't even need to be exactly next to each other. If you have a thin sliver of wood between the two cuts, no big deal...just make the full cut at that point.

[Mark Singer]

Make sure all the fences and machine fences are co-planer. If the board is off either joint it first or cut off with a Skillsaw an INCH OVER and then with the Hitachi. You should be pushing not pulling thru the cut and do a small bite each pass and repeat

[Greg Heppeard]

If the board is warped at all it will kick back, if not put on the saw correctly. Make sure that the wood contacts the fence on each side of the blade, as close to the blade as possible. And as Mark said...push thru the board, don't pull the saw thru it, it's a miter saw, not a radial arm.

[Jamie Buxton]

Alan, as others have said, the problem is that the blade is getting pinched. It does that because the board is touching the fences out near the ends, and not in the middle.

One solution is to make sure the board touches the fence in the middle, near the saw blade. Look before you make the cut. If the board edge against the fence is concave, flip the board over so that edge is away from the fence -- that is, so the convex edge is bearing on the fence. You won't get kickbacks.

If you don't want to flip the board over, put a piece of scrap against just one of the fences, and let the workpiece bear against it. When you cut through the workpiece, there will be no force trying to bend the workpiece to pinch the blade.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I have a 10" Hitachi SCMS set up in a 12' miter station. The problem is when I cut long rough boards that aren't perfectly straight the blade will get caught in the kerf and the saw kicks back at me. This is no fun. I don't have a problem cutting off small ends or cutting straight flat boards. But I like to use it for cross cutting rough boards. Should I lock out the sliding function to do this? Any help much appreciated. Alan in Md.

Thanks guys for your help. This is my first miter saw and I'm still learning. I think the coplanar aspect applies as my alignment is very close but not perfect. I'll have to fine tune some more.

Also the warped board definitely is what I'm cutting. Now I realize I have to have good contact with the fence and table at the blade area.

My neighbor broke his miter saw fence and he must have been doing the same thing I was. I've been lucky so far but it ain't going to last. I've gotten more kickbacks from this than I ever did with my table saw.

Thanks again for all the help. The safe method of operation is getting clearer. Alan

[Greg Heppeard]

Once you solve your kickback problem, you might want to change your warped blade. You'll get much better cuts.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Once you solve your kickback problem, you might want to change your warped blade. You'll get much better cuts.

Greg, It's not the blade that's warped; it's the wood I'm cutting. And maybe the operator. :) Alan in Md.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Here's my sure fire method on cutting wide boards. First thing is to drop the blade without sliding all the way down through the wood closest to the fence. Then on the second cut, use the sliding function. Reasoning behind this is that the bind almost always happens nearest the fence and with that area already cut through, it is highy unlikely to happen.

I also start the saw and move the blade at a depth of a 16th of an inch as I draw the blade out to the edge of the board (to score the surface of the wood) and then drop it down and push it through the workpiece. This prevents top tear out in soft woods and hardwoods like Oak.