SawStop Brake Cartridge Trips

[Larry Frank]

This is the first I have ever heard about MDF causing an issue. Thanks for the warning. Must be a lot of metal in it.

I would like to know if a metal detector goes off with it.

If you touch the blade to the MDF with the saw off, do you get a red light?

RANT..I get so tired of the Sawstop arguments. It is so simple. If you want one, then buy one. If you do not like them, don't buy one.

[Andy Pedler]

Unrelated to the MDF issue, but last weekend my Sawstop brake tripped for no apparent reason (the blade wasn't even spinning...it tripped when I pulled the paddle switch). Called Sawstop on Monday and without going into too many details, they went above and beyond to make sure I was back up and running. My saw is more than a decade out of warranty but they treated me like I was a brand new customer. It was my first experience with their customer support and it was outstanding.

[Ray Newman]

"The SawStop rep said that some factories use the cheapest filler that they can get. He mentioned that the products that they have been able to trace have been made offshore."
--BobMcBreen

BINGO! Back in late January/early February 2020 I bought an unmarked as to manufacturer 3/4"x4'x8' sheet of "shop grade" plywood at Home Depot to build some shop storage boxes and a small cart for The Squeeze to move one her sewing machines around. Ripping it all to size, I noticed a great deal of voids, then on one of the scrap pieces I noticed what appeared to be string hanging out. Pulled on it and about two feet of a Nylon type cord came out along with a poorly fitting plug to fill a large void.

[Bob McBreen]

I just received my replacement brake cartridges & did a test cut of the suspect MDF in by-pass mode without dust collector turned on. When running a rare earth magnet through the dust some of the particles stuck to the magnet. Pretty clear that the tech at SawStop was correct about metal in the MDF.

I next ran some other MDF through the saw & the magnet didn't collect any particles. Now time to clean my shop...

[Rod Wolfy]

Thanks for the heads up!

Makes me wonder if they're not using leftover shavings from metal fabricators in China or the like? I'd bet that metal shops have lots of leftover metal dust, kind of like woodshops. Now there's a market for it?

[Larry Frank]

Thanks for the information. If you have a metal detector, please run it over the mdf.

[Rod Sheridan]

I'd be interested to see if anyone has an insulation resistance meter (Megger) and could check the resistance of the MDF at 250 or 500 volts?

Regards, Rod.

[Frank Pratt]

I'd be interested to see if anyone has an insulation resistance meter (Megger) and could check the resistance of the MDF at 250 or 500 volts?

Regards, Rod.

I've got a Fluke high voltage insulation tester that has 500V & 1000V scales and will try it out on what MDF I have on hand. I've not had a trip on the MDF I've cut, but the results will be interesting.

Thanks for giving me the idea. Next time I buy MDF, that tester is going to the lumber yard with me.

[Thomas Wilson]

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would take note of the fact that Sawstops are made in Taiwan and the Mdf was made in China. But I’m not.

[Thomas Pender]

Not sure I would ever choose to cut MDF on my Sawstop, but this particular thread is why the Creek is an invaluable resource. (Is also tough on the good blades we tend to have on these saws.). I think we all would agree that cutting MDF is an unpleasant experience (dust alone), but whoever would have thought it would be expensive? Took one of my rare earth magnets to some exposed MDF I bought from a big box to mount my Kreg jig on - no pull. However, some crummy MDF stuff that came packing something I bought seemed to have some pull. Interesting - the way Dr. Gass explained it to me under oath, is that it is the electrical potential of our bodies that pops the safety device. Guess it means crummy MDF also has electrical potential as does some pressure treated stuff. Again, thank you for starting this thread.

[Thomas Wilson]

Not sure I would ever choose to cut MDF on my Sawstop, but this particular thread is why the Creek is an invaluable resource. (Is also tough on the good blades we tend to have on these saws.). I think we all would agree that cutting MDF is an unpleasant experience (dust alone), but whoever would have thought it would be expensive? Took one of my rare earth magnets to some exposed MDF I bought from a big box to mount my Kreg jig on - no pull. However, some crummy MDF stuff that came packing something I bought seemed to have some pull. Interesting - the way Dr. Gass explained it to me under oath, is that it is the electrical potential of our bodies that pops the safety device. Guess it means crummy MDF also has electrical potential as does some pressure treated stuff. Again, thank you for starting this thread.

I would guess you are Thomas B. Pender. Saw Mill Creek has a diverse and interesting membership.

[Mark Blatter]

Unrelated to the MDF issue, but last weekend my Sawstop brake tripped for no apparent reason (the blade wasn't even spinning...it tripped when I pulled the paddle switch). Called Sawstop on Monday and without going into too many details, they went above and beyond to make sure I was back up and running. My saw is more than a decade out of warranty but they treated me like I was a brand new customer. It was my first experience with their customer support and it was outstanding.

I had the same experience about six months ago. I had just put on my dado stack and turned on the saw. The blades had enough time to just start to turn when the cartridge triggered. The blades were embedded less than 1/16" into the stop portion. I sent the cartridge to Sawstop for them to read. Took about two weeks for them to get back to me (guessing the slowness was COVID related) and they said that the something was touching the blade to trigger it. Well, I explained not a chance and nothing was touching the blade. They sent me a new cartridge at no cost, but I learned a valuable lesson. Any time I change a blade or adjust anything, I visually check the light prior to turning on the saw.

Now about a month ago, I changed the expensive blade I normally run to an old one my wife bought at a garage sale. She got 8 blades for $20, and most were good to great quality blades that just needed sharpening. I put on one of the lower quality blades as I was going to cut an 8' stick of aluminum angle. Made sure it was set then started the saw, picked up the aluminum and 'POW' triggered the cartridge. In checking every out and being as safe as I could, I forgot to put the saw into bypass mode.

I now have the old cartridge with fully embedded blade hanging on the wall by the door to remind me not to be stupid again.