Turning of table saw...

[Christopher Kanda]

A quick question from a new woodworker (teaching myself). I have a nice tablesaw (220volt) and wonder if I should turn it off between cuts or leave it on, assuming that I am still at the table. Does turning it off and on often hurt it? Thanks for the help everyone and have a great day

[Tom Cowie]

A quick question from a new woodworker (teaching myself). I have a nice tablesaw (220volt) and wonder if I should turn it off between cuts or leave it on, assuming that I am still at the table. Does turning it off and on often hurt it? Thanks for the help everyone and have a great day

Hi Christopher,

If I leave a machine or shift my attention to something other than the running machine off it goes. Way too many things can happen.

Tom

[Reed Wells]

Cris, If you where muffs or plugs for your hearing, ALWAYS turn it off! It's so easy to take a piece from the TS to the jointer, than forget that the saw is running five minutes later. Reed

[Lance Norris]

Absolutely turn off the saw. So many things can happen when you arent paying attention to a running power tool. Why would you leave it on anyway? Do you let your tools run when you leave the shop for the night?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

It depends.

That's the best I can say. I'll often leave a machine running because I don't want to incur the cost of starting it up again in a lousy couple of minutes.

But then I come from a background of old school manual machine shops where you often have machines running while you do other things including remove pieces from a set up and put new ones in.

There will be people who have a thing about always doing this or always doing that. And if it works for them then more power to 'em. But from my perspective the best answer is that it all depends on the various factors in play at the moment.

[Clint Winterhalter]

I would reccomend turning it off. The saw can handle it. Not worth the risk in my book. If you need to look away, or fiddle with the stock dont risk it!

Good Luck!
Clint

[Mike Heidrick]

With the Sawstop I shut off the motor start switch (paddle) but leave the main power up/diag switch on until I am done using the saw. Saw comes up to speed almost instantly once the paddle is flipped on. At the end of the night all switches are off and the disconnect is also opened and the saw is unplugged. Just my own habits.

[Gary Herrmann]

If you're not running another piece of wood through the blade in 10 seconds or so, I'd say turn it off. Too much of a chance for something unpleasant to happen.

[glenn bradley]

I turn it off after the cut is complete. I never remove waste or position for another cut while the tool is running.

[Jon Shively]

Maybe I am paranoid, but if it is the last cut, I shut off the TS and also lower the blade. The only time my TS blade is up and ready to cut is if I am in the middle of making a bunch of preset cuts. Just my quirk I guess but plan on counting to ten the rest of my life. I had a grandfather that had a relative that was so proud of dying with all of his teeth. It made such an impression on me, when I got my dentures (due to a skoal habit I have since broken) I asked the dentist for all of my teeth. It is my daughter's problem to put the bag of teeth in my casket so I can also say I died with all of my teeth!! I am cautious around my tools so my other daughter doesn't have to put any of my other appendages in the casket!!!! Just food for thought!

[Scott Banbury]

With my single phase 220 and 3 phase machines, I try to have everything that needs to be cut on them stacked up and ready to go before I turn on the machine--make all the cuts and then turn it off.

Constant starting and stopping on a big motor is a lot of wear and tear on centrifigal switches, bearings and capacitors.