Rogue Sawstop Brake Activation

[Michael Peet]

I had my first Sawstop brake activation today. I still don't know what caused it - it fired immediately upon starting the saw, and the blade wasn't even spinning fast enough to cause it to retract into the saw. In fact I had no idea what was up until I checked the status lights. I was not touching it, obviously, nor was anything metal. I had just finished ripping a couple pieces of jarrah and was starting it up to cut a couple more.

P1020108.25.jpg

As you can see from the pic, the aluminum brake is barely scathed, and I think I am going to try to continue to the use the blade (WWII) as there didn't appear to be any damage, unless the cut quality is suffering.

Thought I'd share, since I thought it was strange. SS is closed until Monday but I will give them a ring then and see what they think. Luckily I had a spare brake.. I have to get some traction on these presents .

Mike

[Victor Robinson]

Wow, first I have ever heard of this. I will be interested to hear what you learn and what Sawstop says. We probably won't know much until they run the diagnostics on the cartridge. I hope your WWII is still just as good as before...may need a resharpening on some teeth...

[Elijah Fontenot]

Michael, The same thing happened to me with my SS. I called them and told them what happened and then I sent in my brake cartridge to get diagnosed. I did have to pay for it to be shipped there, but what they found was that it was not my fault.

In my ON/OFF switch, when the contacts made contact, they made contact not exactly at the same time and created "Noise" and sent that "Noise" to the cartridge thus creating an activation. The difference in contact time was measured in some .0000XX number i believe.

By all means i am electrically impared and don't understand much of it, but that was what I got out of it in laymans terms.

They are an AWESOME company to fix thier problems and gave me lots of free stuff which was more than adequate. Thier customer service lady was extremely polite and was great with emails and phone calls.

They sent me a new control box with updated software to my other brakes and to the control box (big on/off switch box) and i haven't had any problems since.

I hope your issue is easily solved and you get back to making sawdust!

[Jay Allen]

It happend in a shop where I used to work too. They were very good about it when we called. All it took was sending the cartridge to them for testing to get a replacement. We had to use the back-up for a while, but it came in a few days.

[Don Alexander]

seems to me like if there are some defective blade brakes out there that activate it for no apparent reason, it is likely that there are also some out there that will fail to activate period and that would suck big time

moral of the story is that it would behoove us all to keep our fingers away from the blade SawStop or no

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I don't own a SawStop but......

a person should not be surprised that these intermittant failures happen. I have made a decent living for over 40 years because electonics equipments fail.....Even systems that cost 1-2 MILLION dollars....they fail.

If I owned a SS I would still practice keeping any part of my body away from the spinning blade.

[Michael Peet]

Well, this just happened again on my spare brake. I hope it's as simple as replacing the control box. I also hope I get a couple replacement brakes free of charge :|

Thanks all for the replies.

Mike

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I recommend that you remove your zero clearance insert and then shine a light down into the area with the blade to see if there is a finger or hot dog down there that may be touching the blade periodically. :-)

[Will Overton]

If I owned a SS I would still practice keeping any part of my body away from the spinning blade.

I do own a SS and agree with this completely. I didn't buy a SS so I could be careless, but just in case I make a mistake.

[Cody Colston]

seems to me like if there are some defective blade brakes out there that activate it for no apparent reason, it is likely that there are also some out there that will fail to activate period and that would suck big time.

It's also going to happen. It's just a matter of time. Like Ken said, electronic equipment fails. Period.

[Joe Leigh]

My opinion is that this is just the tip of the inevitable iceberg. I agree wholeheartedly with Cody, just a matter of time before someone gets badly injured because the software/electronics fail. It's a mathematical certainty. When that time comes SawStop will be no more and the only thing that will matter is what most have been preaching here since SawStop sold it's first unit; this tool is no substitute for safe practices and vigilance.
Wishing everyone a safe Holiday...

[Larry Frank]

I have a SS also and bought it for the extra protection and not to be careless.

I would be most interested in what SS actual finds out from the cartridge. I would like to know what the gap between the blade and brake was. Any information at all about the actual cause would be great help.

[George Bregar]

My opinion is that this is just the tip of the inevitable iceberg. I agree wholeheartedly with Cody, just a matter of time before someone gets badly injured because the software/electronics fail. It's a mathematical certainty. When that time comes SawStop will be no more and the only thing that will matter is what most have been preaching here since SawStop sold it's first unit; this tool is no substitute for safe practices and vigilance.
Wishing everyone a safe Holiday...

People don't get "badly injured because the software/electronics fail". They get injured because they put a hand in the blade. And again, my guess is that SAW STOP warns people just like every other manufacturer.

Why I think you and Cody are wrong is that every table saw injury likely brings a lawsuit...yet manufacturers of traditional saws keep cranking them out and stay in business. Saw Stop has AVOIDED many many lawsuits because of their technology...wander over to their website, they talk about them. If and when one happens, they are already millions of dollars ahead.

Edit:

1. Do not rely on the SawStop safety system to protect against unsafe operation. Although the
system is designed to stop the blade very quickly in the event of an accidental contact, it
cannot react until contact is made. This means that you will receive at least a minor injury.
Therefore, always use safe operating practices. The SawStop safety system should be
considered as a last measure to minimize injury when all other safety practices and devices
have failed to prevent an accident.

[Peter Aeschliman]

My brake fired on start up recently as well... but I'm pretty sure it was my fault. I haven't sent the brake in to get analyzed, but here's what happened for me:

I was getting ready to cut a piece of plywood. I put the fence in position and set the plywood down close to the blade to see if the teeth would contact the piece in the right spot. I then walked over and turned on my dust collector, came back, and turned on the saw... before pulling the workpiece back. Turns out the front edge of the plywood was still in a gullet. The motor stalled out and the saw shut itself down. I said many swear words... looked, and the brake hadn't fired.... thank God, I said to myself. I then tried to start the saw to see if it still worked, and I got nothing. Many more curses. I waited about a minute, and tried again. The saw started perfectly. I shut it down, grabbed my plywood, and tried to start the saw again. POP! the brake fired before the blade even started moving.

I figure I probably shorted something out in the brake when I stalled out the motor. Although I don't think the saw should have fired, my mistake is probably what caused it.

Michael, it's tough getting the blade off when the blade doesn't sink into the brake, huh?? The spring was still under compression, so it took me a good 30 minutes of careful prying to get the blade and brake off.

I haven't had any problems with the saw since I replaced the brake and blade.

[Glenn Vaughn]

Every malfunction I have seen reported involves the SS either firing the brake or shutting down. My understranding of the software is tht it runs diagnostics and shuts down if all is not perfect.

The brake is fired by runing a current through a fusible link (wire) that melts it and releases the spring. I guess it is possible to get enough sawdust into the break cartrige to jam the spring - examiing the cartrige on a regular basis is part of the general maintenance of the saw. A failure of the cartrige because of sawdust would be a user fault - not a design fault.

I have had the SS for a year now and am still concious of the blade and the need for caution around it. I don't want to hear the bang; neither do I want the expense of replacing my spare brake. If my SS fires due to a malfunction, I won't be happy because of the expense; I will not be upset though because I know it is doing what it is supposed to do - stopping the saw if it detects anything ouside of the defined operating parameters.