Table Saw Disconnect (Poll)

[Michael W. Clark]

I have a static phase converter and lockable disconnect. I always throw the disconnect then hit the start button to discharge the SPC.

A magnetic switch is just as easy to bump and turn on as any other switch (maybe easier to bump). A breaker is not meant to be a switch. It could cause the breaker to have nuisance trips.

[mickey cassiba]

When I worked for Delta we had a recall of Uni saws and 3hp shapers due to the machines switching themselves on due to bumps and jars. This occurred in the 2001-2002 series. The recall is/was documented on servicenetdot com. May be taken down now due to the sale of Delta.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Live stim/ dead stim......no not dead stim,,,,,sleepy stim....
Every time I reach down inside the saw to change the blade, I think about that part of the movie The Sand Pebbles when the guy gets crushed under the pistons.
I unplug my saw every time.

[Chris Parks]

I have had two incidents with saws that turn themselves on, one was a contractor saw and one was a bandsaw. The problem with both machines was sawdust in the switches that prevented them fully travelling to the off position. The TS was a no name contractor type saw and the BS is a Jet which I still own but check regularly. I think it should be part of a maintenance schedule to pull switches off machines and check for saw dust in them but if you have not encountered the problem why bother.

[scott spencer]

I do cut the power to the TS but via a different route than most…..my TS power switch only gets enabled when I start the DC and requires a separate action. When the DC is off, power to the saw is disabled.

[Myk Rian]

I am not surprise that nobody mention a call to the power company to turn your electric off

Huh? That makes no sense.

[Larry Browning]

I voted disconnect. That is true as of yesterday! Before that I would have had to vote No! I'm feeling pretty good about myself today!

[johnny means]

I dont unplug or kill power. I just don't see blade changing as being that risky. The only time my hands are in the saw is when the nut is loose. I do however take extra precaution when changing belts or working in machines.

[Larry Browning]

Well, I'm a one man show so no carts are going to be bumping my switches, other than ghosts pushing them.

Leo,
I doesn't have to be a cart, I could happen by you bumping the table while changing the blade. I had pretty much never unplugged my saw when changing the blade and have never had a problem. But there have been several recent threads about magnetic switches just randomly turning on due to gentle bumps or even nothing noticeable at all. The solution can be as simple as unplugging or in my case installing a $20 disconnect. This is a pretty small price to pay to prevent a life threatening or life changing event.

You can do what you want in your own shop, but for me, I feel safer by taking such a small precaution.

I'm just sayin!!!!!!!

[Andrew Joiner]

35 years ago was when I first encountered the situation. It still applies. Take a deadblow hammer and hit you mag switch and see for your self. You do realize if you push in the contractor manually it will start and stay running until you hit the off switch. The jarring of the switch does the same thing. I know what is true and not. I'm more concerned with my fingers and folks I know. If you choose to regard the information I'm not concerned about your hands and fingers. By the way my profession is problem solving in commercial woodworking shops so take the info what you thinks it's worth.

I've always unplugged routers (and portable tools that cut) since I had a close call with a router 40 years ago.

I have followed Rick's posts for a long time and I trust his opinion. I don't unplug my machines, but I will from now on.

[Larry Fox]

I had wired my TS and Jointer and they receive their power through a disconnect. I always disconnect the power when changing blades - it's just too easy to not to. I have youngsters so all the stationary machines have lockable disconnects.

[Dave Zellers]

So being one of the 25% who has never unplugged my TS in 40 years of changing blades, I'm interested in these disconnect switches.

I'm replacing the TS switch anyway so would the disconnect mount next to it?

Where do I get one?

[Rick Christopherson]

When I worked for Delta we had a recall of Uni saws and 3hp shapers due to the machines switching themselves on due to bumps and jars. This occurred in the 2001-2002 series. The recall is/was documented on servicenetdot com. May be taken down now due to the sale of Delta.

That's interesting. I never knew about any recalls, but that is the same timeframe when I first broke the news about it a year earlier with this article: magneticstarters.htm. (and it was a Unisaw). After discovering this, I became more aware of the risks. Unfortunately, the cord on my Unisaw is not readily accessible due to the large outfeed table. That's when I started using two blade wrenches. I discovered a leftover wrench from a DeWalt DW745 fit the inboard flange of the Unisaw. It's the first to go on and the last to come off, and it always rests against the cast iron throat. In the absence of an electrical lockout, it serves as a mechanical lockout to prevent the arbor from turning.

[ray hampton]

Huh? That makes no sense.

what if by a slim change that the saw start a electric fire, will you tell the fire fighters that turning the power to the house do not make sense

[Rod Sheridan]

I always open th disconnect switch, all of my machines have them except for the drill press..................Rod.