[OP]
Friend of The Creek
Please don’t run sawblades backwards
You can run a saw blade backwards and it cuts pretty well. However it is not at all a good idea.
The two big reasons not to do this is that saw tips are much more likely to come off if the saw blade is run backwards and that the whole saw blade is much more likely to come apart if it is run backwards.
Thank you,
Tom Walz
I'm a Creeker, yes I m.
I fries my bacon in a wooden pan.
Contributor
I never heard of anyone intentionally running a saw blade backwards - only by mistake. Are you receiving reports of people running saw blades backwards for some reason or other? If so, why would someone intentionally run a saw blade backwards?
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
I'm trying to imagine why anyone would intentionally set up a saw blade backwards.
Originally Posted by Tom Walz
Scott Vroom
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
Member
I've reversed the blade on purpose when cutting aluminum siding. The blade doesn't chatch the thin alumimum this way.
Note, I've only done this on circular saws using steel blades (not carbide tipped).
Last edited by Steve Kohn; 11-30-2012 at 12:59 PM. Reason: Adding more detail
Wood'N'Scout
Member
I have heard of reversing the blade to cut thin sheetmetal roofing, I personally have never tried it.
[OP]
Friend of The Creek
There seems to be a growing trend in deliberately running saw blades backwards to cut sheet metal or sheet fiberglass.
Last week I received an email asking me whether it was a good idea to do this all the time or just occasionally.
I know something about how saw blades are made and, in my opinion, it is pretty hard to find a really bad saw blade anymore. However they are all designed to be run in a particular direction. Running them backwards defeats much of the engineering design.
My saw blades, as with most of my competitors, are designed and built to be much safer than is necessary. There is an old adage in safety engineering. Design it to be safe then double that. Then add one more. However misusing the product defeats much of the hard work that I and others have put in.
Running a saw blade backwards is like driving drunk, leaning on the barrel of a shotgun, holding fireworks in your fingers and similar. You can maybe do it and get by with it but it significantly increases your level of danger.
Tom
I'm a Creeker, yes I m.
I fries my bacon in a wooden pan.
Contributor
I personally was advised and have reversed the blade in my circular saw to cut aluminum roofing. It works well. I wasn't, however, using a saw blade with carbide tips.
It makes sense that carbide tips would be more prone to coming off if the blade is reversed. No support at all under those conditions.
Thanks for the warning Tom!
Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 11-30-2012 at 1:26 PM.
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Contributor
Put a dado set on backwards once, but it sure wasn't on purpose. Made a nice burn mark though.
Rick Potter
Member
I wasn't going to admit this to anyone, but I guess I will. I have been building a large round dining table that is made up of 12 pie shaped segments of plywood. I cut slots in the edge for splines using a brand new slot cutting router bit. Since I had never used one before, I was not suspicious of all the smoke and burning it produced. I just said to myself "These Slot cutters don't work very well". 12 pieces means 24 edges. I cut 23 before I discovered the cutter blade was mounted backwards. That last cut was like a hot knife through butter!
Last edited by Larry Browning; 11-30-2012 at 2:12 PM.
Larry J Browning
There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.
Contributor
Larry.....I suspect you are not the first person to have done that.....
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Member
It sure made me feel stupid!
Larry J Browning
There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.
Contributor
Ruuning them backwards for cutting vinyl siding. Usually the old non-carbide plywood blades, we do it all the time. But never on my good blades. Greg
Contributor
Whenever I do something like that....I look at it as insurance. It insures my ego won't get too big! LOL!
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Member
I have used a Skilsaw with the blade backwards to cut roofing tin for almost 50 years. It was the way I was taught by my grandpa, it works, roofed quite a few barns and sheds with it. Only thing that made me quit, is my son now does that for me.
Contributor
When I was a roofing foreman.Many of the worker did not know the direction for diamond saw blades we used for cutting tile.By the end of the day the saw whould start hopping.Last much longer if they would just look for the little arrow.
sure glad I am not doing that anymore okay my serenity is coming back now.
Even the cheapo diamond blades are designd to cut one direction.
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