[SML] SawStop

[Matthew J. Evans]

Hey everyone,


Just in case your thinking about buying a SawStop, Know that certain items
cannot be cut when the safety mechanism is activated.  The obvious items
are pretreated lumber.  But the one item I was not aware of was carbon-infused
theater-set paint.  In other words: Black Rosco Off Broadway, Super
Saturated, Tough Prime and Iddings.


Of course it never occurred to me to look at the archives to see if anyone
else has reported this.  As I'm getting to know more of you on here, I plan
on posting/responding more often. It's also easier to post now that we can
use our smart phones - thank you for making those changes!!!


We purchased the saw a few weeks ago and within 24 hours of the students
being trained on it - wham!  A brand new Freud blade and brake cartridge
was activated.


SawStop notified me today after they diagnosed the brake cartridge and
informed me of what caused the activation.  I will say they have excellent
customer service because they are sending me a replacement blade and brake
free of charge based on their findings.  Read below...


Thank you for the brake cartridge you sent to us.  After we read the data
from the brake cartridge, we determined that the brake activated because
the saw blade contacted material that can conduct electricity. Typical
cases include:

   - foil layers in laminated material such as countertop or flooring (or
   printed circuit boards)
   - foil backing on insulation board
   - metallic paint on picture frames
   - graphite layers in laminates
   - carbon fiber material
   - mirror-backing on acrylic plastic


   - carbon-infused theater-set paint


   - uncured glue layers in laminates



To avoid this kind of problem going forward:

   - avoid cutting the above materials in normal mode
   - make sure that any glue layers have fully cured before cutting

If you are not sure whether a material poses a risk of activating the
brake, you can place the saw in bypass mode and make a test cut or two.  If
the material would have triggered the brake, the saw will blink its red LED
until the blade is stopped to show that contact was detected. If the green
LED stayed blinking with no red LED, you can cut safely normal mode. If the
red LED started blinking, you’ll need to cut the material in bypass mode
only.


Thank You,

*Matthew J. Evans*
Boll Theatre Technical Director
Faculty Theatre Lecturer
Theatre Program - College of Arts and Sciences
The University of Dayton
Dayton, OH  45469-2945
Office: *937-229-3834*
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