soundlight
Well-Known Member
I don't know exactly how it works, but our shop has a saw brake on the radial arm saw that electrically brakes it very quickly. This makes using the radial arm saw much nicer than when the brake isn't working.
Close call with table saw kickback
- Thread starterthebikingtechie
- Start date
Brakes are usually the first thing to fail on any saw, and the old craftsman radial arm saws that everyone has usually the brake has burned up. The newer craftsman radial arm saws now have an actuator in it that draws the saw back and keeps the saw from being pulled out too fast. Its a tad bit annoying to use.
soundlight
Well-Known Member
That's the thing - this is an electric brake, not a blade clamp brake. I'm pretty sure that it actually runs out of phase electricity to the motor to reverse the magnetic field on the motor assembly and thus stop the blade. And that only makes sense after just finishing the electricity and magnetism unit of phys212.
Traitor800
Active Member
Yeah the craftsman brakes aren't that good. We used to have one in our scene shop at school that had a dead brake, And my stagecraft teacher actually taught the class that to stop the blade, you should take a piece of scrap wood and jam it between the fence and the side of the blade, It was scary.
Thats an intresting idea the actuator, cause thats actually what made those saws so dangerous, the blade would catch in the wood and then cause of the blade rotation the saw would try to run off the end of the arm at you.
Just a side note, wanna talk about scary, has anyone else on here ever tried ripping wood with a radial arm saw?
Done it many times, when radial arm saws first hit the market they were sold as the magic "one tool that does them all".
Terminology is fine, except pictured is NOT a radial arm saw. It's a 12" sliding compound miter saw.
Edit: Sorry, Traitor800, for repeating you.
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My friend and I were helping build the set for our fall musical last summer and he was cutting a piece of plywood with the table saw. Right as he was finishing, the scrap piece flew back at him and gave him a cut at least 1 inch by 2 inches. 13 months later, he still has a bruise and a scar. Now, believe it or not, the saw broke this spring.
brozeph20, dollars to donuts your friend was not using the supplied guards: Blade cover, Splitter or riving knife, and Anti-kickback fingers. Note that on most DIY TV shows, there is a text disclaimer stating "Safety devices removed for clarity. Always use all manufacturer-supplied guards and covers." I've seen these added on (non-PBS) reruns of the New Yankee Workshop.
"But before we use any power tools, let's take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all instruction materials that come with your tools. And remember, the most important safety tool is these...[pointing to eyes]...Safety Glasses." I always fast-forward through that part when watching--one of the many joys of TiVo!
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/members/brozeph20.html
"But before we use any power tools, let's take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all instruction materials that come with your tools. And remember, the most important safety tool is these...[pointing to eyes]...Safety Glasses." I always fast-forward through that part when watching--one of the many joys of TiVo!
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/members/brozeph20.html
What Rigger?
I'm so fly....I Neverland.
As Rigger said... get a Sawstop. It's a little more expensive but it's an amazing machine. It has won awards for being one of the best saws you can buy... ignoring the safety features. When you consider it's nearly impossible to cut off your hand with it, it's so worth the extra thousand bucks. Watch the hotdog video.
