BEST ANSWER: Any 10” standard-tooth steel blade with steel or carbide teeth can be used. Do not use blades with tooth “shoulders” (often called depth-limiting or anti-kickback shoulders), as these blades will take longer to stop in the event of an accident. Do not use blades with non-conductive hubs or teeth, as the safety system will not allow the saw to operate with these blades installed.

BEST ANSWER: The SawStop safety system is designed for use with standard 10” blades with kerfs from 3/32” to 3/16”. Blades with kerfs much thinner than 3/32” should not be used because those blades might not be strong enough to withstand the force applied by the brake when it activates. As a result, those blades might deform and stop more slowly in the event of an accident, resulting in a more serious injury. Blades with kerfs much thicker than 3/16” are heavier than standard 1/8” kerf blades. Therefore, those blades should not be used because they may stop more slowly than standard blades in the event of an accident, resulting in a more serious injury. Similarly, stacks of 2 or more 10” blades should never be used on your SawStop saw as the combined weight of the blades may be too heavy to stop quickly. If you need to use a blade with a kerf thicker than 3/16”, use an 8” dado set with the optional SawStop 8” dado cartridge. The dado cartridge is designed for use with 8” dado sets up to 29/32” wide

BEST ANSWER: In the vast majority of cases, coming in contact with the spinning blade will result in a minor cut. However, if your hand moves into the blade at very high speed, it is possible for you to receive a serious injury.

BEST ANSWER: The SawStop safety system will protect you even if you are wearing gloves. In that case, the system will trigger when the blade cuts through the glove and touches your skin. It is possible that the blade could snag on the glove and pull your hand into the blade, resulting in a slightly deeper cut. That is why SawStop recommends not wearing gloves when using a SawStop saw. However, if you decide to wear gloves, you are still protected.

BEST ANSWER: Cold ambient temperatures should not affect your saw mechanics. However, your saw’s brake cartridge contains “computer-like” parts that can be affected by extreme cold. If the cartridge is stored in temperatures well below freezing, the saw won’t turn on until the cartridge warms up. If you are in an extremely cold climate, we recommend removing the cartridge (which you can do with the blade in place) and storing it above freezing. Alternatively, some customers choose to leave the yellow “hard” power switch on all the time. This provides just enough heat to the cartridge to help ensure startup in spite of extreme ambient cold.

BEST ANSWER: Any 10” standard-tooth steel blade with steel or carbide teeth can be used. Do not use blades with tooth “shoulders” (often called depth-limiting or anti-kickback shoulders), as these blades will take longer to stop in the event of an accident. Do not use blades with non-conductive hubs or teeth, as the safety system will not allow the saw to operate with these blades installed.

BEST ANSWER: The SawStop safety system is designed for use with standard 10” blades with kerfs from 3/32” to 3/16”. Blades with kerfs much thinner than 3/32” should not be used because those blades might not be strong enough to withstand the force applied by the brake when it activates. As a result, those blades might deform and stop more slowly in the event of an accident, resulting in a more serious injury. Blades with kerfs much thicker than 3/16” are heavier than standard 1/8” kerf blades. Therefore, those blades should not be used because they may stop more slowly than standard blades in the event of an accident, resulting in a more serious injury. Similarly, stacks of 2 or more 10” blades should never be used on your SawStop saw as the combined weight of the blades may be too heavy to stop quickly. If you need to use a blade with a kerf thicker than 3/16”, use an 8” dado set with the optional SawStop 8” dado cartridge. The dado cartridge is designed for use with 8” dado sets up to 29/32” wide

BEST ANSWER: The SawStop safety system continuously performs many self-checks to ensure the components of the safety system are working properly. The safety system will not allow the motor to start (or to remain running) unless every component of the safety system is working properly.

BEST ANSWER: Generally, the safety system will not activate when a nail or staple is cut. Although conductive, these objects are not large enough to cause the safety system to activate unless they are grounded to the table or operator when they contact the blade.

BEST ANSWER: SawStop saws cut most wet wood without a problem. However, if the wood is very green or wet (for example, wet enough to spray a mist when cutting), or if the wood is both wet and pressure treated, then the wood may be sufficiently conductive to activate the brake. If you are unsure if the material you need to cut is conductive, you can make test cuts using Bypass Mode to determine if it will activate the safety system’s brake. The red light on the control box will flash to indicate conductivity.