SawStop CNS175-AU - Manual (Page 14)

12 SawStop 10” Contractor Saw
The SawStop Safety System
®
The SawStop ® safety system does not interfere with your use of the saw. You can still make all the cuts that you
can with ordinary saws including 0° to 45° bevels, non-through cuts, and dado cuts (with the optional dado brake
cartridge and the optional dado table insert). Furthermore, no special blades or other accessories are required. Any
standard 10 inch saw blade or 8 inch dado set is compatible with your SawStop ® saw.
Your SawStop ® saw operates differently than ordinary table saws, and there are a few important points to keep
in mind as you use the saw.
1. Do not rely on the SawStop ® safety system to protect against unsafe operation. Although the system is
designed to react and stop the blade very quickly in the event of accidental contact, it cannot react until contact
is detected. This means that you may receive at least a minor injury even with the SawStop ® safety system.
Therefore, always use safe operating practices, and use the blade guard, push stick and other safety devices
whenever possible. The SawStop ® safety system, like the airbag in a car, should be considered as a last
measure to minimize injury when all other safety practices and devices have failed to prevent an accident.
2. Do not operate the saw in Bypass Mode unless you are cutting electrically conductive material. When Bypass
Mode is engaged, the SawStop ® safety system will not activate the brake if contact is detected and a serious
injury could result if you contact the blade.
3. Do not use non-conductive blades, including abrasive blades, blades with plastic hubs, or blades that have
non-conductive teeth. The safety system cannot induce the electrical signal onto a non-conductive blade, and
blades with non-conductive teeth may prevent the system from detecting contact. Only standard steel blades
with either steel or carbide teeth should be used.
4. Blades with depth-limiting shoulders may take longer to stop in the event of an accident than standard
blades, and you could receive a more serious injury. Therefore, SawStop recommends using blades without
depth-limiting shoulders.
5. Do not use saw blades or dado sets that have a lacquer or other coating on the teeth. These coatings are non-
conductive and therefore can reduce the speed at which the system detects contact. In other words, a coated
tooth must cut slightly deeper into the skin for contact to be detected, resulting in a somewhat more serious
injury. Used blades that originally had a coating are OK to use since the coating is worn away within a few
uses. However, SawStop recommends that you examine each tooth on such blades to confirm that no coating
remains. If you decide to use a new blade that has lacquer or other coating on the teeth, be especially carefully
during the first several uses.
6. In the event of contact, the blade will be stopped in about 3–5 milliseconds (coarse toothed blades stop more
quickly than fine-toothed blades such as plywood blades). Therefore, the seriousness of the injury incurred will
depend on the speed at which a person’s hand or other body part is moving toward the blade. For example, if
a person’s hand is moving toward the blade at 1 ft. ⁄
sec.
, then the depth of the cut will be approximately 1 ⁄
16
inch
(1 ft. ⁄
sec. * 0.005 sec. = 0.005 ft. or
1 ⁄
16
inch). At faster speeds, the cut will be proportionally deeper. Therefore,
it is possible to be seriously injured even with the SawStop ® safety system.
7. Never use a blade with damaged or missing teeth as this can result in a more serious injury or a false activation of
the brake. Blades with variable spacing between teeth are compatible with the SawStop ® safety system, however
you must ensure the brake is positioned correctly by rotating the blade at least one full revolution to be certain
that none of the teeth touch the brake (see page 30 for more information on setting the brake position).
8. Never attempt to use a blade other than a single 10 inch blade with the standard SawStop ® brake cartridge.
Never attempt to use a dado set or blade other than an 8 inch dado set with the SawStop ® dado cartridge. The
use of smaller diameter blades with a brake cartridge designed for larger blades could result in a serious injury
because the brake cannot be positioned correctly to stop the smaller blades.
9. Do not use molding heads. The use of molding heads could result in a serious injury because neither the
standard brake cartridge nor the dado brake cartridge is designed to stop a molding head.