# Dry pitch activated my new Sawstop break



## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

My brand new Sawstop brake activated by dry pitch. I have only used the saw a few times since I bought it. The pitch is the only explanation I can offer. Sawstop tech asked me to send in the cartridge so they could confirm that it did not malfunction. The tech person said he has not heard of pitch causing an activation of the brake. I have tried to attached a photo of the wood I was cutting but I don't have what is needed to make that happen. There is a lot of dried pitch in the cut area. The board has been indoors for years and is perfectly dry. Has anyone else had this issue?


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Pitch is by nature wet, what have you done to make it "dry pitch" Time alone doesn't insure a state of dryness.

I'd say by your result it's not as dry as you believe it to be. Probably best going forward to flick that weenie cutter off on woods with anything close to moisture in them, or it might get expensive.

A pic of pitch in the rafters of a historic house


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

Thanks for your reply. The wood was indoors for more than a year. I sent the section of cut wood with saw cut in the pitch into the Sawstop tech folks with my tripped break so I say more when I hear from them. I was wondering if the system detected a different conductivity running through the wood saturated with dry pitch and that set it off.

I would love to hear more from anyone on this.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I don't think they were related (the pitch and the brake firing). I cut a fair amount of doug fir last year that was loaded with pitch pockets and didn't have a problem. While hearing experiences is useful, but I'd also like to here what Sawstop has to say….but I'm betting it was something else.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

I would go with Fred Hargis. I've cut quite a bit of red cedar fencing that had water running out of it without firing the cartridge. excess moisture alone won't fire the sawstop cartridge. 
There may have been some conductivity thru the pitch to your hand that triggered things.


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## dbw (Dec 2, 2013)

> I don t think they were related (the pitch and the brake firing). I cut a fair amount of doug fir last year that was loaded with pitch pockets and didn t have a problem. While hearing experiences is useful, but I d also like to here what Sawstop has to say….but I m betting it was something else.
> 
> - Fred Hargis


+1


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

Thanks for your thoughts Fred. I look forward to the response from Sawstop as well.


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## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

being new owner for a SawStop… is green wood better ripped on my Unisaw due to any moisture content? Because I too will be using cedar or redwood from the BORG on my upcoming fence project.


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

Hi Bruce I had attached the pitched 2×4 with wood screws as a sacrificial fence to my sled so my hands were not even in contact with the piece being cut.


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

As mentioned by one reply to my question, if you are not sure it is best to test cut with the break override procedure to prevent an unwanted break firing. I did't think to do that when my break went off because I did not imagine that dry pitch would set it off. Now I check with this method anytime I have an untried material. 
Thanks for asking.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Holbs, there are instances where cutting treated wood (the kind that drips when you pick it up) will fire the brake….but generally speaking most other woods are good to go. The advice to switch the system off while trying the first cut is a good one; or anytime you're suspicious of the wods moisture content. But I wouldn't think of cedar or redwood (wish my borg had that) from the box store to be green.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

> being new owner for a SawStop… is green wood better ripped on my Unisaw due to any moisture content? Because I too will be using cedar or redwood from the BORG on my upcoming fence project.
> 
> - Holbs


Use the bypass test procedure or just use bypass mode. Or avoid it entirely and just use the Unisaw.

I had a jig that I painted some areas red for safety. Everytime I set the jig on the table the light blinked. I did use it a couple times when it went solid green.

Turns out the paint was metallic paint. Luckily it didn't trip the brake.

Hopefully SS will send you a replacement cartridge.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

What was the MC of the wood when it was cut and how close did you allow your fingers to get to the blade?


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I seem to recall from a high school physics class (many, many years ago) that pine resin was used in a static electricity generator to increase the friction used to help create the static charge. I wonder if the the blade rubbing a big pitch pocket created some static that trigger the electronics?


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I have seen some YouTube videos in the past that showed water on the saw table while cutting a 2×4. This was obviously an attempt to put down fears of wet wood tripping the break, can't remember who or what site. When working with treated wood for basement access door replacement I bypassed the safety and did some testing, I eventually started cutting without the bypass and did fine. To give you an idea of moisture content, I left a Veritas LAJ plane on the wood overnight by mistake and turned it into a rusty plane.

It's all about conductivity. If you take water alone it is a poor conductor by itself, add some minerals and it is a whole new ball game. If saw stop has both actual piece of wood and the cartridge they will likely scan for imbedded (unseen) metal that could have been harvested with the tree and conductivity within the sample. If that fails to resolve the fault they will then dig into the cartridge. I think it will be interesting to see what they do, or don't do.


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

> I seem to recall from a high school physics class (many, many years ago) that pine resin was used in a static electricity generator to increase the friction used to help create the static charge. I wonder if the the blade rubbing a big pitch pocket created some static that trigger the electronics?
> 
> - Lazyman


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

Thank you very much for your comments Lazyman. That is a fascinating hypotheses. I am curious what Sawstop Tech determins the cause to be.


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## Tony1212 (Aug 26, 2013)

> I seem to recall from a high school physics class (many, many years ago) that pine resin was used in a static electricity generator to increase the friction used to help create the static charge. I wonder if the the blade rubbing a big pitch pocket created some static that trigger the electronics?
> 
> - Lazyman


I was thinking along the same lines.

The pictures show printing on the 2×4 (I see something about "96"). That makes me think it's a kiln dried stud, so the pitch would be set like a resin. I'm not overly familiar with the chemical content of pine pitch, so there could be some parts that make great conductors.


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## RClark (Jun 1, 2012)

Normally, hitting an embedded nail won't trigger the brake. I've hit nails and gone right through with no brake trigger.

If the operator is touching the other end of the nail when the blade contacts it, then it'sa different story and the brake will trigger.

Unless there was some grounding of the pitch pocket, I don't think that would have done it.

I have only had one unexplained brake trigger. I had been using the saw with my dado stack (and dado brake). I stopped for lunch, and left the master switch in the "ON" position. When I came back out after lunch, the brake block was up against the dado stack and had fired. The dado stack was not moving when it fired and so the stack was not embedded in the block. I was able to get the assembly off and I returned the brake cartridge back to SawStop. They sent me a complimentary replacement. I don't know what they found after analysis of the fired cartridge.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Maybe someone mentioned this and I missed it. If you have a replacement cartridge installed, have you tried pushing the piece into the blade, with saw turned off but power on, to see if the fault light goes off?


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

I have just herd back from the Sawstop Tech group and this is their conclusion regarding my brake activation. Please read their reply below.
Thank you all for your input.

Thank you for contacting SawStop Technical Service. We sincerely appreciate your business.

We received the brake cartridge you sent in for evaluation. After analyzing the data from the brake cartridge, we determined the brake activation was most likely due to electrical noise.

This is more like an anomaly and should not happen again. We are shipping out a replacement brake cartridge to you today free of charge.


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## RClark (Jun 1, 2012)

Glad it's working out for you.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

That's a canned response if I've ever heard one but still better than the truth that they have no idea about the technology they're peddling.


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

I think it could be that they don't know what caused it and this is their response for that. I emailed back asking if they would replace my blade as well because they said I should not use it again. They said they would replace my blade so I am happy with the service I got.

My wife gave the Sawstop to me as a gift because I split my middle finger up the middle with my previous table saw. If it saves anyone from the what I have experienced it is well worth the cost.


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## RClark (Jun 1, 2012)

> I think it could be that they don t know what caused it and this is their response for that. I emailed back asking if they would replace my blade as well because they said I should not use it again. They said they would replace my blade so I am happy with the service I got.
> 
> My wife gave the Sawstop to me as a gift because I split my middle finger up the middle with my previous table saw. If it saves anyone from the what I have experienced it is well worth the cost.
> 
> - Muirhead


Just out of curiosity, is the blade that got schwacked the OEM SawStop blade? It doesn't make any difference to what happened. Just wondering if they're replacing the OEM blade with another OEM blade, or if it was an upgraded blade you bought separately.

Still good that they're working to make it right. It would have been easy for them to put it back on you.


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## Muirhead (Dec 15, 2021)

It was the original blade that came with my saw. The whole unit has very little use on it as I got in late October of this year.

Thanks for all your input Ray.

Aubrey


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Do you get a new blade?


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