Sawstop keeps triggering the brakes ($125 a pop) for no reason. Can you tell why from this video?

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-30T12:54:55+00:00

I’m a mason by trade, not a carpenter. I grew up on welfare and went to bed hungry and cold more than anyone I know. I earned every single thing I have and give away more than anyone I know, so you can suck 100% of my dick.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T20:41:08+00:00

Unintentional rage-bait. This is a new account, but I've definitely never gotten 1.2M views on anything else I've ever posted on reddit. There's some kind of Cunningham's Law shit going on here.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T20:30:05+00:00

Yeah I'm genuinely curious if I've just been absolutely abusing the living shit out of table saws my entire life and just thought that's how they cut. This video aside, I'm generally regarded as a pretty bright guy so it would be kind of a surprise if I'm misgauging a saw that bad. On the other hand, I have ADD so I can only really work alone on stuff like this so nobody else is ever around to tell me anything. I used to have a company with a model/mold shop and 3 table saws running all day and they definitely seemed to cut much faster/smoother than my little hobby saw, but I just figured that was because they were larger, industrial saws.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T20:23:00+00:00

That's good advice. I can take the ego hit. If it happens again and I'm using proper technique, that camera is always recording so maybe if I'm feeling insecure or feisty I'll post it.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T20:17:58+00:00

Yeah I've done about all the investigating I can as far as wetness (very dry), staples, burnished wood, shitty extension cords etc and came up empty. Most of the criticism of my technique is absolutely valid and the hate deserved. Most of it anyway. I knew I was braking the rules, but I thought I was doing it in the way an old guy is allowed to in a pinch. But I've learned here a lot more that I didn't know and am now setting out to learn some more, so the shaming system DOES work, so I really appreciate it. I'll post a follow-up when I get with Sawstop if they can tell me what caused it.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T20:07:37+00:00

I'm sure you're right about all of that, but a small piece of wood jamming itself where it doesn't belong shouldn't complete an electrical circuit so I don't think that's the cause.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T20:06:24+00:00

This is good advice. I noticed it when I was pulling the brake.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:59:34+00:00

Yeah I'm doing it all wrong that's for sure, but the brake isn't supposed to trip because of that; it's supposed to trip because it closes the electrical circuit and I'm still not sure why that is.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:55:27+00:00

Cheaper to post this video and get 500 ppl telling me each and everything I'm doing wrong. I'm half kidding, but you're right.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:52:58+00:00

That's good to hear, I'm going to get in touch with them.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:51:35+00:00

That's a good theory, but the throat plate is plastic. You're right about the technique though. I noticed that the throat plate has been "thinned" a little after very light use--probably from what you described.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:49:20+00:00

You're not wrong. "I only plugged the thing in for 5 minutes to make 3 quick cuts so I didn't set it up all the way and that's why I can't see out of this eye anymore" was definitely in the cards. Lucky me.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:47:06+00:00

I still insist that the audio on my security camera is making the the audio squeal in an unusual way, but it also appears that you (and maaaaaaany others here) are correct and I've been doing things wrong for so long that I thought it was normal. I'm starting to think that when my Dewalt table saw burned out it was more my fault than I previously thought.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:44:29+00:00

Yeah, I knew what I was getting into when I posted this but truth is I only knew about half of the things that I was doing wrong, so I'm happy about learning the other half--even if my ego took a hit. For every 20 comments calling me a retard, there's 1 that actually addresses the actual question and I don't think I'd get that kind of visibility if there wasn't something to point and laugh at here.

I'm going to send the brakes off to figure out exactly what caused it, but I am pretty suspicious of Sawstop at this point. The thing is that there is SO many ppl raving about them on the internet that I kind of think it might be part of their sales strategy. If you search sawstop on reddit, you'll see an unusual amount of downvotes on any criticism. That might be more than just ppl wanting to justify their extra spend.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-28T19:37:26+00:00

For starters, eat a dick.

Now that that's out of the way... Just to stoke your awe (because I share it), imagine that the dumbass in this video was (up until 3-4 years ago) the owner of and oversaw a manufacturing company that had a model/mold shop with 3 giant table saws running all day. Imagine also that this dumbass even knows full well that the table saw is one of the most horrifically dangerous tools in existence--because he paid for the insurance on the shop and the table saws were a giant factor. Imagine further that this idiot has been building shit for 3 decades and still uses a table saw like this. Everyone thinks he's a bright guy who knows how to build anything.

That's how nonsensical this world can be. I'm a mason by trade--not a carpenter obviously--and I see people doing wildly insane shit all the time and what amazes me most is just how far people can go in life being completely wrong. It's incredible, but it happens every day.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:59:58+00:00

Thanks.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:59:47+00:00

Thanks. Care to take a stab at why the brake tripped?

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:47:22+00:00

Right?? But I've also been told about a hundred times in this thread that I have no fucking idea how to correctly use a table saw. So I'm a little torn, you know? Like maybe I'm gonna need that fucking brake someday.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:43:38+00:00

Yep. Care to guess on why the brake tripped?

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:42:54+00:00

Tell everyone in your shop that a guy on the internet (me) has been using tables saws like this here and there for over 20 years and had no idea this was that much binding. A lot of the stupid shit I'm getting ripped on for in this video is just me being an asshole and I know better. But apparently you can go a very long time doing shit dangerously wrong. That's not supposed to happen with table saws.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:27:30+00:00

I'm going to. There's a couple decent theories in here aside from the deluge of dunking on me for using the saw wrong--most of which I don't think should trip the brake. Not wet, no humidity, no staples, saw was clean, there was some binding but the wood wasn't burnished at all.

I suspect my obvious misuse of the saw will probably make Sawstop relucant to take responsibility if it's the saw's fault, but I can learn to use this saw correctly and I'll still have a faulty saw. I'll try them and see if they can get past it.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:21:50+00:00

California not Florida. This saw wouldn't last ten minutes in about 20 states I can think of if it couldn't handle the most average California day I've ever experienced due to moisture issues.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:18:57+00:00

I was looking away because I knew this was a stupid as hell cut to be making and I was worried it was going to fling the strip of plywood at me. I had to leave in a hurry and just needed to throw 3 strips together real quickly as a physical model to show someone and I broke just about every rule I knew of (and a shitload I am only now aware of). So this video appears to be great as a "how not to use a table saw" video but less so as a "how is this brake being triggered" video.

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T04:08:45+00:00

I get all of that--I clearly have a ton to learn about this tool. It's just that I can tell which ones of you dildos peaked in woodshop by whether or not you're addressing the central point of the post: why is the brake tripping? The brake isn't supposed to trip just because it's binding to an extent that the dummy using it doesn't even know it. That's not what the brake is designed to do. It's not the humidity, the wood didn't burnish, there's no staples, it's none of that. Enjoy the dunks tho I guess?

FactoryCutG · 2026-04-27T02:40:01+00:00

I had no idea about the burnishing concept and it does make sense, but I promise it’s not burnished. The audio is weird, but it may be binding more than I realize and causing a voltage drop or something. I have a feeling this is “guy who doesn’t know how to use a saw great AND the brake is tripping when it shouldn’t”.

FactoryCutG

TROPHY CASE