Why Does My Mitre Saw Kickback?

Author: E. Silva (aka Mr. Awesome - The Niche Specialty Expert)

Kickbacks are an interesting occurrence and something that I do not think I have had the chance to talk to you fine folks on yet … so let me take the chance to do it right now. Let’s talk on this. Shall we? Stick around ….

Now first of all, when it comes down to kickbacks, there are a few first things that you ought to know about, the first maybe being the very fact that these kickbacks tend to usually happen when that saw’s blade just so happens to pinch ( or even stall ) into whatever material you are trying to cut. This is a big “no bueno”, as I like to say, because what happens in this case is simply that the blade’s overall force pushes the saw’s cut out and makes it miss the target, in many instances. Heck, sometimes it can even push the blade back onto the operator, which as you can imagine, can pose many safety risks as well. So you have to keep your eyes sharp and alert for signs that this could be happening, in the first place ….

And you have to also keep in mind the fact that you have to let the saw – blade itself do its job ….. let it take the brunt of the work, in other words. When you push down on it, and apply too much pressure or force, you’re not allowing it to naturally cut on its own ( without the added ‘help’, or extra inertia and force, in other words ) . When you put too much pressure down as you cut, you cause the blade’s segments to simply just wear themselves out quicker. If your segment width is less than your steel core width, at the end of the day, then what you will find happening is simply that the blade has a much higher chance of pinching into the wood ( or whatever you’re cutting ) … which, in turn, causes kickbacks to occur more frequently. This makes simple sense, now that you think about it, right? Very easy to understand, and a very logical process to follow, all in all. Cause and effect, as I like to say …. and you don’t want to use a broken ( or even worn – out ) blade either, as I’ll talk about next ….

Now the reason that you never want to do this either is simply due to the fact that missing segments, chips or even cracks on that blade are a quick cause for kickbacks as well. They will instantly cause kickbacks, and therein lies the value of constantly updating ( and even replacing, as need be ) your blade as well. Make sure to have a firm grip ( yet not too firm, as I mentioned ) , when you cut, as a loose grip can also aid kickbacks. I hope this has helped.