Saw Stop Table Saw

Owners Manual Saw Stop 10" Cabinet Saw

SawStop PCS — Table Saw

A 10 in Professional Cabinet Saw for rip cuts, crosscuts, bevels, and dado cuts in wood. Its brake stops the blade within milliseconds if it detects skin contact. Anything else conductive can fire the brake too, and every activation costs money. You must be checked out before using this machine.

The 6 things you must never forget

1. Never cut conductive or banned materials. No metal, pressure-treated or wet wood, wood with nails or screws, laser-cut or charred material, or anything else on the "never cut" list below.
2. Riving knife on for every cut. Our saw has no blade guard, so the riving knife is your kickback protection. The only exception is dado cuts, which use push blocks and featherboards.
3. Fence for rips, miter gauge for crosscuts. Never cut freehand, and never use the fence as a stop for a crosscut.
4. Keep your hands at least 6 in from the blade. Switch to a push stick or push block before you get that close.
5. Don't touch the blade or offcuts until the blade has fully stopped. The brake is still armed during coast-down. Don't turn off power or unplug while it's spinning.
6. Report every brake activation immediately in #woodshop on Slack. Don't replace the cartridge or blade unless the shop manager or a board member authorizes it. Tip: you can use your own blade. If the brake fires on your blade, there's no $20 shop-blade charge.

Capabilities at a glance

Before you start

1. Reserve your time in Makerspace Wizard (MSW).
2. Safety glasses on. Shop glasses are next to the shop door at the front of the wood shop, or bring your own. Hearing protection is encouraged: ear plugs are on the support table at the front of the wood shop, or bring your own. No gloves, loose sleeves, or jewelry; tie back long hair.
3. With the paddle pushed in (OFF): check that the blade is sharp and undamaged, the insert is flush, and the riving knife is locked on and straight.
4. Open the blast gate at the far right side of the saw. The central dust collector should start on its own. If it doesn't, another gate may be open or this gate may have an issue: walk over to the dust collector and turn it on manually. Don't cut without dust collection. If you turn it on manually, turn it off manually when you're done and report in #woodshop that the blast gate didn't work.
5. Turn on the wood shop air filters with the remote on the resource table near the front of the shop. Always set the timer for 2–4 hours so they shut off on their own (see the FAQ in MSW for how to use the remote).
6. Grab a push stick from the right side of the chop saw table and keep it on top of the fence.
7. Turn main power ON and wait for a solid green light (5–10 seconds). Anything else: read the code label on the side of the switch box.

Making a cut — step by step

1. Set the tilt and height and lock both. The blade should be 1/8–1/2 in above the stock.
2. Rip or crosscut?
   • Rip: lock the fence to width and take the miter gauge off the table. Keep the stock flat and tight to the fence.
   • Crosscut: move the fence clear of the workpiece. Use the miter gauge, in the right-hand slot for bevel cuts.
3. Start the saw with the stock clear of the blade. Pull the red paddle out and wait for full speed.
4. Cut. Feed smoothly, standing to the side of the blade line. Switch to a push stick before your hand gets within 6 in. Push rips fully past the back of the blade.
5. Stop. Push the paddle in (your knee works too) and wait for the blade to stop before touching anything.

Changing the blade or setting up a dado

• Paddle in, main power OFF, and unplug the saw first. Every time.
• After any blade or cartridge change, check the blade-to-brake gap with the gauge: 1/16–1/8 in. Then spin the blade one full turn by hand to make sure no tooth touches the brake.
• Using your own blade: it must be a 10 in steel blade with steel or carbide teeth, a kerf of at least 3/32 in, and no coating on the teeth. Check the brake gap after installing it, and put the shop blade back (and re-check the gap) when you're done.
• Dado: swap in the dado cartridge (red key 90° clockwise to remove, 90° counter-clockwise to lock) and the dado insert. The dado insert and dado blades are in a labeled drawer in the shop tool box. Stacks up to 13/16 in. The riving knife can't be used with a dado stack, so use featherboards and push blocks, and put it back on when you're done.
• Handle cartridges gently. A dropped cartridge can fire.

If something goes wrong

Someone is cut: push the paddle in, then apply direct pressure. The first aid kit is at the front of the shop, to the left of the sink. Call 911 for anything more than a minor cut, and report it in #woodshop.
The brake fires (loud bang, blade drops): push the paddle in, step back, and check for injury. Turn power off once everything has stopped. Don't touch or replace anything. Tag the saw out and report it immediately in #woodshop on Slack.
Kickback or binding: push the paddle in, keep your hands clear, and wait for the blade to stop before freeing the stock.
Motor stops, "No Blade Rotation": the thermal overload tripped. Wait 1–2 minutes, press the red reset button behind the left side of the switch box, and feed more slowly.
"Overload Due to Wet Wood": the wood is too wet. Don't try that piece again.

Brake activation costs

• A replacement brake cartridge costs $130. You pay 50% ($65) for your first activation and 100% for each one after that.
• If the blade was a shop blade, you also pay the full $20 to replace it, every time. No blade charge if it was your own blade.
• Report every activation in #woodshop on Slack. Not reporting an activation means paying the full cost, and may result in loss of membership.
• See the FAQ in MSW for more on activation costs.

When you're done

• Return the saw to the standard setup: standard cartridge, shop blade, standard insert, and riving knife.
• Lower the blade below the table, set the tilt to 0°, center the fence over the insert, and turn main power OFF.
• Clean the table, fence, and floor. The table top is not a workbench: no glue, tape, or abrasive cleaners.
• Close the blast gate. If you turned the collector on manually, turn it off manually and report in #woodshop that the blast gate didn't work.
• Empty the dust collector at the end of any wood shop session where you used a machine that needed dust collection. See the trash and dust collector rules in the FAQ in MSW.
• Leave it better than you found it.

Stop, tag out, and report if…

A status code won't clear · there's heavy dust inside the cartridge's clear housing · the riving knife is bent, loose, or out of line with the blade · the blade is dull or missing teeth · the fence, tilt, or height won't lock · you hear, feel, or smell anything unusual · the insert is damaged or not flush · dust collection isn't working.

To tag out: grab a maintenance tag from next to the safety glasses (by the shop door), fill it out, and attach it to the saw. Then turn main power OFF and unplug the saw.

Always report the problem in #woodshop on Slack, which the shop manager monitors. A tag doesn't replace a report. Bypass Mode is not available to members.

Resources

• SawStop PCS Owner's Manual [[link]]. Safety: pp. 5–11. Using the saw: pp. 40–56. Activation: p. 62.
• Volunteer checkout procedure (PDF) [[link]]
• Recommended intro video [[link]]