Thread: Correct mitre saw operation

You could do it either way really. If the saw doesn't have a blade brake on it, I'd be inclined to raise the saw and let it spin down in the up position. Leaving the blade in the cut as it slows down can have a tendency to affect the quality of the cut if you have a bit of blade wobble at lower speed. But if it has a brake, it will stop in no time so probably not an issue.

I've always believed that the correct method is to hold the saw down until it stops spinning, then raise it. If raising the blade while still spinning, as the TCT tips pass the cut they can touch the edges, leaving extra marks. I found this out while making segments for segmented turning, too. The blade on my cheap GMC CMS jumps around a fair bit and the pivot isn't very sturdy.
Also, by keeping the blade down until it stops spinning, it can't possibly catch on a small offcut and throw it. (It would throw toward the fence anyway, so that's not really a concern though.)

If the blade is held down until it stops, the TCT tips will be below the timber, so only the thinner main disc will be at the level of the timber and it won't touch it, so no extra marks.

Hope this makes sense.

I've been taught to keep the saw down till it stops to prevent kicks and to hold the good material to my left

I should reiterate that, yes, it is definitely safer to keep the saw down while it spins to a stop, especially if you have small offcuts. If you have a saw that takes an eternity to spin down, then you might find yourself quickly losing patience doing it this way, but it is certainly the safest. I've not personally really ever had an issue with cut quality while rasing the blade while it is still spinning, but I do always use very good quality blades on a good saw, so perhaps its not as likely as it might be with lower quality blades/saw - depends on the runout of the saw I guess.

I'll smack myself on the bottom for suggesting a method that is not the safest but of course, whichever way you do it, always be vigilent and extremely careful. Accidents can and do happen no matter how safe you are. Keep hands well clear of the blade, use the work clamp (if possible) and always wear PPE, and you greatly reduce your risks of injury.

As an instructor said, "You don't want to cut the wood twice."

Yes, it is better to allow the saw to spin down to avoid kick backs.

As for the "The kick back is toward the fence" issue.
I had a small cut off kick back and up when I didn't wait for the blade to spin down. The small cutoff bounced up and broke the fluorescent tube above the bench.