Table Saw Smoking

[Spence]

Hi,
I'm very new to woodworking so I apologise if this is a stupid question. I have a Titan Tablesaw http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb554tas-250mm-table-saw-230-240v/15766 and have used it a few months now. Last week I was ripping some pine (around 50mmx50mm) down to 25x50mm pieces and I was having real trouble getting it to cut. I was having to push quite hard with the pushstick to get it to feed through. I could hear the motor slowing down as I pushed and also that there was alot of smoke coming out of the side of the saw. I thought that it was coming from the wood I was cutting and that it was burning.
Is there something wrong with my tablesaw or is a case of it being cheap and getting what you pay for?

 

[CHJ]

Perhaps you need a sharper blade, sounds very much like the blade is blunt.

Sharp blade should need no pressure to advance the wood,

The only other thing is if you are using a full length side fence, it may not be adjusted correctly and is pinching the wood tight against the side of the blade.

 

[Spence]

Okay that seems logical. I've had a little look at the sorts of replacement blades I can buy. I'm a little confused as to how many TPI I need for ripping woods. I can tell from my manual that I have a 48 TPI blade but I see options for a 24 TPI blade that I could use. Would fewer blades per inch give more ripping power at the expense of a clear cut like with hand saws?

Is there any scope for resharpening a blade myself. I certainly will give it a clear as it does look quite dirty from jointing pallet wood all summer!

 

[Myfordman]

You wrote"I thought that it was coming from the wood I was cutting and that it was burning."
Sounds like you thought the wood was burned but .... the smoke came from the motor?

If so, it is quite likely that the saw is not long for this world. replacement motors even if available, are normally near the same as a new saw.

 

[NazNomad]

Maybe the smoke was coming from the charred sawdust falling into the saw body and possibly not the motor?

Ripping pine. I'd check how clean the blade was first. It could just be gummed-up.

 

[Graham Orm]

Blunt blade. More teeth usually mean a cleaner cut, but they cost more to buy and to get sharpened. Find somewhere local that will do it for you, if you can't contact a wood supplier local and ask them where. It should cost between £5 & 10depending on how many teeth.
Check that the teeth aren't blued with the heat, if they are throw it and buy new.

 

[Bodgers]

48T on a cheap saw for ripping sounds like too many. No doubt this is the primary problem. I would swap it out.

Another thing to consider over blade sharpness and No. of teeth is fence/blade alignment. In my experience you will get burning and slowing of cutting if things are pinching. No doubt this could be a persistent problem on a cheaper saw as the fences are not consistent.



Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[Graham Orm]

48T on a cheap saw for ripping sounds like too many. No doubt this is the primary problem. I would swap it out.

Another thing to consider over blade sharpness and No. of teeth is fence/blade alignment. In my experience you will get burning and slowing of cutting if things are pinching. No doubt this could be a persistent problem on a cheaper saw as the fences are not consistent.



Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

This is true, also potentially dangerous. wind the blade up as high as it will go and measure accurately the distance between the front of the blade and the fence and the rear of the blade and the fence

 

[blackrodd]

Is there any scope for resharpening a blade myself. I certainly will give it a clear as it does look quite dirty from jointing pallet wood all summer![/quote]

You say, "Jointing pallet wood all summer", perhaps that's it! you've sawn through many nails, I'd guess and the blade
needs replacing.
Do get the 24 tooth ripsaw blade as the other is ideal for particle board and cross cut work.
Regards Rodders

 

[Logger]

Just a bit of advice if you get a new blade for your saw, make sure you don't get one of the ultra thin ones (they do some at screwfix which is why i thought it worth mentioning) as this will cause a problem with the riving knife. I have heard of people doing this thinking they are going to get a better cut. Sorry for stating the obvious but it has happened.

Nick

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

If all the TCT teeth are present then getting the blade sharpened is not very expensive, can't remember how much but a lot cheaper than buying a new one. I use a local firm, North London Saws, I'm sure they do a postal service but you may find a local firm, don't bother with tool shops as they will just send it to a sharpeners and charge commission.
I would also second he advise about checking fence alignment, I have had that exact problem before and that is with a cast iron Wadkin saw. Somehow the fence had slipped out of square with the rear end nearer the blade so it pinched and burnt.
Paddy

 

[Limey Lurker]

If you are using a full-length fence for ripping(sawing ALONG the grain), you are inviting problems. A rip fence should extend ONLY to the leading edge of the saw blade: this ensures that, if the wood opens up as it is cut, it is not forced against the fence causing the blade to jam, or much worse, causing a kick-back.