If you’re connected to woodwork, you must be familiar with the working of a miter saw but the kickback of a miter saw may sound odd to most of you. You may have faced this issue or can face it in the future while using a miter saw.
You should go through this article even if you are a beginner, it may help you in the future to prevent any disaster due to kickbacks. Before getting on the point, let’s have a rough view of miter saw kickbacks.
Miter saw kickbacks mainly refer to the throwing of wood pieces in random directions because saw blades fail to cut the piece. It can be quite insane if wood pieces come back at you at high speed.
Without further ado, Let’s come to the point. We’ll throw an eye on some of the major reasons for the Miter Saw kickback in this manuscript.
1)Using Inappropriate Blade
The wrong selection of the blade for your miter saw is the first and foremost reason for kickbacks. A miter saw is pretty selective for blades being used in different tasks.
You may need to change it for several tasks. If you make the wrong decision in blade selection, it would certainly result in a disastrous risk of kickbacks. Make damn sure to go for the right blade by considering your wood project carefully.
2)Unsecured Material
If you haven’t held the material tightly against the fence, you are surely at risk of kickbacks. Newbies are more likely to go through this situation as they are not that trained to place wood pieces securely.
Apart from kickbacks, they may affect you and your surrounding in many different hazardous ways. Therefore, before starting the cutting check at least twice if the material is in its place or not.
3)Inadequate Blade Speed
A right saw blade is pretty sharp and useful. A miter saw blade usually runs at a very fast speed, it may cut everything in its way.
If this blade has insufficient speed due to any defect, it would certainly result in kickback cutting material. Thus, check your blade properly before adjusting it in a miter saw. Furthermore, make sure to manage the blade at the required speed.
4)Using Irregular Workpiece
It’s recommended to use a straight and regular material for cutting with a miter saw. Only masters can handle irregular material. Any newbie and less trained woodworker may fail to manage it and are more likely to face kickback.
Moreover, a jagged material would add up to the speed of the blade by vibration. Be careful about choosing a geometrically accurate material to avoid any such risk.
5)Improper Bushing
If the bushing of the miter saw isn’t right, it would produce some awkward sound. Some of you might be familiar with this odd sound. Generally, this improper barring causes undue stress on the engine of the miter saw.
It may cause wear and tear to parts of the tool as well as dangerous kickback. Be sure to get a properly bushed miter saw to avoid such risks.
6)Wrong Cutting Method
If you’re a newbie at woodwork, you are at risk to opt for improper use of a miter saw. You may suffer harmful kickbacks by following this misguided way. You may push the piece towards the blade, it would throw the material back on you.
You need to know the proper use of a miter saw before starting any project. Most importantly, be careful about knowing the movement of the blade.
7)Picking Material Before Blade Stop
A saw blade is pretty fast and furious to handle. You have to be quite conscious while working with blades. You need to let them rest after they cut the material to avoid kickbacks.
A miter saw blade may have inertia for a short time even after cutting the material. Therefore, let the blade stop properly and then release the material from the miter saw.
8)Material with a Rough Surface
Sometimes you may face kickback due to the uneven surface of the material. The material may have nails or other such things embedded in it.
If such things remain unchecked, they may cause a deadly effect on your tool as well as you. Make sure to remove any such material before starting the project.
How to Prevent my Miter Saw from Kickback?
Source: Youtube
As we have gone through enough reasons for issues, it’s time to formulate a solution to our problem. Typically, you may go for a solution for a specific cause. Here, we will discuss some of the basic tips and tricks to prevent miter saw kickback.
- Always make it damn sure to get the right blade for your saw. Although a miter saw is a versatile tool but you have to be pretty choosy about its blade as it might differ for different projects and materials. Therefore, the blade should be compatible with your task and sharp enough to cut the material smoothly without any disturbance.
- One of the most important things is to follow the correct way to cut the material. You have to know every step deeply before using a miter saw. It’s the first thing to prevent kickback and any such issue.
- It’s highly recommended to use a regular and flat material while working with a miter saw. An irregular workpiece may get you in trouble with kickbacks. Any newbie should never work with such a risky piece. Barely a few skilled persons may handle such material.
- Make pretty sure to hold the material in place by using clamps. Otherwise, material may displace during cutting and result in dangerous kickbacks that may harm your hands and face. Moreover, a miter saw can kick the material at an even larger distance due to the blade’s extraordinary speed.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the discussion, I hope you must have an appropriate idea of the causes of your issue. In this article, you are provided with almost all possible reasons as well as solutions to overcome the miter saw kickback.
Whenever you are working on a project, be sure to follow the above-mentioned measures to prevent kickback issues. I expect you found this article worth reading and pretty informative for you.
I am Arxal, the founder and main writer of sawgeeks.com. Passionate about woodworking and power tools, I started this blog to share my knowledge and experiences with others in the field. Through my articles, I aim to provide helpful information and create a community for fellow saw geeks.
