Hey, let’s pay attention when changing tool settings and Parts. Especially table saw blades. Yesterday someone installed the blade on the Powermatic backwards turning it into a Unguided Missile Launcher.
Fortunately it was discovered before a 1/4 sheet of plywood was sent down range into the Multicam or tragically into Someone
Wow, it is amazing to me that we’ve not had more serious injuries in the woodshop. I notice the fence has a nice half moon on it, too. What would require the fence to be this close to the blade?
Installing the blade backwards is horrible for actually accomplishing anything and would probably damage the blade, but it would not throw the wood towards the multicam - the rotation of the saw does not change.
Thank you for catching this before anyone else could get hurt or damage the parts.
Ya, you’re right, wouldn’t throw the wood, I have a radial arm saw and thoughts of it launching wood came to mind. Might be a really bad kick back though
Just curious, why isn’t there some mechanism on the saw or blades to prevent this happening?
Because the village would just come up with a better village idiot. Just when you think you have something bulletproof, you get a “hold my beer”
It would need to be an industry standard across all saw (arbor) manufacturers as well as all saw blade manufacturers. So not very likely. Also, this is the first time I’ve ever seen this happen…since it is actually impossible to cut anything with a blade in this orientation, it is usually immediately self-curing.
And, really, it isn’t that unsafe, just really dumb.
Given that, it is really hard to understand how it got on/was left on. I can only guess that someone was replacing the blade they had taken off to use a different blade?
“No system is truly idiot-proof given a sufficiently talented idiot”
This was one of my dad’s oft-quoted lines, usually when he was looking straight at me.
Actually, you can mount a blade backwards in a circular saw and cut corrugated metal roofing … old country boy solution for barn building that predates readily available metal cutting blades.
Yeah, I was going to add the caveat/corner case that one could friction cut something that way, but it seemed to be esoteric for this thread. Luckily, you saved the day 
Mounting the blade like that is legitimate strategy when you want to get a project done covertly, you know… under the table.
I’ve also heard of using a fine-toothed, non-carbide blade (like a thin-kerf plywood blade) mounted backwards to cut vinyl siding and aluminum gutters. Works like a blade with an extreme negative rake/hook angle to the tooth.
A carbide-toothed blade is likely to have the carbide bits ripped off when run backwards.
Personally, I would not recommend it. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Eric in Calgary here…
Back in the day of HSS steel blades bing deefacto TS blades, runnin an HSS blade backwards was commonly used to cut sheet metal (been there and done that)
Personally, I’d never even consider doing that with a carbide blade (due to risk of carbides being knocked off)
But keep in mind, either someone made a simple mistake, or just happened to watch the wrong youtube video
Regardess it should never have been let that way!
Well my youngest son just came across this video.
WARNING IT IS GRAPHIC though not real appendages
Be very aware of what you are doing.
For those who haven’t had any experience fighting with power tools, learn from this video. The power tools always win! Thankfully my fight with my table saw gave me only 6 stitches.
