A Circular saw is one of the most effective yet deadly heavy machinery in the construction industry. That is why the position of the blade must never be slippery or dandling.
A Circular saw may slip when the tooth tip is blunt or the blade tension is reduced. Aging can lose the tightness too.
Keep reading the article to learn more.
Top 6 Reasons Why The Circular Saw Is Slipping
When you see that the circular saw is slipping, the blade is too tightly attached to the spindle. If there is a gap between the spindle and the blade for some internal or external reason, your blade will keep slipping. Let us diagnose why your circular saw blade is slipping away.
1. Worn Out Tooth Tip
This might seem like a far-fetched proposition. There is a 2-3 inches gap between the mounting flange and the tooth tip of the circular saw. Why would such a distant part of the blade influence its tightness of the blade?
Because the blunter the circular saw blade becomes, the more thrust the machine exerts to cut the material. Similar to a knife, the sharper blade will take less time and friction to cut the material. When the blade is too worn out and beaten up, it will need more thrust and friction to do the same job compared to a sharp blade.
Identifying a worn-out blade can be deceiving to the bare eye. It may look like a fine blade with no visible damage, but under a magnifying glass, you can notice the tooth tip is dilapidated and blunt condition.
You can also check the bluntness of your nail. If the blade is sharp enough, it will leave a scratch. The material will also let you know about the blade’s condition. If the cut is not smooth and there are several scars on the side of the cut, the blade has dilapidated tooth tips.
2. Minimal Blade Tension
As the usage and operation of the circular saw progress, the tension of the saw blade gradually expires. The blade, after repeated use, becomes loose and eventually loses the tension between the spindle and mounting flange.
When such tension is not at the desired mark, the blade tends to quibble and slip from the spindle. After a certain usage or time interval, the blades attached to the circular saw must be tightened or replaced.
If you are not sure whether the blade tension of the circular saw is abysmal or okay, you can use a tension meter to measure the tension level of the blade. By the way, you can also rely on your listening skill and check the tension by tapping the blade of the circular saw.
3. Right Size Blade
Often the cause of a loose blade on a circular saw is not a worn-out blade or repeated usage, but mismanagement in selecting the right size blade. The blades will slip away from the spindle even if they were brand new if the blade is not compatible with the saw.
The reason is that each saw blade has a different tension perimeter, and their specification is different from the others. It is often misleading that the bigger the saw is, the bigger the blade should be.
If you attach a 34 mm saw blade to a circular saw built to grip a 41 mm blade and try to cut the material that requires a 41 mm blade, the tension of the blade will be severely bungled and the blade will certainly slip from the spindle.
4. Dented Saw Wheel
If the diagnosis reports don’t detect the saw blade to be the culprit for slipping, you can move forward with your troubleshooting to the saw wheel. When you put pressure on the saw blade, and it slips, it can be because of the saw wheel, subject to the blade’s good condition.
If you have reason to believe that the wheel is damaged or dented, you can simply check the surface of the wheel. If the condition of the saw wheel is deformed due to regular use, it will not be able to hold the blade tightly to the spindle.
Even a little dent in the saw wheel can cause havoc in the tightness of the blade. Ironically, the big reason for the saw wheel’s looseness is the tightness. When the saw is at rest, you need to loosen the wheel so that the tightness doesn’t damage the tension of the wheel.
5. Bearing Of the Saw Wheel
The bearing is the main function for a smooth rotation of the wheel. The bearing of the saw wheel has a certain tension that can vary from saw to saw. When the bearing is worn-out, the gap becomes too large to function.
When the gap loosens, the rotation of the saw wheel becomes infrequent, and as a result, the blades of the circular saw slip off. When you hear or notice some wobbling around the saw wheel, you can identify that the bearing of the saw wheel is damaged and loosened.
6. Aging
When the circular saw is close to its dying age and has performed frequently over the years, the parts of the saw will gradually wear off and weaken over time. As the blade is mostly used and rotated, certainly, the blade or wheel will be the first to be affected.
If every part of your saw is without a flaw, but it can’t function with previous vigor, this is time to bade it farewell. If all the blades, wheels, and bearings are repaired or altered, but the slipping off is not resolving, then you should understand the date of the saw is expired.
How To Prevent The Saw From Slipping Off? (3 Simple Steps)
Before you begin dissecting the circular saw, you should go through the manual properly to check the anatomy and trait of the saw. You will find the guideline on how to tighten the blade. You shouldn’t rely only on the internet as the tightening procedure can vary from model to model.
Step 1: Tightening With Spanner
If you have bought your circular saw from a renowned brand, you will probably get a spanner with the saw. You can also get an Allen key alternatively. If the vendor didn’t provide any key, you can also use a socket wrench.
Step 2: Locking The Blade
Precautions always come beforehand. Before jumping on tightening the blade, you should secure the blade tightly and firmly. The most secure way to lock the blade is by using a shaft lock. Check the circular saw to see whether there is a shaft lock beside the blade.
If your circular saw doesn’t have a shaft lock, you can lock the blade with the help of a vise or a clamp. The vise or clamp will hold the tool firmly when you tighten the jackshaft nut or the arbor of the circular saw.
Step 3: Tighten The Blade
Now, you need to identify the direction in which the blade spins. Because the nut should be screwed tightly to the opposite direction of the blade’s spin. If you can’t identify the arbor nut’s direction, remember the direction of the wheel while cutting any material.
When the arbor nut is tightened in the same direction as the wheel’s spin, the blade will constantly loosen the nut, and the blade will eventually slip off the spindle. While tightening the nut, the rim should be held securely with a wrench.
If the rim keeps turning with the nut, the nut will feel like tightening, but in the end, it will be a similar gap with the rim. Every once in a while, you should tighten the nut that holds the blade of the circular saw together. Also, when the tooth tip seems blunt and worn out, change the blade immediately.
Some Tips To Follow
- Before using the circular saw, ensure that the blade is compatibly attached to the spindle. If the gap is too loose or too tight, the cut on the material will not be smooth.
- When you are not using the circular saw, loosen the saw wheel and securely store them in a dry location where it is not susceptible to rusting.
- Every once in a while, lubricate the blade and the wheel. It will protect the tooth of the blade, and the spindle will not dry out.
- Clean off the sawdust that lingers on the circular saw. If the sawdust gathers around the blade, it will shift the blade’s position, and it will start slipping.
People Also Ask
What happens when the circular saw blade slips?
When the saw blade is not tight, firm, and secure, you will put both the material and you at risk. You can’t achieve any cut with a wobbly blade that won’t follow your direction. Whether the material is wood or plastic, it might loosen the support due to the excessive pressure and damage itself.
Why is the circular saw blade not moving?
A circular saw might stop moving altogether if the blade is too loose and not fixed with the spindle. If the blade is unable to cut through the material, it might stop moving. Sometimes the blade may get stuck to the material.
Can The circular saw be damaged if the blade is slipping?
The blade is the core of a circular saw’s function. It is correlated with every other part of the saw. When the blade is too loose and slipping, it takes more pressure to get the job done. This sort of pressure might damage the motor and permanently impair the circular saw.
Final Words
Words won’t suffice to claim how dangerous and risky the function of the circular saw is. Whether you are a pro or noob, you must never sacrifice the safety features of the saw before using it. A slipping blade puts you and the material at the highest risk possible.
