My miter saw blade exploded in a parking lot in Tulsa

I was trimming out a house in Tulsa last Tuesday, doing some fascia boards on a new build. Around 11am I made a cut on a piece of pressure treated lumber and the blade just shattered into like 5 pieces. One piece flew past my face and hit the truck door. Turns out I had used the same blade for about 18 months without checking it for cracks or dullness. I replaced it with a new Freud 80 tooth blade and it cut through that treated wood like butter. Has anyone else had a blade blow up on them mid-cut?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.victor9d ago

Yeah, the "cut through that treated wood like butter" part is the key. I've had blades start binding and smoking way before they get to the exploding point. Usually because I'm too cheap to swap them out until they're basically dull rocks. 18 months is pushing it hard, especially if it's been through framing lumber.

miab168d ago

Oh man, that's basically the weaponized version of "it'll be fine." I'm pretty sure the last time I pushed a dull blade that far it started making a sound like a tiny angery motorboat before it just gave up completely. Nothing like the smell of burning wood and regret to really kick off a Saturday morning. Might as well just throw the saw in the trash and call it a loss at that point.