Why is My Table Saw Binding as I Cut?

Learn table saw basics in our popular Q/A series on how to use your table saw! This video tackles the question "Why is my table saw binding?"
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Having your table saw blade bind is very dangerous, and that is the first area of concern. However, a binding blade will also lead to inaccurate cuts.
We show you to fix a binding table saw blade so that your cuts are straight and you are safe from kickback.
In the end, safety is paramount, and we review how to safely use a table saw to accurately make rip and cross cuts.
Learn more about the SawsHub team here: sawshub.com/about/
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[@cynthiaarmstrong7972]

Thanks for the clear explanations and tips for measuring to the fence.

[@slvice14]

This was very informative and really helped me in my woodworking problem. Thank you so much for posting this, for all of us to see.

[@major9991]

Because of this video, you led me to measure the blade distances, front to back, I found the problem. The fence was a 16th closer at the back of the blade. i had a few kickbacks, burning wood as I attempt to do a rip cut. Now I make sure the measurements are the same on both ends, result, no binding. wood cuts like butter again.Thank you for sharing this safety tip, it saved me from buying another table saw!

[@vinceagnes]

Very helpful. Easy to understand.

[@jfrench707]

Thank you so much. I’m about to rip some plywood sheets down for a ship lap project and I was absolutely going to stand behind the boards.

[@SawsHub]

Glad I could help!

[@chrisgoodman2060]

I think my fence is out of alignment which caused binding and burning, which then dulled the blade. This is exactly the information I needed! Thank you for taking the time to explain and educate!

[@SawsHub]

You’re welcome, glad it helped!

[@andrewh.8403]

Thankyou very much. I bought one of those 12v mini table saws for my modelling which was binding. NOW I KNOW!! It seems logical to me now, and I thought about the fact that after the teeth, the gap doesn't need to be the same. It can be wider. Back to the bench. ;-)

[@SawsHub]

Fantastic!

[@DEG1985]

Thank you very much for such an important video on how to use the table saw correctly, I loved the video, I saw it in its entirety and I appreciate such excellent work.

[@SawsHub]

Glad it was helpful!

[@albertoortiz3574]

I have been "making saw dust" for some time, your tips are great! Usefull!!! Thanks!!!

[@hjboots]

Thank you , you answered my question as to why is my board binding. You saved my belly from drinking less beer, lol just joking i would never ever do that. You explain it clear and precise and i do appreciate that.

[@SawsHub]

Glad I could help! :)

[@puzzlering1]

Thank you great safety and practical tips, very well explained and presented Take care Sam

[@SawsHub]

Glad it was helpful!

[@billwells8054]

Yes, happened to me. Luckily just a big bruise on my abdomen. Thank you for a great demonstration.

[@climid]

good video, i learned a lot

[@johnbies7041]

Well done!

[@51hgonzalez]

Thank you for the education sir

[@SawsHub]

Sure thing!

[@SaltCityWorkshop]

Awesome video! Great tip to use a sharpie and measure of the back is thinner than the front of the blade. Thanks for the great info.

[@SawsHub]

Thanks for watching!

[@setheisenberg1490]

Thank you for this video! BTW, is that an old Marantz receiver in the background (in the cabinet)? Sure looks like the one I still use in my home office 🙂

[@joshdaniels4396]

Great video. Thank you sir

[@SawsHub]

Very welcome!

[@allenmichael2578]

Great video

[@SawsHub]

Thanks!

[@murphysaburningdeathtrap4983]

The set screws for my fence loosened slightly (there is no lock screw for it) and i ended up warping my blade

[@xinixxagnix201]

Great content sir :))

[@SawsHub]

Thank you kindly

[@Luqman899]

i was making a few rip cuts as normal, but then i needed to re-saw a board, so i initially made the cut which had no issues at all, but then i flipped the piece (the face grain is now against the fence and the edge grain is flat on the table) and tried to make the cut, the piece began to pinch on the blade, i thought it was just the one piece but when i tried it 3 times with different pieces they all pinched, so i decided to abort.. but when i thought about it, I've only ever seen woodworkers re-saw a board on a band saw or plane a piece down to the required thickness and never do what I did.. thankfully nothing bad happened,

[@kiwionarope]

I avoid using my Table Saw, it scares the crap out me. Today I was ripping only a small 18 inch board. I got half way through and it started binding up. I stopped... and that was it for the day. Now I've watched this, Ill have another crack at it tomorrow.

[@SawsHub]

Rip cuts especially can be very dangerous on a table saw! You're smart to play it safe :)

[@stanmondzelewski9253]

Dont forget about stress in the wood thats releasing as you cut. I had a piece of purple heart that wouldnt make it half way through the blade without pinching bad enough to stall the saw

[@bpatters69]

Great video. I have been having an issue with the workpiece drifting away from the fence at the back of the cut towards the blade. I do have a riving knife (Shark Brand) and thankfully the knife keeps the workpiece from hitting the backside of the blade. This happens a lot with thinner, long pieces vs larger pieces. I plan to check the alignment on my saw which includes alignment of blade to miter slots, sqaureness of fence and blade and fence relationship with the miter slot. I have a dial indicator so I can measure down to .001. Just curious though, what is your suspicion? The last thing I added to my saw was the Shark Riving Knife but it seems to be doing its job which is to keep the workpiece from making contact with the back of the blade.

[@bpatters69]

I wanted to add, I am performing a rip cut but you probably understood that by my description. Also, the work piece was about 2.5" wide and I was ripping 1" pieces.

[@Jc-sm5vi]

I have a Dewalt Portable table saw and it kicks back without the fence.

[@oldehatt476]

My issue turned out to be my blade was thinner than my riving knife. Increased the thickness of my blade and no more binding.

[@TheWt6012]

Hi,my blade on my table saw is some how tilted and I can't get it to straighten up,so whenever I start the machine the blade chips of a piece of the plate insert...if you can help me with any suggestions,thanks

[@dllamaree]

I was doing my first rip cut last night and the board started to bind. (The lumber has a height of about 4”) My first thought was that I needed to supply more pressure in order to push the board through the cut. I was able to slowly finish the cut but the binding was so bad that the blade slowed down to a stop a couple of times. Required turning off the machine, removing board, then restarting. Luckily it never kicked back. Honestly I didn’t know what this was called. I didn’t know it was binding. I thought maybe this is was happens when you rip larger pieces of wood. My project requires that I make 8 of these cuts. I only made two last night then stopped because I could tell something wasn’t right. I unplugged the saw and measured from the blade to the miter slot rail. The blade is 1/16” closer to the slot at the front, then the back. I didn’t think that that would be significant enough to cause an issue, but maybe it is. I also checked the guide fence to the miter slot rail and the fence alignment appears to be ok. My plan is to realign the saw blade to the miter slot rail. I hope this helps. I will also check the measurement from the blade to the fence as you have suggested.

[@SawsHub]

Going through and resetting everything you mentioned is the right approach

[@dllamaree]

@@SawsHub yes I actually realigned the blade this morning then checked measurements to the fence. Now - no more binding! I was able to finish my cuts safely! Thank you for the tips.

[@nicknultien627]

@@dllamaree i bought my first machine and it came in today. Seems mine is misaligned too. I had the exact same meaurements front and back of the blade but didn't know about alignment and binding. I actually found this video because i googled "wood gets stuck table saw"😂

[@KB-ie7jr]

You may want to try working up to that depth of cut over a few different passes as well. Unless you're just shaving an edge, trying to make a max depth cut in one pass is going to bog down just about any table saw no matter how aligned it is.

[@diogenesmota2149]

My important organs

[@philgilmer4313]

Or maybe your lumber??.... You seem like someone who knows to point this out? All of the sudden, out of the blue one cut jams on the riving knife..... Probably not your fence jumping out of alignment for no reason....

[@SawsHub]

Riving knife solves lumber problems