That moment my circular saw kicked back on a job in Phoenix

I was cutting some oak plywood on a 95 degree afternoon last summer. The blade grabbed the wood and threw it right back at my chest. I stopped, checked the saw, and realized my rip fence was slightly off. Took me 20 minutes to reset everything properly, but I finished the cut without any more trouble. Has anyone else had a close call with kickback on a job site?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.gavin27d ago

Did you have the anti-kickback pawls engaged? @julia_patel I know most guys don't bother but that 95 degree heat makes the wood expand just enough to throw your measurements off. I've been in worse situations where the humidity warped the plywood mid-cut and it pinched the blade from the side. Check your blade height too - keeping it low reduces the bite area.

julia_patel28d ago

Jumped right out at me reading that - 95 degrees in Phoenix and you're out there cutting oak plywood? I mean, I can barely function when it hits 80 where I live, let alone trying to keep steady hands on a circular saw in that heat. And the kickback hitting you right in the chest, that's the stuff nightmares are made of. Glad you didn't get hurt worse honestly, that could have been really bad.