"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
I was cutting some 16/4 poplar on the tablesaw and got halfway through it
when the saw stopped dead.

At first I thought the blade had simply stopped but then I realized the
motor was completely off. Breaker on the tablesaw has popped. Once I
reset it and gave the motor some time to cool down it worked just fine.

I've never had anything like that happen to me so I'm wondering, what was
the principle cause. Obviously without being there no one can nail it
down, but in general would this be due to a dull blade and too fast a feed
rate or simply overuse/misuse of the saw? I'd probably run 20 feet of
this stuff through the saw prior. Let me be clear, I don't have a saw
that can cut 4+ inches in one pass, so I was having to cut, then flip and
finish the cut (and maybe that's the big no-no here)

Even half depth you were cutting 2 inches deep basically and the blade was
not clearing the top of the wood. That is still a lot to chew for a
contractors saw. Be sure that you are not using an extension cord when you
are sawing thick material or make sure you are using proper sized cord and
not too long. Be sure to use a "clean & sharp" blade. And feed a little
slower.