I have been using carbide tip saw blades for many years and have not had a tip fly off. I've had tips broken or chipped off.

A friend told me he had one fly off and found it embedded in his ceiling, he thinks. He said it was a cheap blade he was using to cut junk wood.

 

Do they fly off? Ever have it happen to you? If you inspect your blade could you see anything that could mean one may fly off?

 

Ron, I have never had one fly off that I know of! If one does fly off, it must of been because of an aggravating circumstance like a touch against other metal, or it got whacked by a hammer or something of that sort to weaken the weld.

When we were preparing the old jail pens, the beams had so many old cut nails it was easier to sacrifice a blade than destroy a lot of wood trying to remove nails. After cutting the pen blanks, I noticed a couple of broken teeth. I don't know where the pieced ended up. I have heard of teeth coming off but I think, like John said, the braze/weld must have been compromised by the teeth contacting something hard.

About a year ago I had sent several blades off to my sharpener. When I pulled the plastic dip-it (or whatever that coating is around the edge) off one of them to use, I found one of the teeth stayed inside the dip-it. I have no idea how that happened, but I'm glad it came off in the plastic and not after it was mounted and running.

 

Do they fly off? Ever have it happen to you? If you inspect your blade could you see anything that could mean one may fly off?

 

Well  - - - no.  Never  have and I've don't some real violent injustice to some blades too.

Dropped an 8" forged Armstrong C clamp on one while it was running at 5000 rpm and all I got was chips.

 

However, I do know one thing that can cause the bronze  brazing alloy  to weaken and release the carbide:  Cleaning the blades in a solution that attacks bronze copper, tin or antimony etc..   One might be surprised at how many cleaners do.

Chemical cleansers like simple green can weigh in at a pH of 8.5  to 12 for household bleach.    These can attack the alloys used for  brazing and some guys  mistakenly think long soaks in the stuff is a good idea.

Similarly acidic solutions will also attack the brazing alloy

 

Once the braze becomes perforated it's integrity is gone and it will release the carbide.

About a year ago I had sent several blades off to my sharpener. When I pulled the plastic dip-it (or whatever that coating is around the edge) off one of them to use, I found one of the teeth stayed inside the dip-it. I have no idea how that happened, but I'm glad it came off in the plastic and not after it was mounted and running.

Now that's a first!! Glad it stayed in the dipping Fred!