Productivity enhancement for band saw

A powered machine of a type configured to be operated by one or both hands of a human operator when presenting material for cutting or shaping, within a working space that forms a hazardous zone defined by a height, a width, and a depth and in a position in relation to a frame of the machine, the machine comprising:

• a saw blade formed as a flexible band bearing saw teeth and passing in frictional contact around a drive wheel that is driven when in use by a motor comprised of a saw drive, the saw blade passing though the working space and passing around an idler wheel;
• and
• a safety protection apparatus that generates an output signal upon detection of a hazardous event within the hazardous zone when the powered machine is in use;
• an actuator device, including
• a decoupling actuator disposed in a manner so as to act directly upon the saw blade to disengage the saw blade from the saw drive, and
• a braking actuator that applies a brake to the saw blade,
• the decoupling actuator and the braking actuator configured to operate in combination to halt a motion of the saw blade,
• wherein the decoupling actuator includes a first actuator that resiliently maintains a first axle supporting the idler wheel in a first position farther from a second axle of the drive wheel such that, when in use, the saw blade is maintained under a working tension and the saw blade is coupled to both the drive wheel and the idler wheel via static friction until receiving the output signal from the safety protection apparatus, upon which the first actuator, through an over-center mechanism, removes support from the first axle so that the first axle moves to a second position closer to the second axle thereby removing the working tension from the saw blade and decoupling the saw blade from both the drive wheel and the idler wheel.