Anti-kick forward device for power driven saws

In a radial arm saw including a mounting arm, a carriage mounted on the arm for linear movement in first and second directions along the arm, the carriage being adapted to support a saw blade for rotational movement relative to the carriage about an axis of rotation extending in a direction transverse to the linear direction of travel of the carriage, and power means for rotating the saw blade about the axis of rotation for carrying out a sawing operation, the improvement comprising:

• kick-preventing means for limiting the maximum speed at which the carriage may be moved in the first direction along the mounting arm to a predetermined speed, the kick preventing means permitting free unrestricted movement of the carriage in the first direction at any speed equal to or less than the predetermined speed while preventing movement of the carriage in the first direction at a speed greater than the predetermined speed;
• wherein the kick-preventing means includes a drive means, an over-running clutch, and a carriage-movement control assembly mounted on the arm and connected to the carriage, the over-running clutch having an input shaft connected to the drive means and an output shaft connected to the carriage-movement control assembly and being operable to prevent rotational movement of the output shaft of the clutch in at least one direction at a speed greater than the speed of rotation of the input shaft of the clutch such that the carriage-movement control assembly limits the maximum travel speed of the carriage to the predetermined speed;
• and
• wherein the drive means includes a motor.