We have a mitre saw at work. it's a beast of a saw with a constantly rotating blade about 60cm in diameter, and a track over five metres long bolted into the concrete floor. It holds planks down with a compressed air clamp and the saw whips out of the base and slices the wood. We use it -or rather our clients use it- to cut planks by the hundred to make pallets. As this particular section of the workshop basically makes pallets, you'll appreciate it is a fairly important piece of kit.
Well on Monday I broke it, possibly. I was interrupted while working on it and absent-mindedly switched it off with the emergency button. Apparently this can cause some kind of disturbance in the force or something and the saw will refuse to turn on again.
My boss was remarkably generous and didn't bawl me out, although he did say I was a plonker, or the German equivalent thereof.
Anyway, it took a couple of days to get the electrician to come and perform the right incantations for for the blue smoke to return or whatever it is that needs to happen, during which I felt suitably guilty. Also, I'm still in my 6 month probation, if I wreck too much equipment they won't let me stay...
Today the electrician came: he looked at the switch and gave his opinion that it was the "on" switch being gummed up with sawdust that caused the problem, this was half pressed down and sending a permanent signal to the saw to start: amn undesirable situation for a saw that can cut through a tree in seconds. Fortunately it only caused the system to gradually be fried; a new switch is on the way.
So it was the little green button at fault, not the big red one I'd pressed.
