Table Saw Kick Back Almost Got Hurt Yesterday A Safety Reminder

[Dennis McDonaugh]

The only severe kickback I've encountered was when I was using the saw sans splitter and anti-kickback pawls. It cost me $350 to have the tailgate of the pickup repaired. I don't use the saw without those attached unless I'm using a crosscut sled now.

[William C Rogers]

Glad you were not hurt. Do you know what exactly happened, pinch against fence or raised up? For that much force sounds like it raised up and kicked back. What safety devices were you using or could have used?

[Bradley Gray]

Keith,
You now have my permission to use any push stick you feel comfortable with.
I will do the same.
An interesting discussion of ice picks as push sticks: http://forums.finewoodworking.com/fi...fe-push-sticks

[Pat Barry]

Glad you were not hurt. Could you post a picture of the piece that did the damage? Similar to Ole's where you can see the track of the blade as it went off line and grabbed the material? I think it would be helpful t understanding, maybe even put the piece back into the saw at the point of disaster (of course without the saw running). It would be useful to understanding what might have gone wrong.

On the topic of push stick - I looked at the link Bradley provided and was immediately stunned by the comment that "Tens of thousands of woodworkers, probably more professionals than amateurs, have used ice picks for pushing stock through table saws for about as long as table saws have existed." Really? I have never of heard of this and its about the last thing I would ever have thought of using for a push stick on a table saw. It makes me wonder where exactly is the proper position for the ice pick?

[William C Rogers]

Well I am in the no ice pick camp. Why would I want to put an indent in the wood I am pushing through when there are so many good push blocks out there. It must be a regional thing as I have never seen or heard of this. Heck, I don't even own a ice pick and not sure where to buy one. Haven't bought any block ice in 35 or so years.

[John Coloccia]

The thing about table saws is there's really no good place to stand. If you stand in back of the piece, it can shoot straight back and nail you. If you stand to the left, a kickback that raises the wood and shoots it over the blade will almost certainly catch you somewhere between your head and chest....again, really no good. At least if you have a riving knife, it reduces the chances of the kickback going to the left substantially, so it's not a terrible place to stand. The only really safe spot, though, is behind the fence. Too bad no one's come up with a way to make that work.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Glad you were not hurt, except maybe your pride.... Thanks for the reminders. I always try to use all the safety equipment I can....... Lots of push sticks, push blocks, splitters out there.

[Bradley Gray]

I stand on the left side of the saw. I use 2 ice picks. They are springy so I keep my elbow against my side to limit arm movement and push towards the fence. The spring of the pick pushes down but if anything goes wrong my hand moves away from the blade.I have on occasion hit the blade and sent the blade to the be sharpened but better than a finger! I rip a lot of small stock for shoji and would not do it any other way - no slippage - great control.

I like the half fence idea. I resaw that way on the band saw so I will give it a try but I'm keeping the ice picks.

[julian abram]

Hmmmm, ice picks near a moving tablesaw blade seems like a bad idea to me, think I'll stay with non-metal push devices.

[Brian Holcombe]

I use mostly hand tools but occasionally if i'm doing a lot of repetitive cuts on thin material I will use a bandsaw. I have a strong dislike for table saws, that being said, if you are using one it's incredibly important to use all of the safety features offered, such as a riving knife and proper push stick.

If any one of those features needs to be compromised for the cut, then the table saw is the probably not the right tool for the job.

[Nick Christensen]

Your first kick back is very scary. I still remember mine, I worked in a cabinet shop and i had to remake 3 panels that got ruined by the piece that kicked back. I was shaking for hours. Am I to understand that you were straightening a rough edge on the table saw? Was there one straight edge? If not this is a big no no. You always need to use a straight edge against the fence. If not you are almost guaranteeing this to happen again and again, push stick or not. There several articles on how to joint edges on a table saw. Again sorry for the kick back they really really suck. Glad you weren't hurt.

-Nick

[Sam Murdoch]

Though this is not an ice pick as push stick thread it is a TS safety thread and so I will chime in on the push stick conversation. For a very long time I have been using my home shaped metal push stick and believe it gives me the very best control - far surpassing any wood type push stick I have ever ever used. I do not use an ice pick but rather one made from an old paint roller frame. It is a bit longer than an ice pick and has a handle specific to my needs. I like the soft metal and I keep the tip pointed enough to securely hold the wood - hard or soft - but not so pointed that it doesn't let the wood go after the pass. It has saved me more than once with never any close calls in regards to the nature of the push stick itself.

I don't use the metal stick for anything other than carbide blades.

No matter what others choose for a push stick the important thing is to use one and to be comfortable with your choice. I wouldn't trade my metal one for anything else but I don't ask anyone else to use it either.

Alan I'm so very glad you averted a catastrophe. I'm pretty sure we all have our stories of near disasters and sadly some folks have stories that don't end well. Keep your wits about you and woodworking will be nothing less than satisfying - with a few diversions into utter frustration - but that just adds to the fun. Take care.

[Alan Gan]

To many replies to mention each of you but I want to say Thanks to all.

I appreciate all the support and Thanks for not telling me how stupid I was. I do think a few of you know what I was not doing when this happened. No Guard or Riving Knife was in use. Most everything I have been cutting was with the Sled and to be honest my lack of experience allowed me to not even think about using the safety devices.

I will be looking into the 1/2 Fence and various Push Sticks.

The saw was still set up just as it was as I have not turned it back on since.

I took a couple pictures, but the lighting was all wrong, to dark and you could not see what some of you are looking for. There are some marks on the board that may tell a story. I will take more pictures in the next day or so. Right now I am getting ready to take my bride of 30 years out for a night to celebrate Valentines day. Just glad I am able to go out at all.

[Roy Turbett]

I was skeptical when I first read about using a half fence for ripping dimensional lumber but the more I researched the topic the more I could see the logic. As the dimensional lumber passes the blade the kerf can either open, close or remain the same. If you're not using a splitter or riving knife and the kerf closes, the wood can be grabbed by the back of the blade and kicked back. If the kerf opens to right and you have a long fence, the wood can "spring" against the fence and push the piece you are cutting into the blade causing a kickback. You can avoid this second condition by using a short fence that is only long enough to complete the cut.

I have a 43" long Unifence on my Unisaw and use the saw for breaking down and dimensioning sheet goods along with ripping dimensional lumber. The longer fence works well with sheet goods because they are dimensionally stable and the kerf doesn't open or close. One of the major advantages of the Unifence over the Beismeyer is that you can shorten it by simply sliding it toward you.

I just improved my Unifence even more by purchasing a Uni-T Fence at the Detroit woodworkers show. "The Uni-T-Fence is a heavy duty aluminum extrusion up grade fence for the Delta® Unifence Table Saw Guide System designed by Peachtree Woodworking Supply, Inc.. It replaces the Stock Delta Fence which mounts to their saw fence guide. You must own the Delta UniFence to use this product. Mounting the Uni-T-Fence to your Delta® Unifence is as simple as sliding the Stock fence off and sliding the Uni-T-Fence on. There are no holes to drill." It has an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene face and multiple t-slots for attaching accessories. I'll do a product review once I get a chance to use it.

http://www.ttrackusa.com/unifence.htm

[Keith Mathewson]

Keith,
You now have my permission to use any push stick you feel comfortable with.
I will do the same.
An interesting discussion of ice picks as push sticks: http://forums.finewoodworking.com/fi...fe-push-sticks

Bradley,

It doesn't look like I can get you to change your mind about using an ice pick but I'd like to try. In my shop I have 3 table saws and wood push sticks on each. I have seen several accidents, been involved in one and know several others who have been injured on a tablesaw. A couple of weeks ago one of my guys went to the ER after forgetting to check the position of the hold-down on the slider and pulled the aluminum, not steel, hold-down pad into the slider to prepare to make another cut. Two carbide tips came off and shot into is face, good thing he was wearing safety glasses. I know another guy who liked to use small, thin push sticks for "control". One day the stick broke, he was able to pull his right hand out of the way but that swung his left hand into the blade. Result- several hours of hand surgery. I also know of a few buys who have been hit by small pieces flying up off the saw. I can go on but the point is a wood push stick like the one shown holds the wood down to the table and keeps your hands well away from the blade.