Current Table Saws any safer than older table saws?

[scott vroom]

Whatever saw you get, make sure it either has a riving knife or can be modified to accept a riving knife. And as other said, the saw should be tuned up and the fence square to the blade (i.e., not toed in toward the stock).

[Charles Li]

Thanks for all the help. I ended up w/ the Bosch since it has all the safety features I want along with quick compact storage. I knew going in that there would be a price/performance penalty for going this route so I'm just accepting it (begrudgingly heh). Even being able to move a cabinet saw still committed me to too much space at this time was a factor. It will be different when I can get rid of all the kid's toys and get a handle on my new place. Price was becoming a factor too since I'm starting from scratch. Blades, gauges, gripper, etc... added up way too quickly! The last thing I needed was another expensive hobby ugh! On the plus side, I have my first table saw . I started making some saw dust and loving it. My wife will get some furniture so she'll be happy too. Thanks everyone!

[Andy Pratt]

The riving knife on any decent saw (made with it in mind) truly never gets in the way, and is a highly effective kickback preventer, which is a big deal as it prevents you from not only kickback injury but indirect injury from flailing your hand into the blade during a kickback. I have a sawstop ics and a rigid jobsite saw, both with good riving knives, and have never had to move the riving knife on either for any reason (other than the moot point of dadoes). This is one of those things where you're glad safety technology has caught up with manufacturing and having a riving knife is just a no-brainer now.

As far as guards: Think of the crappy saw guards on 90's jobsite tables saws, then throw all of that thought out and think of what if the guards were so well designed you could just leave them on all the time. That's what you will get with a good brand of modern table saw. Now that the guard doesn't suck you start realizing how nice it is to have something keeping sawdust spray out of your face and an extra safeguard against hands in the blade.

If your budget allows, just get a modern saw, the developments in the U.S. in the last 5-10 years are something you should capitalize on by a new investment, not a used investment. How much is a set of fingers worth? If you need to go used due to budget constraints, read up on the risks and take steps to mitigate them, and above all else set the tool up properly (in either case). There were plenty of safe table saw operators in the 50's using what we would now call "unsafe" saws, they just needed to know/adjust their equipment better than the purchaser of a modern saw does today. If you buy an old saw and have your ducks in a row, you will be safe. The modern saw safety features protect you somewhat from those inevitable times when you do something you know you shouldn't have, or when you had your machine set up wrong and didn't know it.

edit: just saw your last post, glad you went with the bosch, you won't be unhappy with that choice it is one of the two good contractor saw choices right now and has all of the good safety features. Make sure to square the fence when you get it, I recently helped a friend who had just bought that exact saw with his initial setup and the fence was off square by a noticeable margin. That is not abnormal, it is just expected that you adjust for it once it arrives and the manual will give you good directions on how to do it.

[Ellen Benkin]

New saws have riving knives. A real riving knife goes up and down with the blade. A splitter doesn't. Yes, it makes a difference safety-wise.

[scott vroom]

Thanks for all the help. I ended up w/ the Bosch since it has all the safety features I want along with quick compact storage. I knew going in that there would be a price/performance penalty for going this route so I'm just accepting it (begrudgingly heh). Even being able to move a cabinet saw still committed me to too much space at this time was a factor. It will be different when I can get rid of all the kid's toys and get a handle on my new place. Price was becoming a factor too since I'm starting from scratch. Blades, gauges, gripper, etc... added up way too quickly! The last thing I needed was another expensive hobby ugh! On the plus side, I have my first table saw . I started making some saw dust and loving it. My wife will get some furniture so she'll be happy too. Thanks everyone!

Nice choice on the bosch 4100. I've had that model for several years and use it for job-site remodeling work. The gravity rise stand is without equal IMO for ease of use and convenient storage. One suggestion is to buy a high quality thin kerf blade; the Bosch motor is not on par with a cabinet saw motor and the thin kerf will make cuts easier, particularly on hardwood. I see no reason why, after you get it tuned up and are familiar with it's capabilities and limitations, you can't build really nice cabinets and furniture. Congrats!

[Charles Li]

I was a little worried when the table saw was delivered. The box was beat up and clearly cracked opened at one point (I wasn't home for delivery). The push stick was literally poking out of the box. The packing foam looked OK so I put it together anyway. Like I said, starting from scratch so got some calibrating gear. Although I realize now I might have gotten away with just my square to line everything up. I did get a WWII thin kerf blade and popped it on immediately (have not used the stock blade). To my amazement the blade and RK were dead on. It was actually 90 degs from the table on the stop, +/- .002 from the miter slots, and in line with the RK with no adjustments! The fence was .03 away from the blade front to back out of the box. I'm guessing that's acceptable for this type of saw. I was able to tweak it to -.002! I doubt it will hold that accuracy overtime but it will be my fault if my cuts don't line up. I've read people having a lot less success with the fence. Maybe I got lucky who knows but I'll take it!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Very gloat worthy! Enjoy your new saw!

[Charles Li]

I just wanted to add some notes about adjusting the Bosch 4100-09 fence. For whatever reason I read a lot on the net that you can't adjust the Bosch 4100 fence but that's not true. I don't know if this is a mixup with the older 4000 or maybe a change in the 4100. Beats me this is my first one. But it's actually in the manual albeit easy to gloss over (yah I actually read the thing lol). Basically, there are two allen head screws on top of the fence close to the locking mechanism. There's actually a third one on top toward the back but I didn't mess with that (nor does the manual say you need to). You can loosen those two closest screws to adjust the fence. They suggest to unlock the fence, push the fence until it is flush with the blade, then tighten back the screws. This didn't work for me as the fence aligns differently when it is locked and unlocked. So what I did was over compensate to get close. But then, to really dial it in, I locked the fence and used a dial gauge to see how far off I was from the miter slot in the back. While leaving the fence locked and gauge in place, I loosened the allen screws, nudged the fence, held it there, then tightened the screws back. So far it's been holding great from a .03 error to a .002 error! A quick way I found to visually check the fence is to place the edge to allow a sliver of light over the miter slot. If it's straight you can see the same sliver all the way down your fence. Even at .03 of an inch I could see the light disappear which prompted me to tweak it.

[Julie Moriarty]

I'm toying with the idea of buying a table saw (my first one) and have been looking at old used ones. Your money seems like it can go very far in the used market. However, many of these saws are pretty old and don't have riving knives and possibly other safety features. I'm looking in the $500 range. In terms of pure safety (not performance) and of course proper usage, are newer saws any safer? Short of push sticks, it doesn't seem like there's an aftermarket for safety features to add to an old saw. You're committed to the original design. If I go with a current model I certainly lose performance per dollar but do I gain in safety? One used example is a Makita 2708. Thanks for any insight.

I have a 20+ year old Delta Contractor's table saw that I bought new. The one thing I always hated was ripping short or narrow pieces. It was scary. A few years ago I bought a DeWalt portable table saw. The riving knife feature was immediately appreciated and worked so much better and safer. Several months ago I purchased inserts for the old Delta that have "tabs" that act as a mini riving knife. It's a quick fix and does make a difference but isn't the same thing.

Bottom line: I would never purchase another table saw w/o a riving knife.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have used a MicroJig splitter with mixed results. They have comprehensive instructions, but it can be a bit fickle with regard to lining it up directly behind the blade. It has to be installed in an user made ZCI, and only works at 90 degrees. But it is inexpensive, and seems to work well. MicroJig had a new set that has plastic coated metal inserts, two smaller ones than the older, larger, singe insert, but I have no experience with that.

Doc

[Gus Dundon]

I had used two different saw machine , with and without auto shut off feature or saw guards or foot brakes on
band saws, I'm don't feel much assured about my safety. The best way to avoid danger is to know the machine
very well and focus on what you're doing. Considering table saw is most dangerous tool in shops according
to survey.

[Charles Li]

I have a 20+ year old Delta Contractor's table saw that I bought new. The one thing I always hated was ripping short or narrow pieces. It was scary. A few years ago I bought a DeWalt portable table saw. The riving knife feature was immediately appreciated and worked so much better and safer. Several months ago I purchased inserts for the old Delta that have "tabs" that act as a mini riving knife. It's a quick fix and does make a difference but isn't the same thing.

Bottom line: I would never purchase another table saw w/o a riving knife.

Yah, I did have a problem finding used old saws with riving knives. I'm sure I could have been more patient but I didn't end up waiting. The RK has been really easy to work with so far as is the guard and paws on the 4100.