Resource on how to use a table saw safely?

[jason lambert]

Table saws scare me, this is probably a good thing. I have a festool saw system so I don't need to use the table saw much but I think in my new shop I will get a real table saw, right now I have the dewalt contractors saw. I am intrested on how to cut small pieces of wood safely. Any sugestions or good resources out there. Kickback and slipping into the blade are my bigest fears.

[Nissim Avrahami]

Hi Jason

Have a look at this post
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=63533

In the mean time, I changed the sticks cut-out for a better grip and control but, that's the general idea...

Regards
niki

[Rye Crane]

Jason,

check out Kelly Meher's book "The Table Saw Book" He has also made a video. I read it carefully before getting into this hobby and decided the Euro Sliding table saw made the most sense.

Best of Luck,
Rye Crane

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Jason
First and foremost - know where your fingers are located at all times. In other words "keep your fingers safe" - if the cutting operation looks dangerous to you - rethink the procedure.
Second - If you are making a cut that is less than _____ (fill in blank that you think is safe) (ex - 2 inches, 3 inches) between the saw blade and the fence - USE A PUSH STICK.
Third - ride your fingers over the fence, if cutting narrow strips of wood. ( Say! didn't that guy just say no fingers closer than 2 inches to the blade?
Fourth - respect the spinning blade - know where your fingers are at all times.
Fifth - STOP before each cut and think through the procedure - (now, that may only take a second, but a second spent thinking about what you are about to do will save your fingers later)

Now, Make sure the saw is set up correctly and safely
The fence should be absolutely parallel to the blade - will help eliminate kick backs. A 10 inch blade has a tip speed of about 120 MPH and that hurts when the kick back board hits you in the hips.

[Gary Curtis]

The Mehler Book is great. But for a hands-on quality of learning, get Mehler's Tablesaw DVD. Lee Valley has them on sale right now. It is a bit like learning to dance. Right foot here, left hand there..... that sort of choreography to protect your body.

Gary Curtis

[Eddie Darby]

Most table saw injuries happen with people who know how to avoid them in the first place. The unexpected is the real culprit.

I would build a hold-down jig that secures the wood and allows the hands to be well clear of the blade.

[Bill Wyko]

When ever cutting small pieces you want to run the large side of the material between the fence and the blade. Then let the small piece be the cutoff to the open side (left side) of the blade. If the piece is small on both sides of the blade, tape the fence side to a larger block of wood in order to have a safe distance between the blade and fence. This is ofcourse IMHO.

[Richard Magbanua]

What kind of pieces are you cutting? If I have small pieces to cut I use my bandsaw. Unfortunately, it took a few kickbacks to train myself to do that.

[jason lambert]

I am thinking of getting a sawstop I will see if it will fit into my one car gurage shop. I grew up woodworking but doing small strips on the table saw alwas made me squirmish. Anyhow alwas wanted to try making some cutting boards but requires lots of small rips. I use push sticks but they alwso scare me for kick back since I don't feel my hold on the wood is good.

[Mark Mazzo]

Jason,

I would second (or third) the advice on the Kelly mehler book and video/DVD. Those were resources that I used when first starting out in woodworking. They are excellent.

Jason,

check out Kelly Meher's book "The Table Saw Book" He has also made a video. I read it carefully before getting into this hobby and decided the Euro Sliding table saw made the most sense.

Ryan: Kelly just spoke at a meeting for our woodworking club - I wrote about his lecture in this post on my blog. You may be interested that he has gone the route of European tools as well. He outfitted most all of the new shop at his woodworking school with them.

[Pete Clifford]

Jason, when I first began I was very respectful (still am) and somewhat fearful of the TS. In order to start my woodworking hobby safely, I ended up taking a couple of introductory WW courses at my local community college. This provided immediate feedback from a knowledgeable instructor and emphasized proper, safe use of power tools. I prefer this over watching a DVD, but it is also more expensive.

[Bill White]

Nobody has mentioned this yet, but equipment set-up is very important. All the best safety practices won't help if the machinery is not properly adjusted, trued, squared, etc. This goes for ANY piece of shop equpiment. Not only is it safer, it makes the end result much more satisfying.
Bill

[Wayne Ilfrey]

Pay Attention! then, make sure you Pay Attention. When youve done that, pay attention.

I liken working with a table saw to riding a motorcycle. When riding a motorcycle you have to pay 500 times more attention to the road, other drivers etc. on the road.
Same with a table saw (or any other tool with a large high speed blade) dont take your eyes off that blade and your fingers. Dont take your mind off your work.

thats my $0.02

[Bill Ragland]

Table saws scare me, this is probably a good thing. I have a festool saw system so I don't need to use the table saw much but I think in my new shop I will get a real table saw, right now I have the dewalt contractors saw. I am intrested on how to cut small pieces of wood safely. Any sugestions or good resources out there. Kickback and slipping into the blade are my bigest fears.

Along with what has been said already (good advice), there are many safety devices available for the table saw. Two that I use are featherboards (Kreg makes a nice one) and Board Buddies. Both are kickback preventers and well worth the $$$. I especially like the board buddies as they only allow the board to move forward. Properly adjusted one can let go of the board halfway through a cut (not recommended by the way) and the board will not be kicked back. These devices are used during rip cuts only.

[Steveo O'Banion]

.....right now I have the dewalt contractors saw. I am intrested on how to cut small pieces of wood safely. Any sugestions or good resources out there. Kickback and slipping into the blade are my bigest fears.

There are two good videos of kickback on the web. Google The Big Splinter for a surgical video removing a large piece of wood from a mans face. WARNING not for the faint of heart . Also google Table Saw Kickback Demonstration for another video out created by a shop teacher. He does a slow-mo view and you can actually see the work climb on top of the blade and get launched, the most dangerous type of kickback because the wood gets to gain altitude. You can see he has removed his Brett Guard (Sold now by HTC Products Inc) removed. The first rule here is never release your material when it is still trapped between the blade and fence, push the WHOLE piece past the BACK of the blade.

I'm a big believer in the Brett Guards we use, the stock guards we bought 30 years ago are junk and create a greater hazard.

As far as fingers are concerned keep these things in mind. Never push your hand or fingers toward any blade or cutter (I learned this the hard way in shop when I was 17). Use a soft pine push stick when ripping 4" or less in width (wider invites kickback) and a push block for 4" or wider boards. Obviously a push block is not necessary with really wide rips.

One of these days I'll get around to posting pictures of the body english I teach my kids to protect themselves.

Can anybody help me with posting picks or video here?

Finally, I'd recommend you watch someone on the saw who knows what they're doing. I automatically disqualify anyone with serious scars or more than one missing digit. I teach with a guy with horrible safety habits and he has cut the same thumb off 2x. He's an example of what not to do, some people never get it.

Steve