Tablesaw Guidelines

[ncreefer]

With all of these stories that have been popping up about accidents with table saws, it has made me a little more cautious with using a tablesaw (I haven't made anything with mine yet, since it's fairly new). What are some tips/guides for safely using a tablesaw?

[DavidF]

Just a quick few things based on my personal experience:

Use a product like the GRipper push block. I bought one on the strength of these accidents we have seen reported and it seems to work well.

Get a feather board of some sort - I like the magnetic type, but a home made one is fine.

When ripping solid wood, especially stuff from the borgs, keep a wedge handy to open up the kerf.

Make a splitter or buy one, it doesn't need to be very tall, mine is about 1" high.

Keep just half a tooth protruding above the surface of the stock.

If you have a cross cut sled, put stops and a cover block at the back to keep your thumbs clear when the blade comes out the back.

Make zero clearance inserts, one with a splitter and one without (for blind cuts)

Notice I haven't mentioned top guards, to be truthful, I don't use them. I have had a few occasions when the hinged tip up type or the anti kick back pawls have given me a heart stopping moment in what should have been a routine cut.

There will be many more I am sure, but these work for me.

[JimmyC]

I agree with David's ideas, and I too forgo top guards because of previous problem with them, even though I do hope to add an Excaliber type in the future.

One main thing is to not forget your safety glasses.

Good Luck.

[Douglas Robinson]

Make sure your fence and blade are parallel. Kickback is one of the most common accidents and a misaligned fence is the common culprit. Also make sure your blade is parallel to the miter slot(s).

Do not stand directly behind the wood as you push it through.

[timf67]

I'll add another question to the thread:

Is more horsepower better or worse from a safety standpoint? More horsepower would made kickback more severe, but I am not sure how much worse. Anyone have any idea or experience on the horsepower advantages and disadvantages? I ask becuase I have a 1.75 hp delta hybrid and have been looking at upgrades to a 3hp or even a 5hp cabinet saw...

Tim

[Douglas Robinson]

Tim it is a trade off. More HP might mean stronger kickback, but underpowered HP brings its own problems, e.g., the balde getting jammed in the wood during cutting.

One should always have a kill switch with easy reach (a knee paddle is a great help).

[DavidF]

I have the dewalt hybrid at 1.75 hp and unless the wood bends from releasing stress as you cut it (see wedge above) then I have made full height rips without issue. I did retrofit my saw with a home made knee and kick switch.

[Glennbear]

Although I agree with all said so far, like most other subjects here there are various opinions to be found. FWIW I am more comfortable with more of the blade tooth above the stock than David uses because IMHO a 1/2 tooth does not leave much of a margin if stock starts to lift and if it does lift greater than exposed tooth height a kickback is guaranteed YMMV.

[Travis Porter]

My 2 cents worth in addition to what others have suggested:

Make sure inserts are flush to the table top - I have been hurt by this one.
I would not use metal push sticks. Aluminum comes to mind, but it is metal, and I am feaful of it. I can see it getting thrown at me.
Do not use damaged push sticks

If a sleds, jig or rig is damaged or isn't working right, fix it before using it - I have been hurt by this one. Oak runner had swelled up.

I believe in guards, but I too forego the blade guard. I do have a riving knife, and do believe in using it or a splitter to aid in limiting the possibility of a kickback. A Sawstop is a very neat machine and can prevent many accidents, but the saw can still kick back or throw a board and hurt you.

Keep the junk off the saw. Too many times I leave too much other stuff (boards, tools, rulers, etc) on the saw that cause clutter and obstructions. This is one that I really need to do better.

And remember this from Nahm. There is no more important safety rule that to wear these, safety glasses.

I wear glasses, and my lenses are plastic and shatter proof. They have saved me from what could have been bad twice.

[ncreefer]

Thanks everyone. All very informative.
So as a follow up...what is the best way to avoid kickback?

[timf67]

Originally Posted by ncreefer

Thanks everyone. All very informative.
So as a follow up...what is the best way to avoid kickback?

Proper fence alignment (slightly tapered away from blade is it goes back) and a good splitter or riving knife to prevent the wood from pinching the blade. Both of these are related in that if the wood pinches or the fence in tapered toward the back of the blade, the back of the blade will grab the board and "throw" it towards you.

[Ozzie-x]

Another very important thing that has not been mentioned is blade sharpness. I think one of the most dangerous things on a table saw is a dull blade. Keep your blades sharp and clean, rosin build-up on the sides of the blade is also a safety concern that can lead to kick back. A sharp blade will generally cut and go on, but a dull blade can catch and grab your workpiece, causing a kickback or other things to cause excitement in the shop.

[Bas]

My addition to the list:

• Keep the table clean and smooth. Paste wax works great. The less force you have to exert, the less the chance you slip and your hands end up in the wrong place.
• Keep the blade clean and sharp. Again, less force, therefore less chance of something suddenly giving way.
• On an underpowered saw, rip thick lumber in stages, i.e. set blade 3/4" high, rip, then raise to final height.
• Disconnect the power before changing blades. If you think walking over to the outlet takes too much time, make a disconnect at the saw. If you can wire an outlet, you can wire a disconnect in 30 minutes.
• Shut off the saw after each cut. There are exceptions, but most of the time, you're better off shutting down, removing the work piece and cutoff, and then start the next board. Any kind of movement around a spinning saw blade is dangerous.
• Make sure you have good outfeed support. A cheap roller stand that can tip over does not qualify.
• Don't cut full sheets on a table saw unless you have a slider, helper, and/ or excellent infeed/ outfeed/ sidefeed support. This is why many woodworkers marry.

[timf67]

Originally Posted by Bas

My addition to the list:

• Don't cut full sheets on a table saw unless you have a slider, helper, and/ or excellent infeed/ outfeed/ sidefeed support. This is why many woodworkers marry.

And it isn't because the wife will help (at least mine won't) it is so you can have kids! I grew up as my Dad's sheet goods assistant - and learned a few choice words in the process when I didn't keep the sheet straight...

[McRabbet]

I'd add that you should use appropriate tablesaw inserts depending on the material you are cutting. I have made several "Zero Clearance Inserts" (ZCI's) for a thin kerf blade, a standard kerf blade and common dado blade widths. For a newcomer, ZCI's have room to clear the blade, but no opening to either side of the blade in operation. It is critical to use these with any thin strip operations.

Speaking of which, never cut thin strips between the blade and fence -- have the thin strip fall away outside the blade.
Never, NEVER let your hand get closer than 4" to the spinning blade.
Never use a miter gauge and fence together (do not use the fence to set the length of the piece being cut).
Never cut a bevel on the edge of stock against the fence with the blade tilted toward the fence.
I use yellow Board Buddies for anti-kickback and they work very well.
I wear eye and ear protection, use dust collection and never stand in the path of the cutoff piece.
Recheck fence, blade and miter slot parallelism before, during and after each project session.
Measure twice, cut once.