I’ve been kicking this can down the road for years, but I finally got a job that involves cutting so much melamine board there’s no way I’m doing it with a circular saw.
I watched multiple safety videos before even opening the package, and now I’m just sitting here staring at it wondering whether I should fire it up and cut off a finger or two. I’m fucking terrified of this thing.
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Table saws are dangerous tools. Healthy caution and a big amount of respect is warranted. A circular saw of any type can maim you in ways doctors can’t fix, and the table saw by its nature is most likely to do so.
Do me a big personal favor and always wear your safety glasses and hearing protection. Believe you me, the fun stops when you’re halfway through ripping a board and your eyes reflexively shut because you got sawdust in them. Also: table saws never have anything interesting or useful to say. Don’t listen to them.
Okay that last part is me trying to be humorous, actually do listen to the saw, if you hear strange noises it can be indicative of problems. You can hear those through approved earmuffs or plugs.
Something I would do: practice hitting the off button. Get to know where it is, by feel. With your hand and your knee. You’re unlikely to put your fingers through the blade during an otherwise safe cut; it can happen, but that’s an intuitive problem. Push sticks solve that problem. I’ve cut myself on the push stick thousands of times with table saws. Doesn’t hurt at all. Push sticks are If you can touch the blade with your thumb and the fence with your pinky, use a push stick or push block. Also, get or make a featherboard and learn how to use it. Another useful device for keeping the fingies attached.
The unintuitive problem is kickbacks. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7sRrC2Jpp4 If a piece of wood is trapped between the fence and the blade, and isn’t well constrained by the fence, it’ll pivot, dig into the back, rising edge of the blade, tension builds up, and then it gets thrown backward. If you’re holding onto that board when it kicks back, it can take your hand back through the blade with it. This is why they tell you not to use the fence and miter gauge together: The severed piece is now loose and unconstrained between the fence and the blade near the far edge of the blade, it almost certainly will kick back.
“Don’t crosscut with the rip fence.”I hate that phraseology, I’m gonna cross it out, because I’ve seen an injury caused by it. I enjoyed it a lot at the time because it was my high school bully that hurt himself, but I still learned this lesson: He was manufacturing rectangles of plywood 3.5 inches wide by 2 feet long. He ripped strips of plywood 3.5 inches wide, and then set the fence to 2 feet to cut them to length. I warned him to set up a stop block. He goes off on me about how it’s plywood, there’s no real grain direction so “crosscut” and “rip” don’t mean anything. I go back to what I was doing, not five minutes later I hear his saw strain, I hear a bang, I turn around to see him doubled over hugging a piece of plywood. It has nothing to do with the grain, it has to do with the shape. That same kickback could happen if you’re cutting acrylic, which is an amorphous solid.Don’t use the rip fence unless you have AT LEAST 12 inches of contact between the fence and the board/sheet. If you can’t do that, you may need to use a sled or a panel cutter instead of the fence.
Start out with basic operations, do a crosscut with the miter gauge, hold the board and the miter gauge with both hands, feed it gently. Then try some rips.
Oh, one final thing about ripping: The edge of the board or sheet that touches the fence must be rather straight, you don’t want to put an apprentice’s jigsaw job against the fence because the board might not be well constrained, it may pivot and kick back. There are ways to straighten that edge if needed, learn them.
Holy fuck. That intentional accident genuinely upset my stomach. I don’t think I know anything about table saw safety. I guess it’s good I don’t own one but at least now I know what the shark fin is for. I’ve had my fair share of incidents with chop saws, handheld circular saws, and chainsaw wheels but chop and table saws stills care me more than cutoff wheels.
It’s called a riving knife. Sounds like a Klingon wedding implement but it’s a massively important safety feature.
Based on the context in the video, it seems like people remove it. Why?
Well there’s lots of reasons why you might.
On my table saw, you have to remove the riving knife to install the blade guard and splitter. They plug into the same port.
You can get wide and narrow riving knives for my table saw to match wide or narrow blades.
On my table saw, the biggest reason I remove my riving knife and run it without is for dadoing. A standard saw blade is 10 inches in diameter, a dado stack is 8 inches in diameter. The riving knife is too tall. On my saw it has to come out for dado use, on others it retracts. It’s not hard to forget to reinstall/extend it.
Sometimes you’ll use a table saw with jigs or fixtures that would interfere with the riving knife, so you remove it. In those
You’ll also see folks remove it for use with a zero clearance insert. There’s a large hole in the table top that the blade comes out, it has to be fairly large so you can change the blade. Most of it is filled with a removable plate called the throat plate or table insert. PLastic or metal ones have fairly large gaps around the blade which can present a problem, thin offcuts might fall in there. So folks will make them out of wood, and simply raise the blade through it with the table saw running to cut the slot for the blade. Well the riving knife won’t cut its own hole. So you either have to do that some other way or do without.
Oh, it’s worth mentioning: Riving knives have only been required equipment on new table saws since 2003, in the US at least. A lot of table saws out there don’t have the provision to install one.
Ah, very interesting. At some point I’ll clear room and take my dad’s saw. That predates 2003 for sure, but I remember it having a flappy clear cover over the saw and two serrated tails to prevent material slide back (not sure if that’s also kickback). It mounts into where the riving knife would be and I assume it’s mount is, effectively, a riving knife itself. We never did fancy work though, just plywood shelf cutting (now replaced with a battery circular saw) and ripping 2x4s like idiots.
That blade guard almost certainly mounts to a splitter, which does pretty much the same job as a riving knife. The technical difference is a splitter is mounted to the table, a riving knife is mounted to the motor/blade assembly. Those serrated tails are called anti-kickback pawls, they are indeed meant to arrest a board (sheet, really) during a kickback by digging into the stock by digging into it.
I think too you should just get over with it and cut one or two fingers straight off. Then the ice has been broken and you can just use it without fear of loosing a finger or two.
The pro tip is always in the comments.
I got my first real table saw
Bought it at the local home store
Played it 'til my fingers bled
Take my upwards chevron, you silly goober.
I’m fucking terrified of this thing.
Good. A healthy respect for the tool will help keep all your digits in tact. Just exercise proper safety precautions every time and you’ll be alright. I’ve got at least one push stick with a notch in it as a constant reminder of why you never put your fingers near the blade.
Yeah, I think the only powertool that I’m more scared of than a table saw is a chainsaw. I guess the day I stop feeling afraid is when I should stop using it.
Routers are pure terror
Modern routers scare me even more. They have things like soft start and such. I’ve got this little Craftsman cordless palm router, bout it at Lowe’s, it’s got plenty of power for a trim router, it cuts fine, it’s got soft start and it runs quiet when the bit isn’t cutting. It’s terrifyingly friendly. I’m scared someone out there isn’t going to pay it the respect it deserves because of how gentlemanly and courteous it is and end up spraying phalanges across the shop.
Chainsaws aren’t too bad, just make sure you have the right safety gear. Chaps, ear protection, and eye protection (impact resistant) for most things. Gloves are nice for rough wood and I’d consider a helmet as important as chaps if you’re working on trees or anything taller than you.
Power tools are like horses. They can take you anywhere or they can put you in the hospital. Be cautious and be educated.
Nah, fear isn’t better than complacency because it can also keep you from doing things safely. Like being afraid to have a push tool too close to the blade means not having enough control over the piece you are cutting.
A healthy respect for the dangers and then taking the necessary precautions is the best course of action. Make sure you have the right tools to push stuff through it without needing to have your fingers close. Not the little plastic thing it probably comes with, but a large thing with a wider pushing part so you have more control. Then adjust the height and use the safety thing that keeps it from kicking back for flat stuff.
Don’t be terrified. Just think before every cut, how the wood will move and where you put your fingers. Get used to not stand behind the saw, you will soon do it automatically. And never do “just a quick cut before I’m done for today”. Those are the most dangerous ones.
That follows to a last task before the end of the day. I saw my friend die at the workplace on a last task. Fucking horrible shit. We were supposed to be gone already.
Damn, I am really sorry to hear that. It is always the “I just wanted to do a quick cut”
He was standing backwards on it ladder only like 5 feet up in a basement, and fell and his legs got caught in the rungs and he hit his head on the concrete, blood was coming out of his ears and he was doing that agonal breathing.
911 accused me of Faking it and wouldn’t even send out an ambulance right away, I never made a complaint because it wouldn’t have mattered I decidedafter I talked to a mutual friend of ours but I am still pretty salty about it.
What you want is a ‘push stick.’ There are a lot of different form-factors, but this one reminds you why:
This came with one. Even has a holder for it there on the right.
That’s what we call a good start. You may want to make one or two of various designs. The push stick that comes with a lot of table saws tend to have small bird’s mouths, you can get or make some that are much longer and better for holding stock down, or flat paddles useful for certain ripping operations. I mentioned it in my dissertation but a featherboard is also a good tool for work guiding.
That’s good, I was going to suggest one as the first thing you make with it.
I appreciate all the comments here validating OP’s trepidation around the table saw. Dull men are cautious, and dull men are way more likely to have all ten fingers.
Go for it, slow. As a small but determined girl I split quite a number of large-ish boards with a monstrosity of a table saw from the 80s to make beams of the desired width for a tiny house. The important thing is always go slowly. Prepare well. Where is each piece and cutoff going to be at each time of the process. Where are your fingers going to be. Play this through in your mind, only then start cutting. If you cut large pieces build some kind of support they can be pushed onto, falling or hanging heavy pieces are always a bad idea - I also had some wheels screwed onto a support for easier moving of the large stuff. I guess the danger is what makes woodworking so meditative. Lose your attention, lose a finger.
Adding a few bits here:
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see that plastic cover over the blade? It will get annoying and you’ll want to remove it. Don’t. That’s like removing the seatbelt from your car. There should only be 2 times where it would be necessary. The first and most common is if the cut you are making requires it (you aren’t sawing all the way through the wood/the work piece cannot fit between the table and the guard). Remember to put it back after. The second is if you’re replacing it with a better one. (Typically seeking better dust collection or a “floating” guard). Usually at that point, it might be good to consider if you’re asking too much for the current saw; there’s no lack of companies and products offering solutions to make your tablesaw “better”.
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See the red blade insert? Treat that as your no finger zone. It’s a big area yes, but an accident in that area can equal no fingers.
Over time you’ll develop a “healthy respect” for the tool where you will be able to operate it confidently, while also being aware of what it could do if you let your resolve waiver. The same is true with chainsaws and any other tool.
I’m going to give you 3 resources that really helped me get the most out of mine.
The first two are videos that cover some techniques on zeroing your blade. (Note, mine is belt drive and hangs off the back so it’s slightly different, but a majority of what they cover is for ALL table saws).
Stumpy Nubs - Aligning table saw : This is the only reference I’ve seen outside some much older resources that cover adjusting the table at 45*. This REALLY helps move it from very good to great in my experience.
Workshop Companion - Table Saw Tuning : This is FANTASTIC as the history of the old table saw he’s working on is interesting, and he really explains the why’s behind each adjustment. He has a short about tool vibration where you can see and hear how smoothly you can get an average saw to run. The loudest part on mine is the relay engaging the electric motor now.
Yes, you can get by without spending a weekend tuning and swearing at yourself for wasting your time (theres a period where it absolutely sucks until you’re done), but once you’ve gotten it done and done right, all your cuts will benefit. You’ll have a much more enjoyable time in the shop overall.
The last is a book called The Accurate Tablesaw by Ian J Kirby. This book covers not only some of the topics above, but more on safety and technique. I’ve gotten more out of this book than most other woodworking books I’ve found.
I know the above is a lot (more than I was expecting…) but I DO hope this helps some as you continue your journey. Remember to have fun with it! And reach out if you ever need an ear to bounce ideas off of. I’ll try to not be so long winded next time…!
Thanks! Good info
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You got ten chances, you can master it by attempt three for sure!
Even more chances if you get someone else to help.
If you’re cutting really dense or thick boards, like you said melamine, then you’ll want to find a way to “attach” the saw legs to the floor. That style of table saw WILL move when you are pushing baords through it.
Stay safe brother, have fun rippin!
I actually prefer the circular saw + jig combo for heavier/denser boards.
I’m a cabinet installer, and I use a table saw every day. Do not put your hand anywhere near the saw blade when it is running. Use push sticks and never pull a part through from the back of the saw. If the cuts are getting harder to make, put a new sharp blade. Dull saw blades are the most dangerous and cause most kickbacks. You’re smart to respect the dangers but with care and attention you can use them without much risk.
never pull a part through from the back of the saw.
If I’m ripping long pieces – long enough that the outfeed end has to be held up – I will stop about half way and pull the work piece the rest of the way through. I won’t do it with short pieces and it’s not necessary for those anyway. Are there any safety risks I’m not accounting for?
The risk is that if a kickback occurs while you are gripping on the work piece, it could pull your hand and arm towards the saw. You will not react quickly enough if a kickback happens. That being said, since the parts are longer, if you are keeping your arm far enough away that a kickback couldn’t pull you close enough then I could see the cut being done somewhat safely. Still, I would say that an outfeed table or roller stand is a worthy investment to make long cuts easily and safely.
That’s what I thought. I don’t get anywhere near the saw if I’m pulling material through it for exactly the reason you mentioned. A roller stand would definitely be a better option in my case. All it takes is to be a little careless for a one second one time. Thanks for the feedback!
A healthy fear of the table saw is what has kept me safe all these years. Fear it, respect it when you use it.
Exactly, it is when you get complacent that shit happens.
I use one of these about every day.
I’d suggest three things.
#1 hearing/eye protection.
#2 dust mask(one with filter like trend air stealth mask)
#3 make a cross cut sled. This greatly increased the type of things you can do and they are very safe to use.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a more vicious tool in the home shop than a radial arm saw or table saw. They just want to take a bite out of you, either via the blade itself or kicking some piece of material back hard and fast enough to take a piece of you with it. A table router is second to that.
