The only thing worse than a table saw accident...

Bear Republic

Steve
Corporate Member
At least his body blocked the shot of the blade. He was very lucky. He does bring up a valid point about listening to music, books, or podcasts and working with power tools. Something to think about.
 

Volksdad

New User
Glen
That’s excruciating to watch.

I still do a mental stop and think EVERY CUT, which makes me an agonizingly slow woodworker. Upgrading my fence this year- (thank you Fred, thank you Cyclopentadiene!) to a Biesemeyer really helped me feel safer around the saw as well.

Fwiw I still use the blade guard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
Wow

I have a 6” rule. Whatever the cut, no part of me may ever get closer than 6” to the blade.

Sometimes it is tempting to save a minute, just don’t do it.

Then there is the kick-back rule: Never feed with pressure on the non fence side of the blade, don’t stand behind the blade and if it is a small piece, rather go to the bandsaw.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Again, I suggest a lot of accidents are when the saw is actually turned off, coasting to a stop and trying to clear cutoff. I suggest a break for turn off. My new Harvey does slow quicker than my old Ridgid, but still our impatience makes us get close too close.

Getting a "real" bandsaw I consider a great safety improvement as a lot of small stuff I do on the BS.
 

cobraguy

Clay
Corporate Member
Glad his injuries are relatively minor and it sounds like he will have minimal longterm impact. My first thought was, where's the bladeguard? That is one of the most basic safety features of every TS and folks seem to always find an excuse not to use them. The Grr-ripper pushblock is pretty cool, but it requires removal of the bladeguard on the TS. Not worth it in my shop.
 

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
Glad his injuries are relatively minor and it sounds like he will have minimal longterm impact. My first thought was, where's the bladeguard? That is one of the most basic safety features of every TS and folks seem to always find an excuse not to use them. The Grr-ripper pushblock is pretty cool, but it requires removal of the bladeguard on the TS. Not worth it in my shop.
I must admit, I removed my blade guard since day one and it is stored somewhere under the workbench. I am the only person using the saw, there are too many functions which are not available with the guard attached and it just makes things more difficult. The 6" rule mentioned in my post above just needs to be a rigid non flexible procedure.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
My PCS has never had the blade guard installed. It would not have helped me avoid injury last year when I got stupid with a 3/4 dado stack on the saw. Part of it is my age, I think, but I find it hard to concentrate on anything important with music or the TV or anything that may grab my interest in the background. My kids are less easily distracted. My late wife never understood why I would get upset when she would pull up and hit the garage door opener when I was using power tools in the front of the garage. It never resulted in an injury but we were both happy when I got a separate shop. (my shop garage does not have an opener and will not have one)

I do use overhead dust collection sometimes which, with the riving knife, provides much of the same function as the blade guard. I use a push stick on narrow rips. I stop watching youtubes when the video shows fingers close to sawblades repeatedly.

I also quit working when I am getting frustrated or feeling tired. In 2013 I got stitches twice when I was pushing myself trying to get some work done. Not worth it.
 

Volksdad

New User
Glen
My table saw does terrify me, in a good way I think. I read all the safety stuff people post and think about how I’m interacting with my equipment. I believe that this has helped me avoid some accidents and I wanted to thank everyone for posting their experience.

Shop safety - unsexy as it is- can never be spoken about enough for my taste.


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Bill J

Bill
User
I worked with middle-schoolers on after school projects in the woodshop for several years and drilled all the safety measures people have listed above into them. Then I ran a 3/32 kerf through my thumb tip. Again - I was following all the safety process but something kicked back and it happened so fast. The kids were amazed, "but you're the safety dad". It reinforced to them how dangeraous this equipment is. I now have a SawStop (at my wife's insistence). I am also going to check my first aid kit after watching this video.
 

Charles Lent

Charley
Corporate Member
Willem,

I have the same 6" safety rule engrained in my head that I have followed for most of my life when working with any cutting type power tools, especially saws. I'm 79 now, and was taught to use most of my woodworking tools by one of my uncles, who taught me the 6" rule of working with power tools when I was about 12 years old. Did we have the same uncle? I doubt that, but the source of that 6" rule must have originally come from somewhere. When I bought my first Grripper (now own 3), I had considerable trouble getting myself to use it, because using it put my hand and fingers closer than 6" to the blade. After about 6 months, I was able to rewire my head and modify the 6" rule so strongly embedded in my mind, by adding " Unless a substantial barrier of material is between the blade and my body". I have since been able to gradually accept using Grrippers because they have a sturdy handle and a thick piece of plastic between my fingers and the blade. Using them also forces you to lower the blade to just above the surface of the work too.

To add to this, I have always had the highest respect of the dangers of using power cutting tools, and I clear my mind of everything else when about to use them. I always mentally dedicate myself to the process, and visualize each step before proceeding, to be certain that I won't end up violating the 6" rule as I make the cut. This has kept me safe all these years. I do not have a blade guard on my table saw, and never have., but my eyes are pointed at the blade and cutting point during the entire cut.

I have a laser line generator on the ceiling above my saw that puts a red cut line on my saw table to show the cutting line of the blade from ahead of the saw table to past the back end of the outfeed table. It shows the cut line on any work piece that is there as well. If my fingers should ever have a red line on them, they are in the wrong place. When doing dado cuts, this is especially important, since the blade is below the surface of the work and can't be seen, but what if there is a thin spot in the work and the dado blade breaks through the surface, or the saw depth adjustment changes from vibration? I have a one button remote on the top of my table saw fence that turns this laser line on and off, so it's easy and convenient to use. I bought this laser unit from Woodline many years ago.

Charley
 
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Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I like the 6" rule - I don't know if I was ever told that, but I do remember being taught to NEVER reach "over" the blade.
That meant side to side or behind to "catch" a cut-off.

What you see in the video is he takes he eye off the blade. I think that is key because your hands tend to follow your eyes. (Think about someone you have ridden with and they take their eyes off the road (left or right) and the car tends to go that way because the hands are trying to follow where the eyes lead!)
 

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