Table saw Do’s and Dont’s

[Job and Knock]

And I think that people who recommend what are patently dangerous practices are downrigjt irresponsible. Let's agree to differ, eh?

[dewaltdisney]

I did not want to lead Blakey into dangerous practices but the guard really impedes you from doing anything other than ripping, I guess much depends on what cuts you want to do on your table saw. Working in my own workshop I have used a variety of homemade jigs for various jobs I have done over the years. I think that the sled, my tenon, and taper jigs were the most used. The crosscut ability of a sled is very useful. But I fully accept that for anyone working in a proper workplace environment it is a no-no. In the last 20 years, I had one kickback due to carelessly pushing some hardboard through without getting it aligned with the fence. It twisted and knocked back, not causing injury or damage but buggering the hardboard. At all times I am respectful of all my tools and I consider the bandsaw more dangerous as my hand is closer to the blade invariably. Other than that my chainsaws are the most dangerous and there are no guards on them.

Never work tired, keep respect for the tool and think through your cuts before you do them.

DWD

[Chippo1]

My wife is fully aware of the dangers of approaching when any power tools are being used , she is patient and waits ! This is problem with the Men’s Shed I am involved with , I am constantly warning people against talking to some one using tools.

In fact the size and clutter in the work area is also important , at home I constantly check on what I am doing around my table saw and the task in hand with the required space to do that task.

At the Mens Shed there was a proposal to to get a Porta Cabin for a workshop , I was against this on the basis of safe working space as there was a proposal to equip it with , table saw, band saw , Lathe , jointer and plane all in 30ft x8ft space !

The other problem we have is that some guys just should never be allowed near these machines , they have zero idea or appreciation of the dangers , and one in particular the attention span of a fly.

[dewaltdisney]

That is a good point Chippo, we tend to assume that people have a good basic understanding of woodwork. When I started doing stuff it was a steady learning curve of self-tuition and your experience on hand tools prepares you for power tools that save time and labour. I did not get a table saw until later in life when I had the time to take on my own woodwork projects, which was largely furniture builds. I used to get as much of the big stuff sawn up at the woodyard so I only had to do the easier cuts on my table. When I started preparing hardwood I had a small bench joiner and a thicknesser. I always thought that the bench planer was a more dangerous tool to use. But you learn as you go and you soon figure out what you need to be careful with. Back to your point about attention spans and an assumption that people have been through the learning curve, and they haven't. These folk are a potential risk to themselves being let loose on machinery.

Getting back to the original post Blakey has been on the forum for about ten years and from his previous posts he has a good basic knowledge of DIY and I suspect that he has a good respect for tools. It is always someone's own choice what they do in private with their tools and they must perform their own risk assessment which will determine how they operate.

I fully understand J&K's viewpoint and it has made me think again about this and the care of advice we give as the person asking might be an idiot. A bit like the gas tinkerers really.

DWD

[Graeme from Tod]

In fact the size and clutter in the work area is also important , at home I constantly check on what I am doing around my table saw and the task in hand with the required space to do that task.


[/quote]
A good point. I often use my table saw in a quite confined space so am extra careful about tripping hazards / clutter etc. ( It's definitely not an American size workspace ).

I do pretty much all of the stuff J&K recommends but have removed the blade guard as it's crap anyway & I feel safer without it. My hands don't go near the blade, I make sure I'm properly balanced so I won't fall on it & I don't believe that it would stop anything substantial flying at me anyway. ( My saw is an Evolution Rage 5 - I might feel differently if I had a £1000 Axminster job with a proper crown guard ). I also wear a full face visor ( Bollé Sphere Face Shield ) whenever I'm using machinery.

Working in your own workspace with tools you know well is obviously a different set of circumstances than a construction site with hundreds of contractors coming on & off site. I totally appreciate that things should be done by the book there.

[Blakey]

Thanks again one and all for your advice, and thank you J&K for taking the time to write out your very good advice, I hope the topic hasn’t caused any friction, I do have a good knowledge of safety, and have worked with all sorts tools through my career (but not a table-saw) I started off as a mechanic and worked my way up and down the ladder, ending my working career as a transport safety and compliance engineer, and I had to train people how to safely use certain tools and carry out tasks that most of us take for granted, for example, how to use jump leads to jump start a vehicle, and how to change a wheel, because of the amount of injuries caused within the company by staff carrying out these tasks, and I have been involved in DIY since I bought my first house almost 40 years ago.

[fin]

i was speaking to one of the lads at the bar about tools and woodworking the other day. he showed me his hand from an accident he had with a table saw with no guard. his lass at the time had been arguing with him and pushed him into the saw when it was turned on. canny naughty like

[dewaltdisney]

Concentration is important and there should be no distraction using a table saw. In fact, the only time I got a cut was using my sliding mitre saw to cut diagonal trenches. My bloody phone rang and distracted me and I caught a glancing touch with my knuckle on the spinning blade. It was not deep but bled quite profusely. It was some bloody spam caller Injury Lawyer and they soon hung up when I said 'Yes I have had an accident and you caused it, can I sue you?'

DWD

[Graeme from Tod]

i was speaking to one of the lads at the bar about tools and woodworking the other day. he showed me his hand from an accident he had with a table saw with no guard. his lass at the time had been arguing with him and pushed him into the saw when it was turned on. canny naughty like

That's South Tyneside for you. ( I'm a South Shields lad but haven't lived there since the mid 80's ).

[fin]

hahaha class im south shields too. live at the nook. gods country. centre of the universe. much better than jarra or heburn