Table Saw Safety

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I've heard that almost everyone who's been bitten by this tool "knew" it was about to happen. In some cases they knew better than to make a cut a certain way, but went ahead because they were in a rush. In others, they heard a little voice in the back of their heads say "wait a minute" just as they were about to make the cut.

If you hear that little voice, pay attention to it. Stop and rethink what you are about to do. Ask yourself if there is a safer way. Can you make a jig that will give you more control?

Don't rush. A trip to the hospital can seriously cut into your work schedule. And don't forget that sometimes the best approach to using a table saw safely is to turn off the lights, lock up the shop, and come back to the project another day.

A Word About Guards

Most of us never install the guards that come with our table saws. The factory-provided guards are all poorly designed; I think machinery manufacturers know we won't use them, so they put little effort into making them well. At best, the guards are awkward and inconvenient. At worst, they are actually a serious safety hazard — you can't see what's happening, they interfere with the cut, and can even cause a kickback.

Table saw guards have two basic components: 1) a shield to cover the spinning blade; and 2) a splitter with anti-kickback pawls. The splitter holds the two halves of the board apart so they don't pinch the back of the blade, and the anti-kickback pawls grab into the wood, allowing it to move in only one direction.

Part of the problem with the guard and splitter is that they can only be used when crosscutting or ripping all the way through a board. If you want to cut a groove, raise a panel, or make any of the basic woodworking joints, they have to come off — even if you're simply removing them in order to take pictures as we do. So it is imperative that any guard be easy to remove and re-install.

Beismeyer and Delta have developed after-market guards that can be purchased as accessories for most machines. The shield on these devices hovers over the blade, suspended by a long arm that reaches over from the side of the machine, allowing clearance for ripping material of any width. It's easy to swing the shield up out of the way or remove it from the supporting arm. The splitters made by these two companies can be removed and installed quickly, without tools. Delta uses a knurled knob that you screw and unscrew; Beismeyer has a simpler, spring-loaded pin that allows the user to snap the splitter in place without even removing the saw's throat plate.

In my shop, I use the Beismeyer splitter with the Delta guard, and I find them so effective that I leave them in place whenever an operation will allow — even when taking photos for my articles.

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