Table Saw Safety

(Page 4 of 4)

February/March 1997
By David Mukamal Camp  
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Table Saw Dos and Don'ts

Do

  • Support long material as it comes off the saw.
  • Use push sticks for ripping anything less than 3 inches wide.
  • Wear eye and ear protection.
  • Remove jewelry and restrain long hair and dangling clothing.
  • Push the wood all the way clear of the blade.

Don't

  • Run any machine if you're tired or your brain is chemically altered.
  • Cut anything freehand. Always guide the material with the fence if you're ripping or the miter gauge if you're crosscutting.
  • Crosscut a piece of wood with the end contacting the fence.
  • Stand in line with the blade.
  • Do anything that seems the least bit questionable. Ask yourself if there's a safer way.

The Subtler Dangers

Cutting yourself or getting chips in your eyes are the obvious hazards of using a table saw, but there are others you need to be aware of.

For one thing, your lungs are at risk. Cutting up boards of even the most innocuous wood type creates dust that is a class two carcinogen — as bad for you as inhaling burning tobacco leaves. Then there are other species, including oak and walnut and many exotics, that can have an immediate effect or lead to severe allergic reactions after prolonged exposure. Even if you've resigned yourself to the inevitability of inhaling burning tobacco leaves, you may want to do what you can to save some remnants of your air sacks. Consider a dust collection system to remove the particles as the tool creates them. (For an excellent book on the subject, see Woodshop DustControl, by Sandor Nagyszalanczy, Taunton Press. At the very least, wear a nuisance mask to help filter the air you breathe.

Hearing loss is insidious and cumulative. You won't know you're going deaf until it's too late. Just a few hours of exposure to the decibel level produced by woodworking machines can leave your ears ringing — a sure sign that damage has been done. Use OSHA-approved ear plugs, ear muffs, or both to protect yourself.

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