Table Saw Safety in the Workshop

1 / 12
Basic hearing and eye protection is step one.
Basic hearing and eye protection is step one.
2 / 12
Sizing a strip on table saw.
Sizing a strip on table saw.
3 / 12
Using a miter gauge to control the workpiece during a crosscut.
Using a miter gauge to control the workpiece during a crosscut.
4 / 12
If the strip you're cutting off is less than 1 1/2-inches wide, you can use a push stick to apply pressure against the fence, as shown in photo 2.
If the strip you're cutting off is less than 1 1/2-inches wide, you can use a push stick to apply pressure against the fence, as shown in photo 2.
5 / 12
Avoid using the fence to guide a piece that is wider than it is long.
Avoid using the fence to guide a piece that is wider than it is long.
6 / 12
Clamp the stop block to the fence near the front of the table (photo 5), so that you can reference the wood for the cut without anything pushing the cut piece into the back of the blade.
Clamp the stop block to the fence near the front of the table (photo 5), so that you can reference the wood for the cut without anything pushing the cut piece into the back of the blade.
7 / 12
Measure from the blade to the block (photo 4) and secure the fence.
Measure from the blade to the block (photo 4) and secure the fence.
8 / 12
Feather boards (photo 6) are handy to help hold the wood against the fence.
Feather boards (photo 6) are handy to help hold the wood against the fence.
9 / 12
Commercial feather boards are available; I have one that locks in place in the miter gauge slot and features a metal arm that helps hold the wood down on the tabletop as well (photo 7).
Commercial feather boards are available; I have one that locks in place in the miter gauge slot and features a metal arm that helps hold the wood down on the tabletop as well (photo 7).
10 / 12
You might also consider buying a ripping guide like the one in photo 8.
You might also consider buying a ripping guide like the one in photo 8.
11 / 12
You need an extra long push stick, as shown in photo 9 (see Image Gallery), to get the material all the way past the blade.
You need an extra long push stick, as shown in photo 9 (see Image Gallery), to get the material all the way past the blade.
12 / 12
There are several versions available, but they all work similarly. Spring-loaded rollers press the wood down and toward the fence and roll in only one direction, eliminating the risk of kickback.
There are several versions available, but they all work similarly. Spring-loaded rollers press the wood down and toward the fence and roll in only one direction, eliminating the risk of kickback.

Taming the most dangerous tool in the shop. Learn about table saw safety in your workshop. (See the table saw photos in the image gallery.)

In my shop, the table saw is the most essential tool. I need it almost as much as I need my thumbs, but I never forget which is more important. And I never forget which one could potentially remove the other.

A table saw is arguably the most dangerous tool in the woodshop, but a basic understanding of table saw safety, the machine and a few simple precautions will keep you from harm. Most table saw injuries are caused by a phenomenon known as kickback — surrendering control of the material to the machine. When kickback occurs, two things can happen: 1) you can be struck, hard, by flying wood; or 2) as the wood takes off, it can pull portions of your anatomy into the spinning blade.

When a saw blade is spinning, its teeth rise up out of the table at the farthest end and travel towards you, reaching a peak at the center of their rotation; then they plunge back down below the surface of the tabletop. After they reach the peak, their forces are downward, meeting the resistance of the table. At the back of the blade, however, the forces are upward; the blade wants to lift the wood up and fling it toward you. If the vibration of the machine causes a cutoff piece to contact the back of the blade, it will throw it. Thus, rule number one: Stand to one side of the blade; stay out of the path of fire. More important, though, is to keep material from coming in contact with the back of the blade.

A Binding Contact

  • Published on Feb 1, 1997
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368