table saw training

[vavet]

I hear table saws are incredibly dangerous. I'm 41. Dad gave me his table saw when I was ~25 as he and Mom were downsizing. I never had any training. Any time I've seen a safety tip, I think back and can usually remember doing exactly the thing they warn against - standing behind the saw where I could be subject to a kickback, removing guards, using both a fence and a miter gauge, etc.

I've tried to incorporate the safety tips into my use of the table saw as I've learned them, but I'm sure there are a lot more I haven't seen yet. I guess I'm fortunate that I still have all 10 fingers.

So where does one go to learn how to properly use a table saw? I never took wood shop in high school. I was under the impression at that point in my life that I had rhythm, so I was in the band. In hindsight, that was probably not the best use of my time. Seems like a lot of people just learn these things from their relatives.

 

[woody 73]

Most (key word) woodworking places hold shop classes and they charge a very small fee, something like a few dollars for any shop supplies and a few dollars for the instructors time, etc.

places like the following are good examples look for ones in your area:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Stores/Default.aspx

If you have any vocational schools they sometimes offer a few fun classes for older adults wanting to take shop class or other types of classes like cooking., etc.

Hope that gives you a good start.

 

[dogdog]

Table saw is one of those tools that you respect it and really take common sense on safety.... but other than that, I really don't have an uncle Bob relative that is into wood working or any woodworking shops in HS.... I learned just from watching others work in videos/mags / books.... not much about that other than actually doing some simple projects... like a table sled / and other jigs, if you table saw supports it, a book shelf, a box those things.... but I find wood is not cheap either.... but more readily available in near by stores than metal.


the new yankee workshop even the old videos are nice.
Taunton press stuff for mag and books and dvd.
american woodshop
Woodsmith

and some youtube guy are really great....
I like these guys, one of them is not the best in safety lessons to learn from though.... I am pretty sure a lot of others out there...

 

[rlitman]

I hear table saws are incredibly dangerous...

Excellent, so you've been using your hearing protection. That's a good start.
Safety glasses are also too frequently overlooked. I've had the tablesaw throw splinters at my face, and the last thing you want to do is be closing your eyes or ducking, while you're pushing stock past the blade.

My other pieces of required safety equipment are a leather apron, and push sticks in easy reach (one nice one, and a few sacrificial wooden ones).

Next, I suggest you follow the first Rule of Thumb. You have two right? Keep it that way. Ok suppose maybe it should be named the Rule of ThumbS.

Beyond that, I think the best advice I can provide is to seek out hands on training. Youtube can show you what to do, but will not correct your mistakes. That can come in many forms, some free, some not so free.

Box stores (such as Home Depot or Lowes) often run classes and do projects. They're generally safer activities like tiling, but you may be able to find someone there to give you pointers, or lead you in the right direction.

You can ask around at a place like Woodcraft (mentioned above, or perhaps a lumberyard) to see if/when they're running a workshop or show.

If not, they may know about a local woodworking association that can hook you up.

Community colleges often offer continuing education at better prices than trade schools...

Finally, you can search for a "makerspace" in your area. Or perhaps a meetup of like minded people where many may be further along than yourself.

 

[Roberts210]

There are some basic rules I go by when I use my Unisaw.

As can be seen, it has no blade guard. I've never used a blade guard and the reason is I don't think they are safe--they get in my way at critical times.
Here are my safety rules.

(1) I ALWAYS use pusher sticks except when cutting large pieces of plywood. Mine are just lengths of 2X2 about 20 inches long. My left hand pusher stick holds the piece against the fence while the right hand pusher stick pushes the piece through the blade.

(2) I frequently make sure the fence is absolutely parallel to the blade. I do this with a dial indicator. Harbor Freight will have one cheap or you can get an older U.S. made one on ebay at a good price. Make sure the fence is parallel to the blade and you will have hugely reduced the chances of a kickback.

(3) Get a good fence. As can be seen I've got a Bieseimer fence on this saw. The Bieseimer secures at the front only and won't give when locked down. The saw came with Delta's stock fence which has to be secured at both front and back of the table--doing it this way often causes the fence to be out of parallel with the blade. I think those types of fences are dangerous and I am extremely careful if I ever have to use a saw that has one like that.

(4) My fingers NEVER get closer to a spinning blade than 10 inches in ANY direction. I imagine a half sphere or bubble around the spinning blade--the bubble extends out 10 inches in all directions, left, right, front, back and above. When the blade is running I never get my fingers or any part of my body within that bubble.

There is one exception to that bubble rule. When I use a jig, such as this 1172 tenoning jig my hands come within a few inches of the blade, but as can be seen there is a lot of cast iron between my hands and the blade.

 

[My Old Tools]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1561584266/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[homec]

Wrote something longer but browser crashed...

#1 piece of safety advice. Ban distractions from the area. No kids, dog or wife. If they have to be present, they have to be still and quiet while you're using the saw. If they can't be, they should be elsewhere. I apply that rule anytime I'm using a saw. Accidents happen fast and while I can't be bothered to dig in to it, I'd bet that distractions are the #1 cause..

Also, I know your saw is old, but if you download any new table saw manual from dewalt or other manufacturer, there will be detailed instructions on what not to do. IIRC mine had a couple pages of "DO NOT DO X" type text.

 

[Adam.C]

I'd sell it. They are dangerous. And I've seen the statistics and met a lot of woodworkers. Its not the newbies that cut themselves. 30,000 table saw accidents each year in the US alone. 3000 amputations. If you want to take up woodworking, either get a saw stop saw, or a track saw (my preference). All spinning blades are dangerous, but the run of the mill US table saw is positively Victorian.

Track saws excel at sheet goods. if you are working hardwood, I think you are better off with a bandsaw and a hand plane.

 

[Tim37]

1 Keep your body parts away from sharp spinning things.

2 wear eye protection

3 keep as little of the sharp spinning thing exposed as possible

4 stand to the side of things you are cutting in case of kickback.

5 push sticks are your friend

6 YouTube has tones of good videos watch a few.

 

[cowboy73]

One tip I didn't see, always use sharp saw blades!!! Dull blades are more dangerous just like dull knife blades are.

 

[Git]

Get a good push block that will keep your fingers away from the blade
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001I9UNWC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I agree about the distractions - I have a lock on the inside of my garage door so no one can come out into the garage when I have machinery running

When using a fence, you need to make sure that the piece against the fence does not get wedged which will cause a kickback. (make sure your pushing the work through the blade from the fence side) That is what I like about some of the european type fences, you can set it to the length of the fence only goes to the blade

 

[Whitworth]

Kelly Mehler book and/or his video(s)

Buy or make proper push sticks, (and remember they are consumable.)

Align the fence.

Eye protection and ear protection.

 

[firworks]

My table saw is not very loud in comparison to almost any of the other tools. A router is blastingly loud in comparison.

I actually think the table saw is one of the safer woodworking tools IF you take the proper precautions and understand how it works. Moving a work piece smoothly through a blade with a support of either a miter gauge or the fence is pretty predictable. With a riving knife to prevent kickback / binding and respect for the fact that it IS a spinning blade you should not be afraid of it. I know people who've had a router catch or bind and had to throw it. A flying router is pretty damn dangerous and when it lands it usually shoots to the side until you can kill the power. Like others above said, use push sticks to keep your hands away from the blade where reasonable, never stand in line with the blade, make sure your fence is paralell to the blade or even slightly away from the blade at the far end. Don't use a miter gauge AND a fence at the same time without a spacer block that ends before the blade starts. Zero clearance insert plates can help prevent small cut offs from falling into the opening and hitting the blade usually causing a chip to fly out. Also a nice safety feature I've got on my saw is a microjig MJ Splitter. It provides force keeping the work piece up against the fence behind the blade preventing it from pinching around the back of the blade and kicking back or binding.

One of the things that will require some "feel" and experience is detecting reaction wood. Some woods have an internal tension and when you cut them it releases causing the cut wood to bend. Often times this will cause it to clamp down onto the blade which is a common source of kickback. As you start to cut this kind of wood it will feel weird and you'll feel a bit of upwards pressure lifting the wood. If you can just slowly back the work piece up a bit and kill the power. It's particularly common when people try to use framing lumber for woodworking projects because it is often evergreen wood that grows in windy areas where the trees grow resisting a cross wind. I've not really seen it in most other types of wood.

One of the worst things you can do using the table saw is be afraid of it and not be secure and in control. Study some videos, make sure you understand how it works, the motions you will need to do to perform your cut. Maybe even take a marker and draw a line on the table saw where your safe zone is. Plan your cut, setup for it, execute the cut. After a few times you'll become more comfortable and you'll probably find it to be the most useful woodworking tool in your shop.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Some great tips so far ! Fear is bad. A healthy respect of power tools is GOOD !

One thing that is very difficult to do on a table saw is cut down 4x8 sheet goods. You need wide side extensions and an infeed and outfeed supports (rollers/table). For a rookie, you are much better off having the lumber yard cut down the pieces into more manageable sizes (don't buy the pre-cut pieces; they charge an arm and a leg for them).

Most yards only guarantee +/- 1/2", plus you loose the width of the blade (kerf). If you need 2 pieces EXACTLY 24" wide, start with 2 full sheet and have them cut them to 25" wide. Then you can set the fence on your saw and do the final cut. The final cut should be OPPOSITE any factory edge.

Besides having a good fence (or using a big C clamp on one end) the next important thing is a GOOD, carbide tipped blade. More teeth usually mean a cleaner cut. If you need a good clean edge, put masking tape down on you cut line. It will help reduce tearout/splintering.

 

[CJM8515]

I dont have one, but back in HS woodshop class we all used it. HOWEVER it had a large rip fence type guard on it and another guard after the blade that would guide the wood. No one ever got kickback, teacher showed us once how it happens and it broke the reinforced window in the door that led outside.

I did use one without a guard to do tenons for a mortise and tenon table I made. I was only allowed to do so as I had demonstrated over the years (took shop class every year but one) I was responsible. Even then the jig I used I was VERY careful and didnt get my fingers 6" near the blade and used push sticks always otherwise.

 

[Autonomous]

A big one: Set the depth of the blade to extend above the wood no more than 1/4 inch. It cuts cleaner and if you screw up then you won't cut an entire finger off.

Here are a few good tips as well.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/table-saws/how-to-use-a-table-saw-ripping-boards-safely/view-all



Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[pcmeiners]

When you are at a table saw, it should be your world once you hands are near the blade. Anyone wants to talk to you while your at the saw, refuse. Anyone wants to walk near you, don't let them. Look at the blade area, nothing else, do not let outside noise cause distractions. Never use a saw when overly tired/ or frustrated. If you must guide wood close to the blade with fingers, lock 2 or 3 fingers either over the fence guide, or in the guide's slot.
Had a kick back accident, shingle kicked back, drove a 1 inch long 1/2" wide 5/16" piece into my palm, just missed a major nerve. Damn did that hurt.
Witnessed an accident. I entered a wood shop door, worker looked up and ran his hand through the blade, tip of his middle finger to the bottom of his palm. Luckily the blade was about 5/16" above the work, a lot of blood, no major damage. He ignored a golden rule, but at least the blade was just above the work.

 

[jar944]

I'd sell it. They are dangerous. And I've seen the statistics and met a lot of woodworkers. Its not the newbies that cut themselves. 30,000 table saw accidents each year in the US alone. 3000 amputations. If you want to take up woodworking, either get a saw stop saw, or a track saw (my preference). All spinning blades are dangerous, but the run of the mill US table saw is positively Victorian.

Track saws excel at sheet goods. if you are working hardwood, I think you are better off with a bandsaw and a hand plane.

Selling it is a bit extreme.

Track saws are really nice for certain operations as are bandsaw, neither replace a tablesaw imho

 

[Gizmosity]

I have taught woodworking for about 15 years. There's a bunch of basic woodworking textbooks with basic tool safety. I like 'Cabinetmaking and Millwork' by John L. Feirer. The one I have is OLD, not sure if it's been updated, but it's a good reference.

There's been quite a bit of good advise here, I'd add the following:

Anything under 4" wide, use a push shoe. Ive seen a lifetime of push sticks/push shoes examples. Those long sticks with notches? Don't use those. Use a push shoe that has a good 8-10 inches of material contact so you can transfer a downward force on the material.

Many tablesaw accidents occur AFTER the cut, while you're reaching over the blade with your left hand grabbing your off cut to get it out of the way or grab your workpiece to make another cut. Don't do that.

Stand with your body 45degrees to the fence and your right hip to the left of the blade. your effective force vector pushing from that angle provides a force through the blade and against the fence.

Plan your cuts and avoid trapping material between the blade and fence.

Keep a foxtail brush on the saw and use it to sweep dust off, not your fingers. You can guess why.

Respect it.

I had a mentor, maybe 25 years ago tell me to always ask one question before I performed any operation "If it slips, where's it going to go?" I ask myself that question to this day before I do any separating operations. If the answer is into the blade, I rethink my approach.

I have Sawstop saws for class. They are great saws. They have amazingly good guards, splitters and kickback prawls. I would use a Sawstop guard if it fit my saw. I don't have a Sawstop at home. I don't think I want one at home, but that's just me.

 

[rick carpenter]

VAvet, I suggest you find a local church that has a volunteer crew that does rehab/rebuild projects in the community. Contact them and ask if one or more of them would want to give you some hands-on training. I'm sure they'd love to. I know we would at our church, but we're in East Texas.

Another possibility is finding your local "artsy-fartsy" house builder and asking to intern with him/her. We've got a guy here who builds oddball homes out of re-purposed wood, pallets, etc.

 

[Roberts210]

When I first started working professionally with wood, in Santa Fe, N.M. in 1976, I had no table saw, but I did have a brand new Craftsman radial arm saw. One day I was driving to a neighboring town to pick up some wood, and saw a guy hitch-hiking. He had a white bandage around his right hand. I picked him up. It was apparent he was missing fingers and it was apparent by the red stains on the white bandage what had happened to him was fairly recent. He told me he had cut all four fingers off on a friend's table saw that morning, and was hitch-hiking back home from the E.R. He didn't look or sound very happy. He said he hadn't done much wood working. This really sobered me up about the dangers of power saws.

 

[My Old Tools]

I use a sled for all cross cuts. I use push shoes that actually hold the wood. Push shoes are sacrificial. If I can't jig it or use the appropriate push shoes and hold downs, I use a handsaw or bandsaw. I don't use a guard, my personal preference. I've been using a table saw for over 40 years. The only time it scared me was using a molding head. It caught the (short) stick I was molding and shattered the throat plate (MDF). I no longer use a molding head on the table saw. I bought a shaper and a power feed.

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have a bunch of HF push sticks, they are pretty cheap, and I'm sure they have saved my fingers a few times

 

[Infinia]

When I first started working professionally with wood, in Santa Fe, N.M. in 1976, ...snip.
This really sobered me up about the dangers of power saws.

don't drink and cut wood
strangely two of my HS shop teachers had severe hand disfigurements.
never did ask em what happened

 

[firworks]

I have a bunch of HF push sticks, they are pretty cheap, and I'm sure they have saved my fingers a few times

The bright orange ones? Those are my current favorites. I've tried push shoes several times and I do not like them at all. I feel like I've got perfect control and downforce using a pair of push sticks. Plus I can keep my hands a reasonable distance away with them.

 

[rlitman]

I have a bunch of HF push sticks, they are pretty cheap, and I'm sure they have saved my fingers a few times

I've always liked that style of push stick, so when they went on sale for 97 cents, I bought a few. The bright orange ones are actually quite good.

The only catch is I do not use them near the blade. That's a place for a wooden push stick, where if the blade makes contact it just tears out some wood, and doesn't throw the stick. When I have scraps that are the right size for push sticks, I'll cut out a few on the scroll saw. They tend to look exactly like the HF ones.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Rather than a push stick to hold the material to the fence, I will use a featherboard secured through the slot for the mitre guage, opposite the blade

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Roberts210]

........I feel like I've got perfect control and downforce using a pair of push sticks. Plus I can keep my hands a reasonable distance away with them.

DITTO!! I've used mine so long they feel like an extension of my arms.

 

[tarmy]

View attachment 591452

Alot of good advice...but I have one I did not see. My shop teacher taught me years ago that you should always keep your eyes on the spinning blade...and the reason why is that your brain will not let you stick your fingures near it...darwin or something...

It is amazing to me but it works...you will find yourself watching that and your hands/fingers will intuitively stay away...

This picture shows my outfeed table...very important on long rips of sheets...

 

[tarmy]

View attachment 591453

Forgot to say this too...get a safety switch so you can shut off saw quick and easy...also, if you bind something and don't want to let go of it for fear of flying wood...you can use your knee.

In both pictures you can see the orange push sticks..right where they are easy to get...and have no excuse for not using!!!

 

[DenisG]

Here's a way to find a woodworking teacher: https://takelessons.com/