The essential guide to using your tablesaw safely

The tablesaw is the biggest threat for a woodworker because it’s the tool that sees the most action in a home workshop. It would seem logical that a multi-tooth blade spinning at more than 8,000 rpm should command a level of respect and caution; however, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, of the 720,000 injuries in Canada associated with woodworking each year, 42 per cent happened at the tablesaw. Five per cent of these patients required hospitalization. This figure is 15 times the number of incidents associated with radial-arm saws or routers.

Getting ready to go

The first consideration when working with a tablesaw is to ensure that there is sufficient space to work in. The floor must be clear of all debris and clutter. According to the National Safety Council, there should be at least 3' of clear, open space on the side of the saw where you feed the stock into the blade. There should also be enough space on the outfeed side of the saw to accept the length and width of the stock being cut.

Once there is sufficient space, the problem of ripping lumber needs to be addressed. The major problem you face when ripping a long board is that it falls off the outfeed side of the table. As the board goes, there is a tendency to reach over the blade to catch the lumber. Prevent this situation by using either an outfeed table or rollers. By setting the table or rollers to the height of the saw’s table, the ripped lumber will not fall and there is no temptation to reach over the blade.

On guard for you

Most of the dangers connected to tablesaw operation can be eliminated by using a guard that completely covers the blade and also floats to accommodate stock thickness. A properly functioning guard will rise above the stock when it is being cut while covering the teeth that are coming up through the lumber. It should also be designed to cover the blade when the blade is tilted. The guard not only reduces the chance of you placing your fingers in harm’s way; it also reduces the possibility of kickbacks and prevents thrown objects or flying blade fragments from striking you.

Most saw guards are made up of three parts: a cover over the moving blade, a splitter behind the blade and anti-kickback pawls beside the splitter.

The plastic cover keeps your fingers away from the moving blade. The splitter maintains the kerf width, which prevents the wood from pinching the blade and ejecting back toward you. This sudden ejection is known as kickback.

The anti-kickback pawls on the guard have small, sharp teeth that are designed to grab the board and prevent it from shooting back out of the saw and striking you in the chest or abdomen. A piece of wood ejected from a tablesaw travels with a great deal of force over a long distance. A 2" x 2" x 16" scrap has enough force to pierce a fibreglass garage door situated about 20' from the saw.

 

 

There are two other devices that prevent kickback. The first is a featherboard. Featherboards are the fingered devices that attach to the saw to hold the board against the fence while ripping. These can either be purchased or shopmade. It is important to ensure that you place the featherboard so that it will not cause the wood to bind against the blade. The second device is a hold-down, which could be a featherboard that is attached to the saw’s fence. The purpose of the hold-down is to ensure that the wood does not ride up as the blade makes its cut.

Guards will not make a tablesaw completely safe. It is critical that you are always aware of how close your hand is to the blade. Even the best saw guard could allow a finger to slip under and get badly injured.

Manufacturers of tablesaws typically colour the area immediately surrounding the blade a bright red, yellow or green. The colour indicates that if you are in this area, then you are way too close to the blade. Most people refer to this area as the “danger zone.”

Most experts agree that if the distance between the blade and the fence is less than 6", then a pushstick or a pushblock must be used. There are a wide variety of pushsticks available. Some of these devices straddle the fence, while others look like modified saw handles with a small lip to push the wood through the blade.

If the space is sufficient to push the wood with your hand, hook your thumb over the edge of the board, then place your baby finger on the fence. Be sure it remains in contact with the fence throughout the entire cut. This manoeuvre keeps your hand a safe distance from the saw blade. However, if you are not sure or feel uncomfortable, use a pushstick.

Sizing things up

You should never freehand a tablesaw cut. The chance of the wood binding and kicking back is just too great. When you are ripping a board, always use your fence, featherboards and hold-downs. When cross cutting a board, use a stop block along with your mitre gauge. As you use the mitre gauge, the stop block provides a gap that keeps the cut portion of the board from binding up against the blade and the fence.

If you attempt to cut small slices off the edge of a board, you may soon discover that the space between the edge of the blade and the width of the slot in the insert is too large. This situation results in either the piece of wood dropping through the slot of the insert or the wood binding as it passes along the insert. To eliminate this problem, you need a zero-clearance insert, which has an opening just big enough to accommodate the width of the blade. In fact, you create an exact fit by cutting the slot in the zero-clearance insert yourself on your tablesaw.

 

 

Choosing the correct blade and making sure that it is in good operating condition is not only a safety consideration but it also affects the performance of the blade. Blades will only perform as designed if they are installed, operated and maintained in accordance with their instructions. A poorly maintained blade will cause errors in cutting as well as be a safety concern.

A blade that is out of round will place uneven strain on itself as it is used, which may cause it to run out of line, heat up, warp or crack. Most often, a crack will begin in one of the gullets of the blade. Never use a cracked saw blade. If one continues to be used, the crack will grow larger and eventually cause the blade to break and a piece to fly off.

Blades must be kept sharp if the saw is to work at top efficiency. A dull blade will not cut; rather, it will pound or burn itself through the wood, resulting in excessive vibration and heating, and a crack in the blade will occur.

Saw blades must be kept clean and free of pitch buildup. When a blade becomes gummed, you must use an appropriate cleaner. Check with the blade manufacturer for a recommended cleaning material. If the wrong cleaner is used, it could corrode the blade, resulting in the carbide tips coming off.

Place the blade properly

Make sure that the blade is correctly placed on the arbor and the saw operates at the correct speed for the blade. One source of heat buildup often overlooked is the height of the blade when it is in operation. Blades with a set height should not extend higher than one tooth-height above the board. Carbide-tooth blades should not extend higher than half a tooth above the wood. Hollow-ground or planer blades should be as far above the wood as possible to avoid binding.

Changing blades is a task that is a prime source for injuries. There are some simple precautions to follow. Here is the only time you should wear gloves when working with a tablesaw. First, make sure the saw has been turned off using the kill switch on the saw. Then make sure the plug has been removed from the wall. Once the insert has been removed, you will need to secure the blade while the arbor is loosened. There are commercially available covers that can be used for this job, or you can take a set of wooden clamps and secure them to the blade, being careful not to damage it.

Once the blade has been changed, make sure that the insert is properly reinstalled and all the tools have been moved away from the tablesaw. At this point, the saw should be ready to fire up. As with any maintenance on workshop equipment, you should refer to the owner’s manual to make sure that the job is done in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended procedures.

The tablesaw is probably the most frequently used power tool in the shop. Because of that, it is not surprising that it causes the most injuries. However, with proper use and care, it can give many hours of safe operation.

 

 

Dress for success

Safety, not fashion, dictates what to wear in the shop. You must be comfortable while working; however, the wrong clothes can be just as dangerous as working without a guard system. The basic piece of safety gear is eye protection. You need to protect your eyes from flying debris and sawdust by wearing impact-resistant goggles or safety glasses with side shields. Because most tablesaws operate at more than 90 decibels, hearing protection is also a must. Long sleeves must be rolled up over the elbow–even better, wear short sleeves. Remove all rings, watches, bracelets or other jewelry that may get caught while cutting. To prevent slips and falls, wear shoes with rubber soles.

Dust collecting

Most saws don’t have a built-in dust collection system. If there is a way to connect a dust collector, use it and make sure that the collector is equipped with a filter capable of collecting the small particles that pose the greatest health hazard. If dust collection is not possible at the saw, then consider a room filtering system. These units filter the ambient air in your shop. The problem with these units is that they still allow exposure to dust, so wear a dust mask while cutting.

Blade care

When making a cut, you should never need to force the wood. If a lot of pressure is required to make the cut, it may be time to have your blade sharpened. Aside from dull blades, the most common cause of resistance is a dirty table surface or fence edge. Typically, an accumulation of pitch builds up on the cutting surfaces and they become sticky. There are a number of cleaners available to solve this problem, many of which are citrus-based and environmentally friendly. Check with your owner’s manual to see what is recommended. If there is no reference to a cleaning product, check your cleaner to ensure that it is compatible with the steel or aluminum of the saw’s table and fence. The last thing you want is a cleaner that causes the saw’s surface to become pitted by corrosion, causing gouges to be created as your lumber passes through the saw.

 

 

 

 

 


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