I'm a newbie at WW and I'm in the process of building Norm's Router table. Everything is actually going together fairly well.
This morning I had my first accident. I must say I'm still a bit intimidated by the tablesaw. It's a RYOBI BTS20. I know, I shoulda bought better.
Anyways, I've made a habit of cutting and leaving the board on tbe saw, turning off the saw then pulling the would off. This morning I had a board 15 inches long. I made a cross cut to remove 3 inches. The fence was on the left side of the blade. So, I make the cut and take both hands of the board, step to the left a bit to turn off the saw and the damn 12 inch piece comes flying off the table and cracks me in the forearm!
Did I do something wrong??? Is my blade getting dull?
that's one thing you did wrong. If the saw is running, it's going to vibrate and the wood will want to walk around. Murphy's law says it's going to walk directly into the spinning blade, then go for a short flight.
Learn to turn the saw off with one hand, preferably without looking, so you can keep both eyes on the blade.
Yes, you used to fence during cross cutting the board. Eventually, as you found, a board will bind on the blade and come flying off. Consider yourself lucky if you didn't get a serious injury. This event happens on all saws. Jim
I agree he did something wrong, I just disagree on what (unless he actually do what you think). In that case he did things wrong... :(
It's not absolutely clear he used the fence to guide the crosscut, but if he did, I'll agree that's mistake number one.
The mistake I see is leaving the material on the saw table w/ the blade running w/o having it secured.
To OP, in my opinion trying to turn the saw off at the earliest possible instant isn't a necessary action. My recommendation is to complete the cut ensuring the cutoff piece is well past the blade using a push stick if necessary to avoid getting close to the blade and pull the primary piece away from the blade. Then you can go ahead and turn the saw off at leisure knowing there's no loose piece waiting to get flung at you.
I don't know the arrangement of the on/off switch on this saw but a nice feature is to have a large "panic button" push switch in a location where it can easily be hit w/ a knee or thigh (w/o, obviously, going through contortions which would cause a loss of balance, etc.).
Yup I screwed up and used the fence for the crosscut. The problm I have is there's so little table leading in that I can't use the miter guage. I guess I'll have to make a sled or just pony up for a new saw!
It is good practice to remove cut-offs from the table top as you cut them. Put them on your bench or at very least on the opposite side of the fence (with fence well away from blade as others have mentioned).
I developed this habit after a slightly worse accident than you describe. Years ago I cut off several small spacers allowing them to accumulate near the back of the table. I turned the saw off and as I walked away I noticed one still on the table. I stupidly reached over the blade and guess what - it was still moving.
"TonyP" wrote in news:1123783254.014580.144680 @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:
Nothing wrong with that saw...
Were you using both the miter gauge *and* fence in the crosscut? That's always a No-No. Never trap the cutoff portion of the wood between the blade and fence. Slide the fence way off to one side, or construct a "short-fence/stop-block".
"Hands on the board" - using two hands might actually lead you to tilting the piece into the blade. Does for some, doesn't for others. And as for "hands" - you *do* have push sticks, right???
Reaching for the off-switch: consider making yourself a knee activated off switch. Most woodworkers figure out a way to craft one for their saws for that rare occasion when you need to kill the power without letting go.
Getting whacked - remember to try and find a place to stand that keeps you out of the line of fire without compromising your balance or safety.
Finally - make a crosscut sled or panel cutting sled for crosscuts, you'll be very glad you did!
Maybe. It sounds like somehow the peice came in contact with the spinning blade. Either you moved it there or it vibrated there and became a projectile.
Yes... Every time you use it, it dulls a little! :) I doubt that this had anything to do with your kickback.
I don't like to think of this as a "panic button", but rather as a convenient knee switch for everyday use.
I have a proper magnetic contactor on my saw, so I can very easily add stop switches (just wire them up in series). I have one on each side of it, with knee paddles. I very rarely turn it off with my hand - much easier to use a knee and leave both hands free for hold-down.
I'll say it a little differently than other people. Planning... Get your =
self a book on the use of the table saw. Read the safety instructions -- =
at least twice. But other people gave great advice -- so absorb it and=20 use the safety information that works for you!
Assume you are going to do something wrong -- every time you use a power =
tool. Then figure out how you will get out of the problem -- then do=20 that stuff first...
i.e. -- assume the cut goes wrong and you need a piece of wood handy to=20 reach over and trip the switch etc. Assume that you will need to power=20 off in a hurry -- so position yourself close to the switch. Make sure=20 that you have a clear work area in case you have to knock something out=20 of the way quickly. etc. (Then of course you would have had only one=20 thing on the saw top... unless you know how to use a fence with a little =
block of wood to use it as a stop gauge.)
Paranoia is healthy when working with power tools.
Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that "they" _aren't_ out to=20 get you. :-)
I actually use the leather apron all the time -- and use the face mask=20 if an off-cut is small. I assume that it will fly off -- then I try to=20 be "out of the line of fire".
Think safety -- live long and make much sawdust.
--=20 Will R. Jewel Boxes and Wood Art
formatting link
power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20 who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw
THAT's when you have to really pay attention. It's a modified version of ' "It's awfully quiet out there. Too quiet." - he says as, in the darkness, the Apache creeps up on him from the rear, knife in hand and eyes fixed - on his neck.
Oh yeah - just add a few more horsepower and a full kerf blade to make things safer . . .
Not sure if you're talking about the miter fence or the rip fence. If it was the rip fence - and you were using it to set the off cut length you were asking for trouble. The cut off would have no place to go if anything goes wrong - except up and into the rear teeth and from there only the gods know where it'll head. The Flip 'N Fly "kickback" is the most unpredictable but being to the left of the blade is not the safest place to be on that one.
Wrong-o, Wrong-o, Wrong-o. First pull the wood AWAY from the blade, hold it with one hand and turn off the saw. Letting go of anything up against or close to carbide teeth spinning at 5000+ rpms just isn't prudent.
I'm betting that some part of the cut off end of the board made contact with a rear tooth - the one coming UP and out of the table. It in turn probably lifted it up into a tooth or two that was less vertical, pulling the board up onto the teeth that are heading towards the front of the table.
When I do something like this I just assume it was the loose nut in front of the machine - me.
Perhaps some info of what is doing what and what you can do to minimize IT doing something TO YOU is in order. If you understand "why" you can minimize the "WHAT!?" that precedes the "DAMN!" or worse yet, getting to know the folks at the nearest emergency room.
I suppose...never thought of it in that specific manner, however. I just make sure the cutoff is cleared of the blade so isn't there to get 'pinched'...
Good point, Joe... I missed the part about both hands off the Board...
With a 15" piece of stock I'm not letting go of the sucker until it's lying on the bench or something.... then, if I'm not cutting something else, I'll use the push stick to clear the piece I cut off and turn the saw off...
I know, it's overkill, but I think that having a healthy respect/fear is why I've been playing with power tools for about 50 years still have all my body parts, as old and creaky as they may be... YMMV
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