Accident Report

[Guppas!]

I thought I would post this just to point out how stupid I can be. Maybe it will help someone else.

Saturday afternoon I decided to continue work on a work bench I've been working on for a year - almost the whole time I've been woodworking. I had my homemade crosscut sled on the table saw. It's design doesn't allow for the original guard. I lifted it off to make a single rip cut, thinking I wouldn't need the guard for one cut. I ran the piece through using two hard maple push sticks. Just after it went through I noticed the cutoff piece dancing by the blade and decided to move it with the stick. I heard a "click" as the stick touched the blade and then all hell broke loose. The blade caught the stick and drove it back into my hand.

The net is, eight stitches in my hand, but no loss of function.

There a couple really stupid things I did here. First of course, is that the guard wasn't on. This would have completely prevented the accident. Secondly, if I had cut the way I had been taught, turning the saw off before removing the piece, it wouldn't have happened. Finally, my homemade push stick, although very stylish, should not have come to a point at the back end. (Damn that was stupid!)

One more point - I should have made sure I could get the first aid kit off of the wall easily. This was the first time it was opened and I didn't even know what was in it. Although things worked out this time maybe I need to think this stuff through some more.

I hope that helps other novices. Thanks.

[gabriel]

Wow! Glad your hand is relatively OK! My first experience with kickback was the same as you, I just heard a click and the piece of wood disappeared. Glad I was not in front of the saw when it happened.

I was working outdoors then, and we found the piece of wood in the backyard of a house two houses down the street!

[Randy Chapman]

Amen to that!

Hrm. You know, my push stick has a pointed back end (where I cut it wrong) -- hadn't even thought of the issue there. I think I'll be making a new one now.

--randy

[acronym]

sorry to hear about your hand, but glad it's not worse. Its good to read these from time to time - I bet it's hard to post something like this to the whole group (especially typing one handed!) Of the 3 things you said you did wrong, I also have one to report - I have no clue where the closest first aid kit (ok, so now I remember, its in the basement with my duck tape, tarp, sw radio flashlight and 20 gallons of water; thanks homeland security) is. I'll get one closer to the workshop (erm, studio).

[Bridger]

I have found one (fairly) safe way to push a cutoff away from a spinning blade..... with a shot or compressed air.

ouch....

[Larry C in Auburn, WA]

All things considered it was your lucky day! Glad to hear you have no permanent damage, either nerves or missing parts. Thanks for the post, I need to go shopping tomorrow for a first aid kit.

[Stuart Wheaton]

Add to this list...

Push the stock and scrap all the way past the blade at the end of the cut. If you had pushed it at least 6" past the blade it never would have been a problem. If there wasn't room to push it past, thats another problem.

[charlie b]

Tried to e-mail you but got a Relaying Denied message.

I've put up a whole section on KICKBACK on my site, in the hopes that the info might save someone some grief. Have a page on push sticks but had overlooked their potential for being kicked back. I'd like to include you're description of your accident in the push stick area. Of course I need your permission and can either attribute it to you or leave it annonymous.

Note the square corners on the simple push stick in the first illustration on this page

If it's ok to use please e-mail me [e-mail]

Thanks

charlie b