Learn from my kickback event.

[Doug Miller]

No, to avoid having the nearly-useless-to-begin-with pawls push a narrow offcut *into* the blade. Just like what happened to the OP.

[robo hippy]

I can't remember (the memory is the second thing that goes as you get older. I can't remember what the first thing was.) where I saw it, maybe Woodshop News. It was one of those things that makes sense to me, like why didn't I think of that. robo hippy

[marks542004]

I have seen this happen and we used to demonstrate to students why you do not stand behind the blade.

Our saws had a kickback pawl only on the piece against the fence if wide enough.

As was explained to me if the offcut piece is very small the air movement between it and the blade can suck it into contact. If it touches a tooth travelling nearly parrallel to the table it can catch and be thrown at nearly the blade speed.

We always cut small stock with the blade set for maximum depth.

I dont really know if this explanation is correct but it made sense to me at the time.

I have made a hold-down of sorts using a piece of weather seal. The aluminum and rubber strip to seal the bottom of the door. Clamped at the right height behind the blade it provides a drag on the workpiece.

[CC]

Reading the OP's original description, that is the first thing I thought too. That the paws pushed the thin cutoff into the blade. I am not too impressed with the paws either. They seem to work ok for wide pieces, but not for thin strips and seem to be problematic as they are loose and tend to be floppy. Easily slipping off or not engaging a narrow cutoff. Chuck

[Jeff Gorman]

"Billy Smith" wrote

You might be interested to know that the arguments about blade height are rehearsed on my web site - Circular Sawbench Safety - Blades.

Jeff G

[Jeff Gorman]

"robo hippy" wrote

It seems to me that unless it is quite long, a push stick that rides in the channel of a fence will, as the leading end approaches the cutting edge, take the hand too near the teeth.

The work situation should be that the reflex forward movement that happens when something goes wrong will not take the hand near the blade.

Jeff G

[Eddie Munster]

often times I stand at the side/end of my unisaw and use the hold down pusher thingys that came with my jointer. Blade guard and stuff is still on but I like to be out of the way.

John

Billy Smith wrote:

[J]

That was my suspicion as well.

-j

[charlie b]

I'm betting that the stock was in less than an inch thick and you had the blade set low - gullet just above the surface of the board. Splitters typically are only close to the rear teeth when the blade is set all the way up and the distance between it and the rear teeth gets bigger as the blade is lowered. So on cuts with the blade set low, there can be several inches between the spillter and the rear teeth.

Now add "anti-kickback" pawls that'll let a piece of wood get between it and the splitter AND have some slop in them - well they ain't doing what they're advertised as doing AND they are doing what they shouldn't be doing - pushing a piece of wood into the rear teeth coming up out of the table.

Then add a blade guard that prevent you from using a wide push stick controlling the piece AND the off cut. . .

If you haven't had a kickback in ten years - well consider yourself blessed. Go buy a lottery ticket 'cause you're a lucky man.

European table saws come with a riving knife rather than a splitter. It stays close to the blade around almost the entire rear quarter of the blade and can be set within millimeters of the teeth. And it has a dulled knife edge rather than a flat face towards the blade. Keeps the kerf open and wood at the back of the saw blade clear of the Evil Rear Teeth. Why they aren't standard on U.S. market table saws is a mystery to me.

Glad the "learning experience" didn't include a trip to the emergency room.

charlie b