51 – Tablesaw Experience

Video - May 7, 2008

Whenever I have a new student in the shop, I try to convey what if feels like when something is going wrong on the tablesaw. This may seem like an abstract idea, but knowing how to identify a problem before it goes too far could give you that extra second or two you need to prevent disaster.

Discussion

Michael Marzullo (MuddlerMike) May 7, 2008 12:55 pm

another great episode, Marc! One thing I was thinking about when you were mentioning the feather boards and board buddies was about the placement of them before (or in the case of the buddies, after as well) the blade and not NEXT to the blade. The inexperienced might not understand the dynamics between the board and the blade relationship to place them correctly and make matters worse by pinching the work piece into the side or back of the blade…..ka-pow! Is it worth a mention?

Just a thought…

Mike

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Vic May 7, 2008 9:21 pm

Marc, could you give the information on where to buy the various safety gadgets you showed? Also, do you know if the anit kick-back rollers David Marks uses are still available and where.

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- John Crockett October 12, 2009 12:06 pm
  
  Just wanted to knoe where I might get an aftermarket riving blade or splitter fo my Craftman table saw.
  
  Reply
  - thewoodwhisperer October 12, 2009 12:39 pm
    
    Hey John. I would recommend looking at some of the standard aftermarket splitters to see if they make a version specifically for your saw. So things like the Shark Guard, the Merlin splitter, and the Beisemeyer Spreader. If those don’t pan out, I recommend looking at the MJ Splitter and their new SteelPro splitter: http://www.microjig.com/
    
    Reply
Johan May 7, 2008 9:36 pm

Hi Marc,
Thanks for putting together this safety week series.
I’m curious why you didn’t mention the gripper pushblock, specially when you indicated you’re willing to use the metal pushstick on very thin pieces. I don’t have a gripper, but I’ve thought about getting one often as of late. Appreciate your comments on it.

Johan

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InsideBevel May 7, 2008 11:24 pm

Vic,
looking for these?:
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/.....TNUM=96974

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thewoodwhisperer May 7, 2008 11:34 pm

mike- Definitely worth a mention. You just did! ;)

Johan- I didnt mention the gripper because…….i forgot. lol. I don’t use it all that often but it is indeed an excellent tool for small parts. Just make sure you don’t cut into it, lol.

Vic – InsideBevel beat me to it. That’s the only place I’ve seen that particular type. Most of the other stuff is either in the Wood Whisperer Store (http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/twwstore/) or at Rockler. If there is enough interest, I can post links in the video’s write up.

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Tom May 8, 2008 8:59 am

Marc,
You gave some very good tips in the table saw safety video. One thing that came to mind as I was watching was that my own saw doesn’t have a zero clearance insert, and so even though I have a dust collector attached, it sometimes throws little chips and splinters back at me. This has led me to buy what Elvex calls the CoolGuard. It’s a combination face shield and earmuff set, and it keeps the chips out of my face (I also use safety glasses). Elvex notes that you’re not meeting the OSHA standard unless you wear the glasses too. I think my late father, an eye surgeon, would approve.

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TedM May 8, 2008 9:00 am

I use the GRR-Ripper and I think it’s GRR-great! One caveat, you’ll need 2 of them for long pieces, but for short pieces up to about 16 – 18″ it works very well.

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thewoodwhisperer May 8, 2008 9:04 am

You sound like Tony the Tiger there Ted. lol

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Mike May 8, 2008 10:42 am

Niece piece, Marc. The table saw is the #1 piece of equipment in my (very) small shop, and it can be very daunting sometimes. Two questions. First, what’s a “river” (not sure I spelled that right). I’ve heard of it but not sure what it is. Second, where can you pick up a splitter for a saw (in my case, a Delta 10″ contractor saw). Are they sold separately or is it simply a matter of removing the actual guard from the base piece? I took off my guard not just because it got in the way, but because I’ve had trouble aligning it such that the piece of wood between the saw and the fence doesn’t get caught on it.

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Vic May 8, 2008 12:24 pm

Sweet! Thanks, Inside Bevel and Marc.

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Dean Suminski May 8, 2008 2:34 pm

Repetition of safety, while maybe boring sometimes, might cause one to think before they act and prevent an accident. Just before I open the door to my shop, I hold up my hands and say to myself “Eight fingers and two thumbs. Keep it that way”.

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jw wilson May 8, 2008 6:52 pm

great video marc, also important to try not to use the miter slide whilst pushing up against the fence. ( only in a few select procedures ).

i have a pressing question, can anyone help with the procedure for cutting a precise miter with rabbet?( or rabbet with miter?) that joint got handed to me for my final project which is a grandfather clock out of cherry. gotta use that joint for the corners of the base…this is going to be disasterous as i am not the most talented of woodworkers. got the passion but not the skill. oh well, i need experience, and i certainly have the ability to laugh at myself. sadly once i screw anything up its like going to the spanish inquisition when you go ask for more wood.

sorry to take up so much space on a non related safety topic. please help fellow woodies!

thanks!

jw

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thewoodwhisperer May 8, 2008 10:17 pm

Mike- The unfortunate thing is that most some (if not most) stock guards and splitters are woefully inadequate. They may offer some protection, but at that sacrifice of convenience, maneuverability, and visibility. The good news is that splitter/guards are getting better. And many after-market splitters are fantastic upgrades for any saw. A few names to look up are the Merlin Splitter, the Beissemeyer splitter, the Shark Guard, and the MJ Splitter. You need to find one that fits your saw. And a riving knife is simply a different type of splitter. Its usually hook shaped. What makes it unique and more useful than a standard splitter is the fact that it travels up and down with the blade. That means you no longer have to remove it for non-through cuts.

JW- Unless I am not understanding you, I would just make the rabbet cut first with either the tablesaw or the router, and then cut your miters using the tablesaw, the miteraw, or even a hand saw and a miter box.

Hope that helps.

And thanks for all the great stories guys. Much to learn from eachother.

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Tom August 15, 2008 10:30 am

Marc:

I’m new to your site and I’ve been watching some of your older video’s I just finished watching the one titled Table saw Experience.

When I first started woodworking over 20 years ago, I was cutting some #2 knotty Pine. The more I cut the more stress was released and the harder it became to push the wood through the blade. Due to inexperience and lack of education I just pushed harder. When the blade hit a knot the knot blew out released all the pressure and my forward motion slid my left hand along the base of the table and into the blade. I may have not lost any fingers but the blade did pull my hand deeper and went across the entire palm before I was able to react. It cut all the nerves and tendons in my hand and I was out of work for a year. It took three surgeries and over 6 months of physical therapy for me to get about 90% of the use of my left hand back. They had to insert a nerve from my leg into my hand so that I would have some feeling of pain for safety. I have no opposition in my hand so I don’t have a lot of dexterity.

Had I watched your video or something similar, that accident could have been prevented. I now own a Saw Stop Table Saw just for an extra comfort level. I know that you don’t see the need for the extra 700.00 and I understand and respect your position but for me having that extra safety not only makes me feel better but if that feature was available it would have resulted in getting a Band-Aid for my hand and a new blade vs. spending a year just getting back to work.

Thank you for all your hard work! You’re doing a great job.

Tom

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Daniel Vilarino December 27, 2012 9:57 am

Hi Marc, Great video, it definitely will change a couple of things I was doing on the table saw, one of them is my body position, the other is the idea of a kick switch. I am glad that I was correct on using several feather boards to keep pressure in the downward direction and towards the fence, so that I had to concentrate only in the push. Thank you, Daniel

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Alex December 27, 2012 9:58 pm

I’m just starting in woodworking and trying to learn things the right way. When I was visiting my Dad he showed me a technique that seemed very bad. Ripping a board very much like you have there – he cut about half-way and then rotated the board up (by pressing down on the front) and raising the wood THROUGH the blade (yes, while turning) and then started the cut again from the other edge. Granted, this does mean keeping your hand away from the blade and not pushing the wood through so it falls on the back side of the table saw but the increased chance of kickback seemed insane. He is one of those those people who never has a problem with that sort of thing but I’m not going to carry on that tradition. I even wear a face mask when using the table saw.

I had my first experience with kickback – a minor one. I was using the miter gague to cross-cut. The bit on the right side, about 6 inches by 5 inches and 3/4 inch stock, just sat there after making the cut and doing that thing where it barely is catching the blade. I thought I would be clever and push it away from the blade but that actually rotated it and the BACK edge came in contact with the BACK part of the blade and ZING went flying by me. But since I stand far away from the line of fire it never came close but it was a good learing experience.

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The Mad Hungarian September 23, 2013 10:39 pm

Now if you want to see the tablesaw anti-safety video, make sure you watch the Red-Green Show segment on using a tablesaw. Usually available on youtube. The scary thing about it is he’s not faking the stunts. That tablesaw is actually running when it tips over and falls upside down on the floor and goes skithering off (i verified it using freeze-frame on my DVD…)

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Kelly January 29, 2014 12:53 pm

I have a left tilt Unisaw, which I had been running without a splitter on it, due to the all too common complications associated with the original splitter-guard combination. To be honest, I had never used a splitter in the thirty some years of woodwork. I should qualify that with that I am a “push stick” (actually, a “push shoe) fanatic and religiously use ones that both hold the board down and push it through at the same time.

Even with good push shoes, watching a kerf close as wood curved back on itself always resulted in white knuckling the piece on through. More than once, things got scary and I’ve lost a couple good push boards/shoes.

Reviews on the Merlin splitter prompted me to give it a try. Now that I have, and though I think it over priced for what it is, I would invest the money again for the improvements I note using it.

With the Merlin in place, I rarely experience drag or even more scary reactions to blade pinching.

Because it requires only a moment to install or remove, I find myself using it religiously. Occasionally, I have blow dust out of the latch button, or it takes a couple stabs to get it to release, but that problem seems to have reduced with use of a good dust collection system.

When I initially installed my Merlin Splitter and when I’m making new throat plates, I always drill a hole which allows me to press the release button for removal of the splitter without having to remove the throat plate. Of course, the end of each plate also has to have a slit for the splitter to drop through the throat plate.

While it use has reduced the amount of “excitement” I experience in my shop, that is, in this instance, a good thing and I give it a definite thumbs up.

Kelly, of Desert Aire, Washington

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51 – Tablesaw Experience

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