What’s my #1 rule for using a table saw?
~~ FINISH THE CUT ~~
Keep the piece moving until it is no longer possible for it to TOUCH the blade
Following this simple rule, and setting up your saw and work space to support that rule, is critical to your safety and thus keeping all your fingers attached, and blood *inside* your body.
That leads to my next #1 rule…
ALWAYS have some place for the piece to slide onto
The most significant safety item I ever added to my table saw setup is having some place for the piece to smoothly move onto after passing the blade - an out-feed table
WHY? Humans have a natural instinct to reach out and catch FALLING things. Think about the last time you dropped your phone - something that happens multiple times a day with some of us - did you give thoughtful consideration to HOW you were going to stop the fall?
Nope, your hands and probably a foot spasmodically JERKED out from your body in a most likely futile* attempt to intercept the phone and it’s surrender to the power of gravity. (* NOTE: that’s futile with a LONG I vowel ;))
The moment the piece you’re cutting starts to fall, you will reach out for it. And what is between you and that falling piece?
A carbide tipped Wheel of Death!
MacGuyver yourself something that will provide that landing zone on the other side of the table top.
Slip slidin’ away?
A rarely thought of aspect of saw safety is fighting friction!
Dirty work surfaces cause you to have to work harder to move the piece being cut through the cut zone.
A traditional solution to that is to use good old Johnsons paste wax. That works great, but takes time and effort to do the wax on - wax off routine.
I wanted something FASTER and easier to reduce the slide friction, and found this awesome Teflon based, non-staining dry film spray lubricant.
DuPont Teflon Dry Lube spray - (photo above)
Because I usually forget to prepare ahead of time for large cutting jobs, i.e., plywood parts for a cabinet or 6, I find that it’s so easy now to pause for moment, grab the can and spray everything: table tops, fence, blade, and of course the out-feed table.
BONUS - make drilling easier by spraying the drill bit - Wood cuttings slide right up and out of the hole! This is particularly helpful when I’m drilling out dozens, or even 100′s of pocketholes
This great addition to my shop’s safety tools costs more, but makes it’s absolutely painless to ensure that every ‘touch surface’ is like slidin’ on ice.
Bonus Rule - do not move your hand into the saw’s cut zone until you can count the teeth on the blade.
This one came to me when I did my first hands-on classroom session at the Canton Woodcraft store
For those folks who are a bit impatient and/or a wee-bit caffeinated, it takes a clear mental effort to wait before making the move to grab the cut piece. Sometimes I even do that amusement park ride operator thing, or on the cooking competition shows: hands up / “clear!”
Bonus tip: practice the cut
When setting up to do a cut, either physically do a practice run, or at least pause for a moment to ‘visualize’ the entire cutting sequence.
The most irritating thing I forget to do is to make sure there’s room on the other side of the cut!
For example - when I’m ripping an 8′ long board, I often forget to open the garage door at the other end of my out-feed table that is only 5′ away! This is where I insert cursing and a roaring pirate like ARRRRGGH
Clearance on the ends and sides the entire way through
Are the pieces well supported all the way into and out of the cut
Appropriate push-sticks at the ready
And don’t forget: Triple check the cut measurement / fence setting!
Hope you find these saw safety rules & tips, along with some random shop thoughts helpful.
I’d would love to hear your own saw & shop rules and tricks and tips.