Table Saw Cutting-Things to Never Do
Using a table saw properly is important. When cutting there are things that you must do and some that you must never do. Many woodworking experts have lost eye sight, partial fingers and their pride because of careless mistakes they made while operating a table saw. There is great danger and risk in cutting with a power saw. Treat it with the respect that it deserves.
Things to Never do On a Table Saw
1) Under no circumstances should you look away from the blade when your hands are near the cutting area. We had a horrible cabinet shop accident happen once when an operator was distracted by someone stupid enough to try and get his attention while he was cutting. Because of his inexperience, he turned to look at them and ran his finger right into the blade. Yes, he severed his finger badly.
2) Never use your fingers to push boards through that are less than four inches wide. Always use a push stick when the size of the cut gets down below four inches in width, when you are making rips.
3) Never cut a board when your body is forced to be off balance. It’s just too risky to take a chance of falling while making your cut.
4) Do not continue to try and cut a board that is obviously riding a great distance from the fence. Shut the saw off and re-work the damaged board, however you can. If you continue to push it through, you will be in great risk of encountering a major bind in the saw. If this happens you are going to have to hold on with all of the strength you can, especially if your motor is in the five horse power range.
5) Never free hand cross-cuts where the rips are less than twelve inches wide if you are using a ten inch or larger blade.
There are many other steps to be reviewed in relation to cutting wood on a table saw. Be sure to get a good education from as many resources as possible before you just start cutting without any training or experience.
Table saws have tremendous power when a board is binding. There have been many accidents that have happened to people as they have tried to wrestle with a board that was in the process of kicking back.
A final pointer for cutting on a table saw, never get in a hurry. Your hands and fingers are well worth you being very careful while operating the machine. Remember you only get one set of fingers so take extra care in protecting them.