PSA For Woodworkers - OT

Fred19Flintstone

Table saw kick back is no joke.  Kickback is when the wood you're cutting gets caught by the blade and shoots back at the dummy...er, operator.  Operator error to be sure!  I'm a hobbyist and have been woodworking for few years.  Easily the worst injury I've received while sawing and the most stars I've seen during daylight hours!  I spent the balance of the afternoon in the ER getting 14 stitches to put my chin back together.  Never take safety for granted!

SGH

Sorry to hear that you were injured. Glad that there was no loss of limb or life. 

DoubleEgger

Dang. Thats gonna hurt in the AM. Glad you didn't lose an eye. I suspect a face shield is in your future. 

Fred19Flintstone

I ordered one from Amazon already!  Failure is a wonderful teacher.

berndcrisp

A lesson learned. Table saws and ripping material must not be taken lightly.

  I thank your higher power that it was not worse. I have seen and witnessed some terrible accidents.   Ear, eye and often face protection are a must for me.(****).

Whenever one uses power tools consider all the possible dangers. There is a family relying on your well-being.

nolaegghead

Sorry that happened to you Fred. 

Sometimes you can't avoid kickback if you have warped wood, but take it from me, it's worth going through the setup/alignment process on a table saw.  I use a little "toe out" to keep the material from binding. 

I use my table saw all the time and it's set up perfectly so I have confidence when I'm using it.  I've used other people's saws that were not properly set up and it's immediately evident kickback is going to be an issue. 

I would not bother with a face shield, rather go through the fence alignment process.  Always stay clear of the front of the blade if you feel it grab the wood.  I try to stay to one side or the other, but most of the time it sails through like butter because of the setup.

Also, I use a blade lubricant.  This stuff works on band saws, chop, table, routers, etc.  I'll try to snap a pic.  I recommend for every cutting tool.

Also remember to keep your hands away from the back of the blade.  A couple of my friends have had some nasty cuts, and one lost half of a finger.   That's Randy - he does the gumbo at brisket camp. 

RRP

nolaegghead said:

use a little "toe out" to keep the material from binding. 

stay clear of the front of the blade if you feel it grab the wood.

try to stay to one side or the other

use a blade lubricant.  

keep your hands away from the back of the blade.  

I summarized all your great advice! 

One other MAJOR one that I preach is: The best safety device is between your ears! 

blasting

That's unfortunate Fred.  Heal up fast.

DoubleEgger

Here's your new profile pic 

Botch

Ouch, glad you weren't hurt any worse Fred!
I've only been hurt once via kickback; ripping a 2x4 lengthwise, released tension in the wood and it twisted, and kicked straight back.
My tablesaw is 36" high, my inseam is 37".  I saw stars too.  

News2u

Glad you're still with us, close call for sure. Don't want to Monday morning quarterback, but one of the best ways to avoid kickback is never cut with a dull blade.  Leading cause, in my opinion, of kickback.

northGAcock

Wow......I am guessing a little luck is a good thing to have on your side as well. Sorry to hear of your misfortune. All the best on your recovery. 

Jeepster47

Hmmm ... that also looks suspiciously like a "talked back to the missus" injury.  Sure you're not trying to cover up a poor choice of words by blaming it on the table saw?
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Sorry for your injury, and glad it wasn't worse.

gdenby

Yer lucky Fred. I had a friend who wrote up a little poem to put by table and radial saws.

Well, you idgit,
How'd you like it
If you almost cut of
Yer digit?

Spent a lot of time over the years using a table saw. The first one I used had a guide rail that was almost useless, carbide bits were unknown, there was no anti-kick device, much less dust collection.

We cut lots of pine, and thickly painted plywood. The blades would get gummed up w. resin. Every couple of days, I had to take a razor to the blade faces and cut off the gunk that would bind up to the piece.

I guess I was lucky. Worst I got was a warped 2 x 4 rammed into my gut, and a paint chip in my eye.

Over the years, things got a lot better, and eventually the company became real sticklers for blade guards and anti kick devices. Had to have full 1st aid kits at hand. By the time I left, I wore a face mask, ear protection, and a leather apron. Always had push sticks at hand.

We were looking at a device which would sense if flesh touched the blade, and would immediately stop the blade by dropping a soft piece of aluminum into the teeth.

At this point, I mostly use hand tools, but I still wear face protection, a partial leather apron, and anti-cut gloves.

Ozzie_Isaac

Glad a few stiches fixed you up!  Hope you feel better.

Lit

That's scary for sure. I had never used a table saw before but had to get one to do the kitchen. I watched hours of YouTube videos before I ever turned it on. I haven't had any issues but your post has me wanting a face mask now. 

henapple

Damn Fred.... I thought you pissed off Wilma. 

theyolksonyou

She probably whacks him in the back of the head. 

News2u

I have just about replaced my table saw with the Festool Track saw. And, yes, you can rip 2x4s with it. Far more accurate and safer than your table saw, because the blade retracts as soon as you ease off the switch. The blade is razor sharp. I pull out the table saw very infrequently. 

Fred19Flintstone

Yesterday I got my stitches out of my face.  Wilma asks me if my chin will always "look like this".  She quickly adds, "But it looks good though."

All I could think about was Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.
 https://youtu.be/rdk_6I_tQGs

CTMike

Glad to hear you're ok. I've been an amateur woodworker for many years, and you've received a lot of good advice above. I went with the Sawstop with the riving knife to help prevent kickback. But like mentioned above, I haven't even turned it on since I got my Festool Track Saw. 

RRP

CTMike said:

Glad to hear you're ok. I've been an amateur woodworker for many years, and you've received a lot of good advice above. I went with the Sawstop with the riving knife to help prevent kickback. But like mentioned above, I haven't even turned it on since I got my Festool Track Saw. 

That's interesting! You must be more than just an amateur woodworker to have plunked down somewhere between $1,400 for a mere Sawstop contractor saw to a more upscale Sawstop cabinet saw for say $2,700+ or further upscale and more powerful Sawstop unit for $5,000+++. But now you don't even use it? Thought about selling that Sawstop while the safety and scare hype is at least still warm?

My workhorse is my 10" Delta UniSaw cabinet saw that I gave $2,400 for 31 years ago. At my age I will never replace it so I guess I'll just continue to work smart, work alert and keep my digits and body out of the way and use push sticks and other devices. 

nolaegghead

I'm on my second Festool rail saw.  I first had the smaller model (TS 55) and as I needed to frequently cut 2" or greater material I bought the larger (TS 75) model.

I use it as a joiner to make cuts for edge joints mostly.  I still use my table saw several times a week - it's much faster although you can't count on it to give you a straight glue joint over anything longer than 3 feet.

RRP

nolaegghead said:

I'm on my second Festool rail saw.  I first had the smaller model (TS 55) and as I needed to frequently cut 2" or greater material I bought the larger (TS 75) model.

I use it as a joiner to make cuts for edge joints mostly.  I still use my table saw several times a week - it's much faster although you can't count on it to give you a straight glue joint over anything longer than 3 feet.

Ever hear of a JointABILITY? Using it plus a router with an upward cutting spiral bit I get perfectly square and straight edges for jointing. I originally bought an 8 footer and it was a man handler - way too big for my needs! So - I sold it and bought a 5 footer.
http://www.hawkwoodworkingtools.com/WebsitePages/The-JointABILITY.html

Here's mine.

nolaegghead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjFXJDpmO-I

nolaegghead

Ron, the system I have is not cheap, but it's very light and portable, extremely accurate and it is the very best there is.  Also there is almost zero dust.

RRP

Thanks for the video. Curious - unlike my JointABILITY which has a powerful clamp at each end to secure the board I see yours uses none. I assume the underneath of the track has some soft backing to keep it in place - right?

nolaegghead

@RRP there is a grip strip on the track.  Also I will affix clamps.  I use Dewalt clamps.  They work better in my opinion than the festool brand clamps.

lkapigian

Ouch

odie91

mark

nolaegghead

hmmmm....should I go to the hospital or take a selfie?

Stay out of the plane of the grinder wheel.