# Table saw safety devices



## lurker (23 Mar 2015)

Please post here any devices you have made or bought for making your Table saw safer

Also links to either other forum posts or other Internet links


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## Baldhead (24 Mar 2015)

I have this saw

http://www.screwfix.com/p/ryobi-ets-152 ... -saw/39072

I have had no training or any instruction on using tablesaws safely, it wasn't until Steve's accident that I took safety seriously, the fence on this saw extends way beyond the blade, I am going to make a shorter fence which can be clamped to the main fence, Steve has plans for these on one of his DVD's. 

I have also bought a pair of safety glasses, thanks to lurker for pointing me in the right direction.

Stew


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## whiskywill (24 Mar 2015)

Baldhead":kc9nzquh said:


> I am going to make a shorter fence which can be clamped to the main fence



Why is a short fence considered to be safer than a long fence?


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## artie (24 Mar 2015)

I've heard it said that the best safety device is between your ears.





Used in conjunction with others, off course.!


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## Jacob (24 Mar 2015)

whiskywill":13x1v4mi said:


> Baldhead":13x1v4mi said:
> 
> 
> > I am going to make a shorter fence which can be clamped to the main fence
> ...


Depends what you are doing but it can let the offcut go free onto the table and not be caught up between the fence and the blade with the risk of being swept up or kicked back. A short length of mdf fixed to a long fence will do it. 

Long push sticks also help here as you can reach the offcuts and flip them out of the way without getting your hands near the blade.
They also help (on my machine at least) to reach the badly placed red buttons without me having to lean over the machine. Arm extensions.


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## JanetsBears (24 Mar 2015)

My fence is an easily adjustable secondary fence fastened to the main fence which extends the full depth of the table. I set the secondary fence to also be the full table depth when cutting sheet materials as it provides better support when nearing the end of the cut, set it to end just after the point where the saw blade starts to cut when ripping, and set it a few inches in front of the blade to use as a stop block if I'm crosscutting small pieces on the right of the blade.

There's a hefty thread on the subject here:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/table-saw-fence-length-t74680.html 

Chris


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## sploo (25 Mar 2015)

whiskywill":3tok3a4m said:


> Baldhead":3tok3a4m said:
> 
> 
> > I am going to make a shorter fence which can be clamped to the main fence
> ...



If you're ripping a length of timber and there are stresses (which the cut releases) then the wood can move and get pinched between the side of the blade and long fence. With a short fence (going just up to the leading edge of the blade) the wood has room to 'move' and won't get pinched.


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## Steve Maskery (25 Mar 2015)

You might find this helpful. It's the predecessor of the fence I use now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7QXIN2 ... --Y4lVORYA

S


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## DennisCA (26 Mar 2015)

The humble sled is a tool that makes many an operation safer. Will interfere with crown guards mounting on RK's, which is why a sturdy overhead guard is the best of all worlds. 

A fence should be adjustable so it can be long and short, there are operations where you want a long fence, and it should also be able to go from tall to low.


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## lurker (1 Apr 2015)

DennisCA":1m3y6tl6 said:


> The humble sled is a tool that makes many an operation safer. .



I agree. I have been tidying mine up so I use it more often.


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## woodpig (1 Apr 2015)

http://www.sawstop.com


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## Steve Maskery (1 Apr 2015)

I don't wish to put a spanner in the works, but Sawstop is not the answer.

Oh sure it is very clever, and it looks like a very good saw (for lots of reasons, not just its flesh-sensing technology) and I'd be very happy to have one in my workshop.
But.
Sawstop should be a last line of defence, not a first one. Guards and pushsticks and good user practice should come first.

Yes I know I am in an embarrassing position having just hurt myself on a TS, but that was me being stupid, not any kind of mechanical fault. I'd not got my guard set up correctly.

And that is the point. Things go wrong. Even to those of us who know that they can go wrong and who do our best to prevent them going wrong things can still go wrong.

The solution is to educate oneself of the potential risks, work in a way that minimises them, have sufficient protection that if the worst comes to the worst it is not the worst, as it were, and then all shall be well.

If you rely on Sawstop or it equivalent, sooner or later the technology will fail (it can be switched off, after all) and then where will we be?

And anyway, where can you buy it in the UK?


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## alan895 (5 Apr 2015)

I have to agree with Steve - by taking simple safety steps when using a table saw you wouldn't need some fancy blade stopping device however it wouldn't surprise me at all if there were people out there who have bought a Sawstop just for the safety feature rather than say the cutting accuracy, capacity etc. of the machine itself. I've read in the last few weeks that Bosch have come up with a rival technology called "ReaXX" which apparently doesn't ruin the blade like the Sawstop does.

Going back to original thread topic I made this safety switch for my saw:





I have mounted it properly on the fence rail since but with one of these you don't have to take your hands off the workpiece in order to shut the saw down.


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## doctor Bob (5 Apr 2015)

Ignore any advice from anyone who uses a long fence on a regular basis.


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## heimlaga (6 Apr 2015)

I am no safety expert but theese are my safety precautions on the table saw on my old combination machine:
-A short fence attachment to be used when needed
-A push stick made from birch plywood that does not splinter like solid wood nor explode like plastic. I often use two push sticks.
-An easily accessible emergency switch 
-A riving knife that does not protrude above the blade and therefore does not get removed. A removed riving knife does not protect anyone.
-An overam guard that does not interfere with work as much as riving knife mounted guards do. I know myself and a riving knife mounted guard gets in the way too much so it would not stay in it's place. Therefore I don't accept that type of guard on my machines.
-A blade guard/ dust hood below the table
-An electric brake that has to be activated manually via the start swith but I have made it a habit to always use the brake when shutting off the saw.
-A belt guard that protects body parts from getting caught in the belts and pulleys.
-Of cause I never stand in the direct line of fire when ripping. That is not a safety device but it is a safe habit. 
My old vocational school teacher (rest in peace) always told us that those who stand in line with the wood they are ripping are too stupid to breed. Therefore they don't need their testicles. 





A low fence attachment would be a possible further improvement...... but otherwise I think I have everything pretty much covered.

Edit: All theese safety gadgets are either home made or repaired. Neither the brake nor the belt guard nor the dust hood were in working order when I bought the machine though they were there. The rivig knife had gone missing but the bracket was still there. The overam guard and short fence attachment and push stick and emergency swith are my additions to the machine.


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## lurker (7 Apr 2015)

alan895":1tu5i0d3 said:


> Going back to original thread topic I made this safety switch for my saw:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



=D> =D> =D>


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