Tablesaw safety

[woodbloke66]

Rob, far superior to anything I make =D>

But in the true spirit of what works for one but not the other, I suffer from arthritis in both hands (1 day this week unable to even unscrew the coffee jar lid) and hand tools such as planes and chisels are almost impossible for me to use on a regular basis.
Yes, I can cut a long piece of wood on the bandsaw, but no, I cant plane it smooth afterwards, so by using the table saw on long cuts, a mere rub over with a sanding block gives me the finished surface.
8) 8)

Sorry to hear about the arthritis in your hands SB, I didn't know. I quite understand now why you use the tablesaw. To have that affliction in your hands must be bloody horrible, especially if you're a keen woodworker.
All the best - Rob

 

[sunnybob]

Rob, I'm lucky in so far as I get a long good spell between the bad ones.
I had to give up riding motorcycles because I couldnt safely control the bike anymore. Thats the main reason I took up woodworking :shock:

This last few days I have started another set of medicine, and I am very optimistic, (based on 2 days) of a lot less pain. =D>
But I'm still not going to give up my table saw. 8) 8) 8)

 

[Doug71]

As others have mentioned you can be as careful as possible but it can be the distractions or unexpected things that catch you out.

My workshop has no natural light, a couple of times when I have been using machines there has been a power cut :shock:. Being suddenly plunged in to pitch darkness without warning when using a table saw etc is a bit of a shock, also some electric brakes don't work on the machines when there is no power so they just keep on spinning.

If all blades are properly guarded/covered it really cuts down the chance of accidents when the unexpected happens.

 

[Doug71]

I used to have a 20 " Wadkin table saw with a mitre slot about 4" from the blade and a little mitre gauge that ran in the slot. I could never imagine using the gauge that close to the blade, don't think anyone would, think that is what put me off jigs etc.

That distance is fairly standard and I never worry about using the mitre gauge as hands are firmly planted on it, the slot keeping them away from the blade. Decent gauges are locked in the T slot, unlike the rubbish ones which come with saws.

The point I was trying to get over was that if it's a big scary looking blade people will keep their distance, if it's a smaller blade or say a cutter in a router table people don't give it as much respect and get their hands closer to it even though the small blades remove fingers just as easily as the big ones.

 

[user22161]

The point I was trying to get over was that if it's a big scary looking blade people will keep their distance, if it's a smaller blade or say a cutter in a router table people don't give it as much respect and get their hands closer to it even though the small blades remove fingers just as easily as the big ones.

I think you're right about people not worrying about router tables as much as saw blades. I treat mine with far more respect these days, ever since some timber grabbed and took one of my fingers across the cutter, fortunately not too badly but painful and needed visit to minor injuries unit. That's when I bought the Gripper

 

[transatlantic]

Not even with small router bits.

There seems to be rise in popularity lately with great big chunking template spiral router bits, I assume because they're getting cheaper? I can't watch some of the videos, where their fingers are literally inches away from these humongous spinning bits of death.


Keep watching! .. you'll jump https://youtu.be/7_dlw3cOjHQ?t=30 (and this isn't even one of the bigger ones)

I assume only safe way is something like this?

 

[Chris152]

Can anyone recommend a good UK-based video guide on the net that goes through safe use of a table saw? I've watched lots the last couple of years but they tend to stop at very straightforward use. I used one for the first time last week on some 8x8" oak, and realised that I couldn't get the wood past the riving knife as the knife was higher than the blade. Max cut depth on the saw is about 4" and I did the cuts by making three partial cuts on each, rotating the wood 90 degrees each time on the carriage. How come riving knife heights can't be adjusted (or can they)?

 

[user22161]

degrees each time on the carriage. How come riving knife heights can't be adjusted (or can they)?

The usual method is to buy (or make) a second one and cut it down in height but then there's no guard if it's knife mounted.

 

[Trevanion]

Can anyone recommend a good UK-based video guide on the net that goes through safe use of a table saw? I've watched lots the last couple of years but they tend to stop at very straightforward use.

Gosforth Handyman has one of the better ones I've seen, It's still pretty straightforward stuff but it's a good video.

[youtube]eUx8oTIALmg[/youtube]

It tends to be the "unstraightforward" work that's safest, there's an element of unfamiliar danger which keeps you on your toes. It's the straightforward stuff that tends to catch people out.

"Concentration can play the most important part in avoiding injury. Accidents rarely happen on jobs that may be considered dangerous because the operator is on the alert. The every day or commonplace operations often lull the operator into carelessness or to have some contempt for danger." - Frank L. Dunsmore

 

[Marineboy]

Not even with small router bits.

There seems to be rise in popularity lately with great big chunking template spiral router bits, I assume because they're getting cheaper? I can't watch some of the videos, where their fingers are literally inches away from these humongous spinning bits of death.


Keep watching! .. you'll jump https://youtu.be/7_dlw3cOjHQ?t=30 (and this isn't even one of the bigger ones)

I assume only safe way is something like this?

You're quite right - I DID jump!!

 

[Trevanion]

There seems to be rise in popularity lately with great big chunking template spiral router bits, I assume because they're getting cheaper? I can't watch some of the videos, where their fingers are literally inches away from these humongous spinning bits of death.


Keep watching! .. you'll jump https://youtu.be/7_dlw3cOjHQ?t=30 (and this isn't even one of the bigger ones)

I assume only safe way is something like this?

To be honest, he's a moron for not having the fence assembly in place, there's absolutely no reason why he couldn't since he's doing a convex curve. He's doubly a moron for trying nibble-plunge against the grain, he had a shearing cutter so it would've been fine to work from one end of the piece to the other with a light cut and would've resulted in a clean cut even against the grain. Better yet, complete one cut cutting with the grain, take the piece out and flip it over to cut the other side with the grain as well. I had a look through his videos and it seems he did do it that way in the end (Taking the piece out and flipping it over) with a couple of gripper blocks on top of the box rather than holding the sides.

They're not toys at the end of the day, they're dangerous pieces of equipment and should be treated with the utmost respect. It's hardly ever the machine that causes the accidents but it's almost always down to operator error or lack of experience. Take this video for example, he's climb cutting with a pattern bit and it catches and pulls the router out of his hand in a blink of an eye with spectacular effect... Not for the squeamish: https://youtu.be/xseF_8mUIJg?t=339

We're all human and prone to mistakes though, I myself once had a V-cutter bit come loose from not tightening the router and spin across the workbench like a spinning top :lol:.

 

[Ttrees]

Since were on about routers too
I will mention that Matt Estlea on youtube, said he is going to make a series on the safe use of the router.
I do hope he will cover lots in this as I have little experience with the things.
His recent Bosch router video was extremely clear and nice and thorough, so its a nice primer.

Could a list of operations be possible to make?
If so, I'm sure many of folks would certainly appreciate some input on even the various jigs that they own,
or wee tips and that.
As far as I know Roy Sutton was the man, if yer talkin bout routers.

It would be good to see Matt make a video series, he seems humble, considerate and thankfully that much of a perfectionist, to edit a video again if there was unsafe practices within.
I look forward to watching them, and would love to see if some folk could give some pointers.
Might be too much of a rabbit hole what I'm asking though, so not trying to start nagging those experienced or anything,
I would think it would make a good thread anyway none the less.

Edit :
The hamster is running the wheel upstairs and I was thinking of starting a thread titled ..
Router operations, Is this safe?
That way it's not too asking of folks.
Going to dig through some photos to see if I can compile one of two operations, (I haven't used them much)
and you can see what you think of what I was at.

Sorry if OT, but there was another tablesaw safety video this week

Tom

 

[Trevanion]

I will mention that Matt Estlea on youtube, said he is going to make a series on the safe use of the router.
I do hope he will cover lots in this as I have little experience with the things.
His recent Bosch router video was extremely clear and nice and thorough, so its a nice primer.

I like Matt, he's a top lad, But I'm not sure if he's the right kind of person to be demonstrating that kind of equipment. I'm sure he'd do a very good job going over the safety aspects and such and they would be very good videos but I'm not certain he's actually got the experience to back it up, being a predominantly hand tool woodworker. Roy Sutton had been in the job for decades and had the experience (including the missing finger) to back up what he was explaining to the audience. Whilst Matt does teach at Rycotewood he doesn't have any proper trade or industry experience, so he only knows lab conditions woodworking so to speak.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Tablesaw Safety resources do exist in the UK!

 

[transatlantic]

Why aren't router table guards like a posted above more popular? other than when making a concave cut, it seems like they would make all operations MUCH safer?

I'm struggling to see any limitations with them (other than concave cuts)

 

[sunnybob]

Fine for repetition work. Useless for me, Every time I use the router table the wood is different heights, sometimes 6" high.

 

[transatlantic]

Fine for repetition work. Useless for me, Every time I use the router table the wood is different heights, sometimes 6" high.

Well yeah - it could be easily be made adjustable.

But I'm guessing if it's 6 inches high, you're using the fence?

 

[sunnybob]

Umm, Ummm, well yeah, absolutely, honest...some people might think it dangerous otherwise, wouldnt they. :lol: :lol:

 

[Tim l]

Just watched Mr tool junction making a homemade table saw with a drill on YouTube. Wow he doesn't worry about table saw safety.

 

[whiskywill]

Agreed. but conversely, the only car accident i was ever in that wrote off the car, I was in the middle in the back seat with no seat belts and escaped with no marks at all. the outside 2 got big bruises from the side glass. =D> =D> 8)

I had a similar experience. I was in the front passenger seat and at 51 years ago, long before compulsory seat belts. The inexperienced driver was going far to fast and when he hit the brakes hard, I went through the windscreen, flew through the air and landed in a hedge on the opposite side of the road. The car rolled and hit a brick gate pillar. The passenger side of the car was totally crushed and so would I have been if I had been wearing a seat belt.
Now, I never drive without wearing a seat belt.

p.s. 10 days in hospital for me and we rebuilt the brick pillar.