# Lesson learned...



## igster (Oct 31, 2013)

Never try to "relax" with power tools when you are tired. Spent all day working on a bathroom hanging drywall, and then decided to start a small project - a wall hanger contraption for the broom, mop, and swiffer that always seem to end up in a jumble in a corner of the kitchen. The results:




















I was making some dado cuts on a 10"x10" piece of 1" pine, in preparation for turning the dados into a dovetail slot...I am right handed, so normally I run the board thru the table saw and then lift it with my right hand, standing off to the left of the blade. After the last cut for some reason I put my right hand on the edge of the deck after turning off the saw and reached for the board with my left hand...I must have pulled it back instead of up and the blade caught the board, whipping it back into my wrist.

In the words of Hellboy: "I'm gonna be sore in the mornin'!"


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*a perfect "rotational" kickback*

There are two types of kickback, rotational and blade pinchers, both are nasty.

When ever the workpiece comes away from the fence ... for what ever reason .... and it comes into contact with a spinning blade it will do exactly as you have so very nicely shown.

Reaching over the blade to pick up a off cut or a workpiece, is a no-no, since it can slip from your grasp and fall upon the spinning blade and shoot back at you..... with considerable force. :thumbdown: 

Always push both pieces away from the back of the blade and do not carry them, but slide them back to the front for the next operation. My off feed table is a huge help in "containing" both the workpiece and the off fall and is as much of a safety feature as it is a convenience.

Yes, that has happened to me also, and that's how I know what happens. More often than not with rectangular piece of plywood, large or small.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I've seen that more times than I care to remember. Strangely enough it happens more often cutting styrofoam sheets. The stuff compresses and you don't have to make any mistakes for it to grab.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

No outfeed table? A recipe for disaster. Using the fence? You have to watch the work stay tight against it, never take your eyes off the fence. Smaller work pieces, use push pads. It's probably not that you were tired, you were not set up correctly or doing it the correct way. People get hurt doing the wrong thing, whether wide awake or not. That's the classic sign of a kickback, you didn't watch the fence all the way through and you didn't have the necessary support so you could push the work completely past the saw on to the outfeed table. Those of us in the business have seen that 100's of times. You can't learn if somebody doesn't point out the real issue.


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## igster (Oct 31, 2013)

My TS is a cheap chain store Skilsaw , portable, with no outfeed table - only a short(mebbe 3") extendable shelf that pulls out about a foot or so to accomodate "larger"stock. I was using the rip fence, and a push stick. My mistake was picking up the piece with my left hand and bringing it back instead of using my right hand (as I mentioned above I am right handed) to pick it up and lift it completely clear of the deck like I was doing when I started the first cuts; I didn't lift it high enough before bringing it back. The piece was a 10-inch square and there was ample space for it to have cleared the blade.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*the dangers of cutting*

There is a danger "while" cutting .... pinching, rotating, hand position, lack of push stick, misaligned fence, lack of concentration, dull blade, etc.

There is also a danger after the cut is completed as you have pointed out. Reaching over or around a spinning blade can be just as hazardous as the former. Pieces can slip away and drop, fingers can pass over or through the blade etc. Most folks concentrate on the "while" cutting rather than after the cut and therein is the problem.

It doesn't matter how small or large the table saw is, you definitely need an outfeed support of some type, OR you will end up reaching for your off cut or trying to support the workpiece while the machine is still running. If it means taking a piece of 3/4" ply and cutting a rectangle out of the front for your table saw, then by all means do that as a minimum. You can easily push both pieces past the blade, walk around the rear of the saw and carry or slide then back to the front, going no where near the blade. My outfeed table is 5 ft wide and 10 ft long and there are many times I have to walk around the whole unit to gather up the finished pieces. I also use a long push stick to bump them either to the right or left clear of the blade where I can reach them from the front.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

I try to make cuts the same way every time repeating safe practices. 

Al


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## igster (Oct 31, 2013)

My "shop" is my garage, which doesn't really have a lot of space... no room for an outfeed table at the moment. The table saw's location varies depending on what else I need to stick in the garage. One thing I need to do is re-examine the layout and available space...perhaps position the workbench differently so that it can be used as an outfeed table


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

igster said:


> My "shop" is my garage, which doesn't really have a lot of space... no room for an outfeed table at the moment. The table saw's location varies depending on what else I need to stick in the garage. One thing I need to do is re-examine the layout and available space...perhaps position the workbench differently so that it can be used as an outfeed table


I work in a single car garage/woodshop...w/ 3hp Grizzly cabinet table saw, work bench/outfeed table...planer, 6 inch jointer, band saw, drum sander, drill press, and a dedicated miter saw station. Also, 2 hp dust collector, and an adjustable height dual router worktable. And a mobile multi-use workstation. Did I mention an air compressor and huge tool box? 

We also have a washer, dryer, upright freezer, and a wall of storage shelves.

No cars allowed! :smile:

You can do it! :yes:

Mike


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