# Kickback: Oh the Irony!



## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

~Disclaimer~ *Photos to follow*

Oh the irony! I had a kickback last night that hit me the the hip. It was not any ordinary kickback though. I was ripping some short lengths of wood and had finished a cut on my Ridgid TS3660. Using push sticks, blade guard on, taking all precautions. Then I hear this funny noise and look down in horror as my anti-kickback pawl falls off my blade guard assembly and is vibrating toward my spinning blade. I tried to hit the kill switch but was too slow and the frickin' anti-kickback pawl kicked back into me! 

It didn't hurt, it had no mass, but I was luck it didn't cut me. The pawl was trashed. I checked my rip blade and saw one tooth was shot and who knows about micro-fractures. It's getting tossed, just a Freud Avanti, but I liked it. I'll take some pics when I get off work tonight of the pawl and blade. 

Moral of it all? Make sure you check EVERYTHING on your saw occasionally. You never know what's worked loose.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Man that's the epitomy of irony*

Narrowly escaping injury by a failure of the safety device. Could have spit back into your face....
Now the question is how could that come loose?
Now for my opinion on anti-kickback pawls.... :thumbdown:
I don't use 'em, and they prohibit you from making stopped kerfs without shutting down and lifting them off to remove the workpiece. Now that it has fallen off remove the other one and be done with them. JMO bill


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

How bizzarre is that? Glad to hear it wasn't more serious.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Weird how things happen sometimes. 
*accident/ˈaksidənt/Noun*

1. An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

No matter how safe you think you are it can happen. 

Bill is taking off one safety device better then taking off another. We discussed this when I had my accident. There are probably tons more accidents from kickback then anything else it just don't get reported unless the end result is contact with the blade, even then some will treat themselves.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

rrbrown said:


> .
> 
> Bill is taking off one safety device better then taking off another. We discussed this when I had my accident. There are probably tons more accidents from kickback then anything else it just don't get reported unless the end result is contact with the blade, even then some will treat themselves.












Yeah, kickback is a real problem. The typical saw has 3 safety devices combined into one unit, the (1) splitter (2) the plastic blade cover, and (3) the anti-kickback pawls. I see them as separate devices which can be used independently of the other. That's just me, however. Since your "accident" I started using my guard/splitter/anti-kickback and shortly I found out it was cumbersome and prevented some operations, at least the way I use my saw. The pawls got hung up if I made a partial cut and tried to pull back out, but they were operating as they were supposed to. The blade guard was also in the way and I wanted better off the blade dust collection. After drilling out the rivets on the guard and pawls I was left with just the splitter. This suited me fine. Now this is an older Craftsman 10" saw, 4 HP "claimed", and it's a real PITA to remove the splitter and get it lined back up accurately. It's also a motorized saw, blade mounted right on the end of the motor. I can and have over-powered it several times while ripping several thousand feet of red oak last week. It just stalls out and I hit the off switch with my knee. 
So, all these decisions are particular to me, my saw and the way I work. My buddy the Door Maker uses a 3HP Walker Turner with the blade full height and a 1/4 thick rip blade with 20 teeth... all day long no guard, no splitter, no push sticks, all 5/4 and 6/4 hard wood, no plywood to speak of, and fingers within 1/2" of the blade sometimes. 
It's bizzare/ironic that ACP's safety device fell off and almost created a 118 MPH flying missle. INCOMING! 
I wouldn't prescribe what anyone does with their safety devices, maybe I did above for ACP, sorry, but I did say it was JMO.
My theory on kickback is well known here, in that it won't happen with plywood as a rule.....unless you do not keep the workpiece snug against the fence and it will spin up and over the blade and come back at you. My kickbacks have been a workpiece that I didn't push all the way past the blade and out the far end.
Kickbacks as a rule occur when ripping wood from trees, not man made sheet goods and the kerf closes back on the rear of the blade and it raises up and back at you. This is where the splitter works to prevent it. There were several times when even the splitter didn't work and the saw stalled. There were several time where I had to back up the cut when it stalled and resaw it to make the pass. The anti-kickback pawls would not have allowed that. Again, on my saw with my work habits, not for everyone.  bill


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I didn't take it as a prescription Bill. The pawl system on this saw is a paired system. One fell off and the other comes right off (luckily it didn't). They are off for now. I'll have to get news ones if I want to use them again, but the splitter and blade guard are still good to go. I use feather boards and push sticks and stand to the side, so I don't forsee even looking to replace them. I wasn't standing to the front of the blade on this either, it just shot at an angle and hit me about 6 inches above the no-no spot. I have only had a kickback when I was new to woodworking and haven't had one since. I must be doing something right (but I'll be giving everything a good once over now and regularly from here on out).


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

ACP said:


> I didn't take it as a prescription Bill. The pawl system on this saw is a paired system. One fell off and the other comes right off (luckily it didn't). They are off for now. I'll have to get news ones if I want to use them again, but the splitter and blade guard are still good to go. I use feather boards and push sticks and stand to the side, so I don't forsee even looking to replace them. I wasn't standing to the front of the blade on this either, it just shot at an angle and hit me about 6 inches above the no-no spot. I have only had a kickback when I was new to woodworking and haven't had one since. I must be doing something right (but I'll be giving everything a good once over now and regularly from here on out).


I didn't take it as a prescription either. 

ACP as for the push sticks and feather boards I used them also during my accident. It amazes me that no matter how much you try or try to do an accident is still possible. Hence the definition I posted earlier.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

*Pics!*

Pics!

These are probably anti-climactic, but this is the anti-kickback pawl that hit the blade turning it into a ninja star. My cheap camera wouldn't capture the teeth on the 24T blade. They mosty had a couple of the points at the end of the tip nicked off. Kind of an important piece on the blade.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Glad to hear you're ok. Only kickback I ever had was when ripping a small piece that was just slightly narrower than the gap at the throat plate. Piece was only 3/4 inch thick and about 9 inches long but that sucker flew back and hit me square on the knuckle at the base of my left thumb (luckily I was standing to the right of the saw). Sounded like a big leaguer smacking the ball out of the park. Hand flew back, thumb instantly swelled to about 4 times normal size and needless to say I was done for the day.



> Moral of it all? Make sure you check EVERYTHING on your saw occasionally. You never know what's worked loose.


 For the last few years I take every New Year's day as shop maintenance day; cleaning, waxing and adjusting/tuning every major piece of equipment in the shop.


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