Table Saw Accident

Kevin Sadaj

Member
Messages
144
Location
Michigan
I had a bad kickback today on my table saw. When it kicked back, it was so fast, I had no time to prepare, I mean, I had no idea that it could happen so fast. Like a dummy, I was cross,cutting using the fence (I know better). The piece against the fence kicked back into my body and the piece to the left was hanfpging off the table and I instinctively reached for it when it cut my wrist. Obviously I'm ok because I'm writing this note.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE FOLKS! I nearly cut my whole hand off today. Don't know why or why I didn't because the way it went, that should have happened.

Counting my blessings and thankful for my first aid training I received in the Marines.
 
Use it as a lesson. I'm a slow learner and had two major kickbacks several months ago both within a couple week of each other. Huge bruises on my stomach. Both took me to my knees. I do not take shortcuts any more! Glad you are okay.
 
Glad it wasn't worse than it was as it really could have been bad, we have all had moments like that and hope no one else will have one. Thanks for reminding us to think and be on our guard at all times...
 
Yup btdt but thanks for the reminder i got table saw work to do tomorrow and it always pays to have a wake up call. Glad you came out ok and still got all your digits.

Besides the fence another way of having it happen is if wood clams up on the blade after cutting. For that getting something like this splitter makes all the difference. http://www.microjig.com/products/mj-splitter/index.shtml

You can get them all over the place they relatively cheap and can be a blessing in disguise. http://www.rockler.com/micro-jig-splitter-steelpro-system-thin-kerf
 
Glad you weren't hurt worse. The thought of laying a wrist across a tablesaw blade gives me chills. Tough way to be reminded about safe techniques, huh?

...(I know better)...

Those are the three words most commonly spoken after an accident like this. Thanks for the reminder to all of us, and just know you're not alone, brother. Most of us have our own "I know better" shop stories to tell. ;)
 
Yep, that was a double scary incident, Kevin. The main thing is you're OK overall. It reminds us all to think through every move in the shop.
 
Glad you're ok Kevin! As others here said. let it be a lesson. We all have moments where we "miss a step" or just don't think it all the way through. That's when machines attack.
Been hit with shrapnel off the table saw many times in many different operations. you can never move fast enough and it never stops scaring the daylights out of you.
When it happens never EVER reach for it. step aside and shut down the saw. Wait for the blade to stop before reaching in.

this is a piece of cherry I was cutting that came back at me. Hit me in the side of the abdomen before continuing on to bounce around my shop.




This is the paint off the end of the board where it hit me!
 
the same message I keep hearing

It happens SO FAST - you never expect it.

I think Our brain is NOT as fast as a kickback.

I watched a controlled test to video in slow motion what happens in a kickback.

The person causing the kickback got hit - even though he was well prepared, and was cognizant that a kickback was about to occur.

He ALMOST got cut because it was too fast to react - even though he was prepared for it.

I try - but I still do stupid ----

WHY - when we KNOW, full well - do we still do stupid.
(I know better) is another thing that is said in these accidents.
 
Sorry for your accident and happy it wasn't worse.

A common thread among the posts here..... Safety STARTS between the ears!
 
Glad that wasn't worse Kevin and thanks for posting this. There has been a small flurry of tablesaw near-misses on a few forums over the last few weeks . . . Cycle of the moon perhaps? In all cases proper methods or safety features were not used; working while fatigued, putting the splitter on "takes too long", poor stock support and so forth. The question I always ask myself is "am I will to lose a finger over the amount of effort required to do this safely?".

I appreciate that we post when these things happen even thought they may be embarrassing. When we hear of our peers having these scary (or worse) experiences, it kind of resets our comfort level and reminds us to remain diligent. It would be interesting to be able to compare the "legitimate" tablesaw accidents (that is; you were doing everything right but it still went sideways) to the total tablesaw accident numbers the safety folks love to quote.
 
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Glad that you weren't hurt.

I've had several recently all because of not paying attention or doing something stupid. Sadly, I still refuse to use the guard that came with the saw.
I've got to the point where I still may do something "not quite proper" but I won't rip any board without a splitter or riving knife and I always wear safety glasses.

I'm sure that you will listen to yourself next time you think about making a crosscut using your miter gauge and the rip fence. :eek:
 
Fit a guard.
Fit a splitter or even better a riving knife.
Never make any cut without both fitted.
If you can't make the cut with both fitted then find another way to do that job.
Use a push stick.
Rehearse every cut in your head before you make it and never do anything in the cut that you didn't do in the rehearsal (I make 20,000+ cuts a year on a tablesaw and still tell myself to do this before every one of them - it takes less than a second)
The edge of your saw blade is moving at speeds around 100mph at its edge and if it catches something it will throw that something at you at that kind of speed.
The table saw is one of the most productive tool in your shop and will bite your hand off (literally) if you fail to treat it with respect.
And every time my friend counts to 4 and 3/4 on the fingers of his right hand I am reminded that even the guys who really really know what they are doing get it wrong if they get complacent.
I'm sorry for anybody who gets injured however it happens but if you don't make simple mitigations when they are easy I have no sympathy.
 
Glad your ok. Take all the other suggestions and one thing that I havent heard...Always stand to the left of your blade. All of my shop teachers taught this. Typically the peice between the blade and fence is the one that will hurt you, stay out of its way. :wave:

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
 
I have been doing this for decades, and never had this happen, because I respect the power of the equipment, and follow the correct proceedures even when I don't want to.

Cut a corner in carefulness and lose a finger or two, I've seen it happen to 2 other men on tablesaws, and 1 on large power planer.

I was fortunate enough to have taken 4 years of woodshop training back in the olden days.

to demonstrate why the tablesaw should be respected the teacher removed the gaurds, rasied the blade full height and chucked a

few peices of foot long 2x8 at the blade. They missiled back at the back wall and hit HARD! A lesson I never forgot.

Maybe I'll do a writing on this shop teacher, an intersting guy, he used to knock back a glass of whiskey after roll call at his desk,

then stand out in the open shop door having a smoke before getting it in gear to come inside and deal with the days classes. War stress, now they'd call it PTSD.

He lasted only until the Christmas break, when at his wifes request (threatning to leave him) he got a better paying job

in Grand Rapids Michigan making furniture for a company that is long out of business.

He had a lot of War advice too, some of it pretty gruesome. Intersting man, may he RIP.

Although those saftey lessons he taught in the first few days have lasted me all this time.

It is not about being careful, it is about knowing the rules and following them, just like in Marines. No different.

Situation X, do Y and do not do Z or suffer the consequenses.

 
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Fit a guard.
Fit a splitter or even better a riving knife.
Never make any cut without both fitted.
If you can't make the cut with both fitted then find another way to do that job.
Use a push stick.
Rehearse every cut in your head before you make it and never do anything in the cut that you didn't do in the rehearsal (I make 20,000+ cuts a year on a tablesaw and still tell myself to do this before every one of them - it takes less than a second)
The edge of your saw blade is moving at speeds around 100mph at its edge and if it catches something it will throw that something at you at that kind of speed.
The table saw is one of the most productive tool in your shop and will bite your hand off (literally) if you fail to treat it with respect.
And every time my friend counts to 4 and 3/4 on the fingers of his right hand I am reminded that even the guys who really really know what they are doing get it wrong if they get complacent.
I'm sorry for anybody who gets injured however it happens but if you don't make simple mitigations when they are easy I have no sympathy.

Ian is right.

Here is good video explaining exactly how the riving knife works to help prevent kickback.

 
I'm the rare breed that doesn't view a splitter, riving knife, guards, or other doodads to add anything to safety.

I don't know how much lumber I push through a tablesaw each year, but it's a lot.

My tablesaw safety advice:

1. Your work area needs to be clean.
2. The deck of the saw needs to be highly polished and smooth. Like an air hockey table.
3. Most important direction to push stock through a saw is DOWN.
4. Second most important direction is toward the fence.
5. Third most important would be forward and through the blade.

I've been at this professionally for 15 years. No amount of experience or gadgetry will keep you safe if you are being dumb. I've mauled myself on virtually every piece of equipment in the shop and it's always from a rectal/cranial disorder.

I also don't believe in push sticks, there's usually another way.
 
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