Two types of woodworkers: Those that haven't had a kickback...

Ned Bulken

Member
Messages
5,529
Location
Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
and those that have...
I'm Mostly Fine... no blood, and I have all 10 still

owie.jpg

Just a slight bruise.

I was ripping some pieces for the pen blank swap when the tip caught the blade after the end of a cut. I was standing off to the side, so when it went ZZZIP! it caught me just above the elbow before ricocheting off across the shop.
catch.jpg


formerpushstick.jpg


I'm going to mount to my shop wall as a reminder.
 
One of my early lessons with a table saw was a kick back into the solar plexus that put me down for about 15 min.
Learned that the fence is a RIP fence, not for cross cutting short sections.
Glad ye weren't really injured.
 
One of my early lessons with a table saw was a kick back into the solar plexus that put me down for about 15 min.
Learned that the fence is a RIP fence, not for cross cutting short sections.
Glad ye weren't really injured.

BTDT! Man that hurt! Had the bruises on my belly for nearly two months after that!
 
not so proud member of scarred more than once by kickbacks:eek:.....the nastiest involved many stiches in a cheek wound that i could see teeth through:eek:.....pay attention!
glad you got off easy!
 
I've never had one, knock on wood. I did see the aftermath of my father in law after he took a piece of ply in the gut. He had a basketball sized bruise for a month. Ned, I'm glad it wasn't any worse.
 
Ned, sounds like you got off easy. I've had a couple of very frightening kickbacks, but fortunately the damage was to stuff and not to me. I'm glad that you weren't badly hurt.

Ken
 
Glad to hear/see you weren't seriously injured Ned. I was just cutting some thing strips for an inlay this evening and heard something funny coming from the table saw. My mind went immediately to this post and I hit/kicked the off button to shut 'er down. Turns out the piece of ash I was cutting had a crack in it and the crack was getting caught in the blade. Who knows, another moment or two and we might have had 2 sets of pictures for this thread. :D
 
Glad you're no worse for the wear, Ned. I've not yet been hit, but I've had a few pieces get thrown over the years. One in particular was an 1/8" wide strip of 3/4" purpleheart about 12 inches long. It was shot somewhere behind me into my shop, but I never did find the piece. (Haven't had a kickback since I started using the Grrrippers, though.)
 
I am new to woodworking been doing this since Janurary. Just lately I took the gaurd off my table saw since it seemed to get in the way more often than not.
So should I put it back on? is it that much safer with it on that the inconvienience is worth it?
Thanks
Dan
 
I am new to woodworking been doing this since Janurary. Just lately I took the gaurd off my table saw since it seemed to get in the way more often than not.
So should I put it back on? is it that much safer with it on that the inconvienience is worth it?
Thanks
Dan

Dan, that question is likely to bring on a fair amount of debate, and I think it really boils down to what you feel the most comfortable using.

Personally, I don't like or use blade guards. I learned on saws that didn't have them, so I've never gotten along well with saws that do had them. They get in the way of push sticks or push blocks like the Grrrippers (especially when ripping thin strips), and to me cause more safety issues than they solve. There are other folks, however, who don't feel comfortable without a blade guard, and I fully agree that they should use whatever method works and feels best for them.

I do use an aftermarket splitter (MicroJig) and I'm religious about using pushing implements, primarily the Grrrippers. I also consider the area outlined by the throat plate as the "no finger zone", and avoid holding a piece of stock in such a way that my fingers could enter the zone.
 
I am new to woodworking been doing this since Janurary. Just lately I took the gaurd off my table saw since it seemed to get in the way more often than not.
So should I put it back on? is it that much safer with it on that the inconvienience is worth it?
Thanks
Dan

Dan,
YES! You need some sort of guard - and a splitter. Generally, one of the aftermarket guards and splitters are preferred, but the factory supplied ones do provide safety protection, albeit with a bit of inconvenience, too, as you've noted.

My personal setup is a Delta Uniguard, and a Biesemeyer removeable splitter, but there are many others - both guards and splitters - available.

Please use both a guard and splitter. The body parts you might save will be more than worth any inconvenience you experience.
 
i agree with vaughn on the no finger zone that ws why some companys painted them red!!! also i use the micro jig as well.. the splitter aspect on a table saw does alot to avoid kick backs..
 
Top