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A bit of a preface: When I use a tablesaw, I nearly always have the blade retracted before it stops spinning. It's just a habit that as soon as I turn off the saw after the last cut, I crank the blade back down. I had that instilled into me by a shop teacher who never wanted the blade left exposed unless it was in use.
Last night, I was trimming the ends off a few pen blanks. In the process, one of the offcuts fell off the table of the saw and onto the floor. When I finished the last cut, I shut off the saw and bent down to pick up the dropped piece. As I was getting up, I placed my left hand on the table to steady myself. As I stood upright, I saw the blade was just then stopping its rotation. My thumb was about 1/8" from the blade and my index finger nearly as close on the other side of the blade. Even with the saw turned off, there was plenty of momentum to have done some serious damage. I was very lucky. That was the closest I've come to cutting myself with the tablesaw, and I've been using one since I was about 15 years old.
I'm posting this as a heads-up to newbies and old-timers alike. Never stop paying attention to the spinning blade.
Last night, I was trimming the ends off a few pen blanks. In the process, one of the offcuts fell off the table of the saw and onto the floor. When I finished the last cut, I shut off the saw and bent down to pick up the dropped piece. As I was getting up, I placed my left hand on the table to steady myself. As I stood upright, I saw the blade was just then stopping its rotation. My thumb was about 1/8" from the blade and my index finger nearly as close on the other side of the blade. Even with the saw turned off, there was plenty of momentum to have done some serious damage. I was very lucky. That was the closest I've come to cutting myself with the tablesaw, and I've been using one since I was about 15 years old.
I'm posting this as a heads-up to newbies and old-timers alike. Never stop paying attention to the spinning blade.