Don Baker
Member
- Messages
- 17
- Location
- Flagstaff, AZ
Folks,
I have been using table saws for many years. I currently have a Delta Contractors saw that is about 25 years old. Until today I had never had a serious accident with it. I can't say that anymore. I was trying to slice a very thin shim off of a too small piece of birch and managed to fire it through my shop window and 18 feet into the back yard. Total distance of travel about 30 feet. It took out the window, the screen and one of the false muntins that is between the double glazing. As you can see from the last picture, the piece managed to get on top of the blade and achieve liftoff. There was birch completely filling the gullets of the saw blade in the area where blade caught the back of the board. Never saw that before and I hope never to see it again.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't forget to put the splitter back after using the dado blade. I am not sure it would have helped as the piece of wood was quite short and would barely have hit the splitter. A riving knife would have prevented this altogether, but, alas, no riving knives on Delta saws.
2. When slicing short, thin pieces use the band saw. This was just going to be used to shim a drawer guide. The finish of the wood off the saw was not an issue.
3. Use a hold down and/or a featherboard. May have worked, but, again, this was a very short piece of wood which is always asking for trouble.
4. Always try to stay out of the firing line of the blade. That one I did right or I would be recovering from broken ribs or badly scrambled innards.
I am sure there are a few more lessons you guys can come up with. I am currently coming down from the high of knowing that this birch missile missed me. I can't begin to indicate to you how fast this happened. I had my ear muffs on and didn't hear the window break, so immediately afterwards I was looking around wondering what the heck happened to my wood when I noticed the destruction and popped a fast sweat.
Work safe!!
Don
I have been using table saws for many years. I currently have a Delta Contractors saw that is about 25 years old. Until today I had never had a serious accident with it. I can't say that anymore. I was trying to slice a very thin shim off of a too small piece of birch and managed to fire it through my shop window and 18 feet into the back yard. Total distance of travel about 30 feet. It took out the window, the screen and one of the false muntins that is between the double glazing. As you can see from the last picture, the piece managed to get on top of the blade and achieve liftoff. There was birch completely filling the gullets of the saw blade in the area where blade caught the back of the board. Never saw that before and I hope never to see it again.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't forget to put the splitter back after using the dado blade. I am not sure it would have helped as the piece of wood was quite short and would barely have hit the splitter. A riving knife would have prevented this altogether, but, alas, no riving knives on Delta saws.
2. When slicing short, thin pieces use the band saw. This was just going to be used to shim a drawer guide. The finish of the wood off the saw was not an issue.
3. Use a hold down and/or a featherboard. May have worked, but, again, this was a very short piece of wood which is always asking for trouble.
4. Always try to stay out of the firing line of the blade. That one I did right or I would be recovering from broken ribs or badly scrambled innards.
I am sure there are a few more lessons you guys can come up with. I am currently coming down from the high of knowing that this birch missile missed me. I can't begin to indicate to you how fast this happened. I had my ear muffs on and didn't hear the window break, so immediately afterwards I was looking around wondering what the heck happened to my wood when I noticed the destruction and popped a fast sweat.
Work safe!!
Don