All great points thank you. I should have mentioned that, especially since that thing looked scary to me, I spent quite some time on Youtube learning about how to avoid kickback situations, before I even turned it on. I’ll probably print a few golden rules and stick them onto the machine as a reminder.
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@Julien OK>…General table saw safety:
- Never stand directly behind the blade (i.e. in line with your work)
- Always push from the back left
- Use a push stick, preferably one that also has a “Finger” out in front that holds the wood down while it pushes
- Only raise the blade so that 3 teeth protrude above the piece you’re going to cut
- Pay attention to where your push stick goes after it crosses the line of blade…I once got cut by the push stick catching the back of the blade and being thrown into my stomach…I was not very happy - I was standing there saying, “Hey…I used a push stick…why am I bleeding!!!”.
The accuracy and repeatability of your saw will come from two factors: The stability of the arbor and the stability and repeatability of the fence. You select your saw based on the stability of the arbor…Once you buy a saw, you really only have control of the fence. So make sure your fence locks precisely in the same place each time…easily. If it doesn’t, look into a 3rd party fence. I don’t know anything about the Bosch you bought, but contractor saws are a bit notorious for inaccurate fences - but you can usually fit them with very high quality replacements. There’s nothing better than setting your fence to a 1/32 of an inch and knowing the wood will cut right on the money.
As for blades, year ago, I INVESTED in a Forrest thin-kerf blade with a stiffener…and I have NEVER regretted that purchase. At the time I bought it, sharpening was free…but those days are gone…still, you send it back to them and they return it refurbished with new sharp tips (replaced if need be). It’s great service.
Lastly, as for jigs - I tend to make my own. Taper jigs, coving jigs, crosscut sled, 45degree guides, thin-cut leads, push sticks, hold downs, etc. There are 1000s of plans online - and I’d be happy to share the ones I chose…but Google will help you to find exactly what you need.
- Gary
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Thanks @GJM, very helpful.
I’m not sure I got that one right,
do you mean positioning the push stick on the lower left corner of the (future) piece ? That would help ensuring that the piece stays pushed against the fence, right ? (and therefore less chances of kickback as it tend to drive the piece away from the rear of the blade, correct ?). But then again at a risk of having the blade catch the push stick like you mentioned ?
I really meant stand left of center when you push…that will automatically get the direction of the push to be against the fence. I generally put the push stick in the middle of the piece…I don’t want to create any sideways pressure…but my body position is always behind and to the left of the blade. That keeps the pressure against the fence and your body out of “shooting range” if the piece kicks back.
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And the #1 defense of kickback is the splitter (someone mentioned it above)…just don’t ever cut without one. If you have the type that attaches to the dust shroud, make yourself one that fits into your throat plate…because you need to have it in even if you’re cutting dados or slots…or wood that is taller than your dust collector (upright jigs, etc.)
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Noted. The riving knife is permanently attached to the machine on this model, it has two positions (the highest one where it extends above the blade, and also serves as a support for the blade guard, and the lowest one where it sits slightly below the top of the blade, for e.g. dados) but cannot be removed (which is good)
Riving knives that sit below the blade are important for through cuts. The purpose of the riving knife/splitter is sometimes wood after passing by the blade releases inner tension on the wood and it tends to close up. The riving knife helps to prevent that closing of the wood. The danger with the wood closing is the front of the blade is pulling down on the wood. The back of the blade is pushing the wood up. A kickback is when the back of the blade lifts the wood up and the physics of the motion throws the wood back at the operator. Most kick backs can also cause the operator to panic and get their hands pushed or reflexively holding the wood down and puts your fingers/hands close to the blade.
Although the back of the blade tends to throw the wood back at you another cause of kickback is the wood is not fully against the fence and the wooble causes the blade spinning back at you to also throw the wood at you. So it is important to keep the wood firmly against the fence. NEVER cut wood without a fence or the miter gauge pushing the wood and supporting it. Free hand on a table saw is a no no. Earlier I suggested the gripper. The gripper works on wider boards but does not work well on narrow cuts with the guard and riving/spliter in place so use a long push stick that has a notch in the back to supply forward motion and the long push stick holds the wood down in the area to the front.
The table saw is not scary when you get used to it but always have a healthy respect for its power and if you feel something is not right dont do it. Stop and rethink your strategy. The wood must always be in your control because if it is not that is when the danger happens. If you watch youtube videos most people have the guards removed. They always say they are removed for clarity but in reality the guards can be as dangerous as with them. The blade guards can distract you but at the same time keep your hands/fingers away from the blade.
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As my eight-fingered shop teacher told us. TRUTH Listen and learn—all excellent information regarding safety has been presented. BUT what you encounter will be individual to you and the job you are running at that time. The machine is not intelligent, you are.
Have fun and be careful. Don’t be afraid
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