Table Saw Blade Safety Checks Easily Forgotten

There is nothing better in a DIYer’s life than a new project and a new tool. Well, of course, the finished product is important, but the joy is truly in the ‘creating,’ and the pride comes with the finished project. All DIYers love a gadget, and the table saw is one of the best tools for all kinds of projects. The DIY store can only make so many cuts in your sheet of wood; they will usually do one, maybe two, to get the wood to a manageable size, but the rest is up to you and your tools at home. Having the right tools can make a project go so much more smoothly.

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)

I can remember my Dad telling me about a bookcase we had that he built: some spare pieces of wood, an axe, and some nails. Luckily, he bought a table saw before he started work on building the house!

When you are a savvy DIY enthusiast, you know safety comes first. No matter how excited you are to get things plugged in and on the way, don’t ignore the following easily missed safety checks for your new table saw.

I know an enthusiast, let’s call him Pat, who forgot one little check once and almost lost his hand, so don’t be a Pat, he scared the heck out of himself and us.

Tips Everyone Needs to Know

There are a plethora of safety rules when using a table saw, but here are a few simple suggestions for the DIYer to follow before cutting anything:

Alignment of the Blade

I know somewhere in the past you have experienced the ‘blade dance’.

You know what that is; you didn’t spin the blade by hand first to see if there is a wobble. Visually calibrating the blade is missed cause people think a new blade will be fine and perfectly parallel to the miter slot, but it often isn’t. There could be a bent arbor, dirty mounting flanges, or something else that has caused it to sit askew. Better safe than sorry.

The last thing you need is increased friction caused by the wobble, and it can burn the wood and result in a violent kickback.

The Riving Knife

The riving knife is often missed because it’s not obvious.

It’s the metal plate that sits behind the blade and moves up and down to prevent pinching of the blade, which is one of the top reasons for kickback and injury. It is often removed if the user has been doing non-through cuts and forgets to put it back on, so make sure to check that it is there.

Then you want to make sure the blade and the riving knife are aligned perfectly, make sure the thickness of the blade kerf is correct (the amount of material that is removed by the blade, so basically the width of your saw blade), and that it is set to the proper height.

Basic workshop safety standards, really.

You can pick up a saw aligning jig, and this’ll help you with this process.

Floor Scan

Remember Pat? This is how he got hurt in his workshop.

He lost his balance while maneuvering some wood in place, and the blade was spinning, and he nearly cut his hand off! There’s no point going into details, but there were loose cut-off pieces near the saw, and he forgot they were there. Casting your eye on the floor space, looking for things like sawdust piles, stray tools, extension cords, and of course, piles of loose cut-off pieces, will save you from a trip and fall accident.

Please make sure you start with a tidy workspace, maybe vacuum up sawdust as it can make a painted cement floor slippery, and ensure all tools are put away, and extension cords are not in the way before beginning the cutting.

This is the way to play it safe.

The Body Position and Escape Route Check

Just like in gold, your stance is everything.

You want to make sure you are not in the line of fire if the wood jumps, and make sure that if that happened, you could jump out of the way quickly (your escape route). We often don’t think about our stance consciously, but I have seen many a DIY enthusiast put their foot over a pile of wood and have nowhere to go safely when the kickback happens.

Also, try not to stand behind the wood as this puts you directly ‘in the line of fire,’ and if you lose your balance, there is a danger you will catch yourself with your hand, and that might be near a rolling blade! Yikes.

Your best position is so that your torso is not aligned with the blade, your feet are shoulder-width apart, and you slightly bend your knees.

Practice Cut

This might seem silly, but like Dad used to say, measure twice, cut once.

Before you turn the saw on, do a practice run-through. Put the fence up, use the push block to move the wood through the cutting path, and this can reveal little things that might be off, like a fence that looks or is out of place, maybe a hand coming too close to the blade, or you did not feel comfortable with your stance.

A safety rehearsal never hurts anyone, and these safety tips help reduce risks, but there are always those unexpected issues, like possible tool malfunction or manufacturer defects.

It’ll be important for you to know your rights. Here’s a quick example as to why that’s important:

Legal rulings in major manufacturing and construction hubs like Chicago often set precedents for product liability in table saw accident cases (or any workshop accident, really), so consult with a Chicago table saw accident attorney to get familiarized with your options and ask them to put you up to speed with Illinois’ comparative-fault threshold.

That’s very important, but keep in mind that not every state has the same laws regarding these types of accidents. As a harsh contrast, in New York, you’re allowed recovery even when your fault exceeded 50% unlike the Illinois example.

Someone who specializes in these kinds of cases will be a valuable ally to have if something happens to you.

Conclusion

The key is always going to be safety first.

Make these simple checks part of the routine, as they take only a few minutes. Being prepared and proactive will save you from being reactive, and sometimes that can lead to serious injuries.

Make the whole project safe and fun from the get-go. Now, go forth and create to your heart’s content.

Happy building!

2 Interlinking Opportunities:

From https://www.oldhousetonewhome.net/budget-friendly-renovation-ideas-for-building-a-cozy-study-nook-at-home/ with anchor creative thinking and planning

From https://www.oldhousetonewhome.net/diy-charging-station-cord-organizer/ with anchor creating a DIY charging station

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)