TS PSA

[Harold O.]

No blood this time.

I make a lot of plywood boxes and was doing what I do when WHAMM! While cutting some 14 x 15 inch 3/4 plywood end pieces,  one of them slipped out of my hand, landed on the spinning Unisaw blade and WHAMM!

The piece spun toward me and made contact just below my belt, hitting on the wide side of the piece (as opposed to the corner). No bruising, but it was a big eye opener and quite stunning.

It took a few minutes to figure out how this happened. With everything powered down, I went back through the process and discovered it was a matter of my finger tips drying out over time and losing grip. This was piece 12 of 14. I was nowhere near the blade. That 14 x 15 inch piece did not care.

Keep alert out there.

[jteneyck]

No blood this time.

I make a lot of plywood boxes and was doing what I do when WHAMM! While cutting some 14 x 15 inch 3/4 plywood end pieces,  one of them slipped out of my hand, landed on the spinning Unisaw blade and WHAMM!

The piece spun toward me and made contact just below my belt, hitting on the wide side of the piece (as opposed to the corner). No bruising, but it was a big eye opener and quite stunning.

It took a few minutes to figure out how this happened. With everything powered down, I went back through the process and discovered it was a matter of my finger tips drying out over time and losing grip. This was piece 12 of 14. I was nowhere near the blade. That 14 x 15 inch piece did not care.

Keep alert out there.

Glad you weren't hurt.  This is just one reason why I use a blade guard.  

John

[iublue]

Glad you weren't hurt.  This is just one reason why I use a blade guard.  

John

Have to agree with John here.

Not to preach but why aren't you using the guard?  I have never understood not using it.

[fixtureman]

Have to agree with John here.

Not to preach but why aren't you using the guard?  I have never understood not using it.

and a Sawstop would not have prevented that

[Lumber Yard®]

Not to beat a dead horse but using a splitter/guard would have prevented your kick-back.

[jteneyck]

Have to agree with John here.

Not to preach but why aren't you using the guard?  I have never understood not using it.

Maybe someone did it already, but I would bet good money if you took a survey here you would find far less than 50% of TS users use a guard, probably less than 25%.  I've never seen one in a pro shop; often don't even see a splitter. 

John

[Bill Wilson]

OP doesn't indicate such, but I wonder from the looks of the pic, if the cut being made was a non-thru cut? Perhaps cutting a groove, which may have precluded the use of the guard and on some saws, even a splitter?

[Harold O.]

A splitter would not have prevented this. Guard that covers the top of the blade, perhaps but unlikely.

Here's the scenario:
Long slices of plywood are cut at 14 inches and lying on the bench to my left. I take them one at a time and cut the 15 inch side. Sometimes I use a sled, sometimes just the rip fence. I make a lot of plywood speaker boxes and bookcases this way. The piece is pushed through, I lift it off the end (I stand 6'3" and easily reach over without bending), and stack them aside to the right of the rip fence.

This was one of the final pieces for this particular project. After handling plywood all morning, my hands had gone dry and smooth and the piece simply slipped out of my hand after passing it through the saw. It's minor bounce put it in contact with the fence and table top then the blade which promptly sent it spinning away. That's how the curved slice got onto the board. Direction of blade rotation and flat launching pad sent it directly back at the operator.

I posted as PSA here to remind [us] that there are many innocuous ways for an accident to happen.

As John mentions, I rarely use a splitter or guard on the TS. My two-guy shop answers so many different calls for general woodworking that we'd spend all day changing blades, guards, and setups. Yes, I know "how much is a finger worth?" but I have accepted the random risk in exchange for due diligence. And I am willing to admit that sometimes accidents do happen.

Ask yourself how many times you've dropped something. Were you clumsy, lazy, inattentive, or did it just slip from your grip? Things happen.

Bottom line: I recommend you not drop something onto a spinning table saw blade.

[JGrout]

Maybe someone did it already, but I would bet good money if you took a survey here you would find far less than 50% of TS users use a guard, probably less than 25%.  I've never seen one in a pro shop; often don't even see a splitter. 

John

I did it about 2 yrs ago  

the unscientific result was about 22% used a cover and splitter 

It was less than 20% when one or the other

Edit to add: a cover would have absolutely prevented this from occurring.

Additionally, pro shops that defeat guards are in violation of the law, I don't care how many don't use them they are not the place to be basing your conclusions upon.

[Lumber Yard®]

I think the OP is just reminding us that chit can happen. At the same time he doesn't appear to be concerned enough with that fact, to follow any safety guidelines like using a splitter/guard. It' an interesting approach and I am not certain the result will be what he wanted.


I wouldn't say this to many folks around here but if there was ever a SS customer I think we found one.