Workers who must use table saws on the job face a number of hazards, including the following:
- Kickbacks: The wood or other stock that the saw is cutting can fly back and violently hit a worker if the circular blade...
- Projectiles: The saw can send dangerous particles flying at high speeds, including nails, splinters, woodchips, and...
How dangerous are table saws?
Why Is a Table Saw Kickback Dangerous?
- No Riving Knife. A riving knife is usually mounted behind the table saw to prevent the work piece from pinching into the blade.
- Poor Mounting of the Riving Knife. A riving knife should work as a rearguard to the woodworker. ...
- No Plan for Your Cuts. ...
- Use of Wrong Dimensions. ...
Why are table saws dangerous?
- They’re not designed to allow you to adjust them so that the blade is absolutely parallel to the fence and the mitre grooves.
- The fence isn’t perfectly perpendicular to the table.
- The fence won’t necessarily stay parallel to the blade when moved and locked down, fence may bend a bit at the far end.
- The table isn’t perfectly flat.
How to use a table saw safely?
Table Saw Safety
- Using a Table Saw Safely. A key part of learning how to use a table saw is learning about safety. ...
- Get Ready to Work. Using a table saw requires you, as the operator, to be ready for the work. ...
- Prepare the Work Site. Take a look at your workspace and address anything that might be a hazard. ...
- Get the Saw Ready. ...
- Operate the Saw Safely. ...
Are table saws dangerous?
Table saws are useful and most woodworkers couldn't work without them—but they can also be extremely dangerous. As wood is set against the fence and pushed across the table saw into the blade, it can begin to lose pressure against the fence. Also to know is, is a table saw safe?
How common are table saw accidents?
Over 30,000 table saw injuries occur annually. Fingers and hands are the most frequently injured body part and lacerations are the most common injury. Individuals suffering from occupational injuries tend to be younger than those injured during amateur woodworking.
How dangerous is table saw kickback?
Kickback is by far the most dangerous event that can occur on a table saw. Without proper care, you can get hit with a flying piece of wood or get severely hurt by a spinning blade. It is paramount that you do everything possible to prevent kickback from happening.
How dangerous are saws?
Many of these injuries result in lost or severely damaged fingers. When you're using a circular saw, remember that if the blade binds, the saw can shoot backward a lot faster than you can move your hand out of the way. Anything in the blade's path, including fingers, hands, legs or feet, is in danger of getting cut.
What is the most common cause of table saw injuries?
The #1 Reason for Table Saw Accidents: Kickback. Kickback is the #1 reason for table saw accidents and injuries. The reason is that kickback often includes a subsequent action that draws your hand towards the blade when working up close with the saw.
What happens if you hit a nail with a table saw?
Using a table saw to cut through nails dulls your blade. Will a table saw cut through nails? It will, but that doesn't make it a good idea. The first reason I don't recommend using a table saw to cut through nails is because it will dull your blade.
How do you stop a table saw kickback?
14:4217:08How To Avoid Kickback On The Table Saw - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can use your hands like I'm using here and if it's small you can use a pencil or a small stickMoreYou can use your hands like I'm using here and if it's small you can use a pencil or a small stick whatever it takes to hold that piece in place so that they can't move as it passes through the blade.
What tool causes the most deaths?
Slide Show: The 10 Most Dangerous Power ToolsTable Saws. ... Snowblowers. ... Circular Saws. ... Riding Lawnmowers. ... Power Drills. ... Backhoes. ... Air Compressors. You'd think the tool at the other end of the hose posed the only danger, but compressors cause 2,400 injuries a year. ... Wood Chippers. Only 3 per year on average die using these tools.More items...•
What is the most dangerous tool?
Chainsaws have held the title of "most dangerous tool" for quite some time, and for good reason. Beyond what you've seen in the movies, chainsaws are very useful tools to have around the home, but they should always be respected. There are no guards on this saw and the chain can cut at any angle.
What tool has the most accidents?
The Five Most Dangerous Power ToolsTable Saw. These deadly tools are responsible for over 30,000 injuries every year. ... Chain Saw. This should come as no surprise, but chain saws are deadly. ... Nail Guns. ... Circular Saws. ... Riding Lawnmower.
How many table saw amputations per year?
4,000 AmericansEvery year more than 4,000 Americans suffer amputations — get their hands mangled using table saws.
How common are woodworking accidents?
Abstract. Woodworking equipment produces approximately 720,000 injuries per year often causing severe psychologic and functional impairment.
How do I make my table saw safer?
Riving knives are now standard equipment on saws, but older models can be made safer with the addition of a splitter like the MK splitter shown here that attaches to the saw's throat plate and helps keep material from coming into contact with the back of the blade. Cheaper than a helper.
How fast is a table saw kickback?
Kickback occurs when the teeth of the saw blade, moving at tip speeds of 120 miles-per-hour impart sufficient force to cause the workpiece to move in a violent and unexpected manner.
Do you need a blade guard on table saw?
4:097:11Why do so many people remove their tablesaw blade guards? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt for table saw jigs and fixtures which is a cross cut or miter sled. So the only time when a bladeMoreIt for table saw jigs and fixtures which is a cross cut or miter sled. So the only time when a blade guard would work for me is when making cross cuts while using a miter gauge.
Is riving knife dangerous?
When you push a workpiece through the saw blade, the riving knife is designed to keep the two cut sections of the board from closing up, thus pinching the saw blade and causing dangerous kickback. Rip cuts are especially prone to kickbacks, and it is here that the riving knife is most important.
Does a riving knife prevent all kickback?
0:595:12NEVER USE A TABLE SAW WITHOUT THIS!! (Riving Knife ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWhat happened the riving knife came into mass production. The writhing knife is the main deterrentMoreWhat happened the riving knife came into mass production. The writhing knife is the main deterrent to kickback on a table saw.
How to stop a riving knife from kickback?
Keep the riving knife ready to prevent kickback. Wait for the blade to stop before picking up scrap. Don’t position yourself, your fingers, hands in the line of the blade. Use the guard whenever possible. Set the blade at the proper height and unplug before you change it. When the motor slows down, slow the feed rate.
What is a flesh sensing table saw?
The “flesh-sensing” technology has been available since 2000, although not implemented. It allows for the table saw blade to sense contact with skin to trigger a safety mechanism. This mechanism stops the blade within milliseconds to prevent lacerations and amputations.
How many table saws are there in the US?
According to the numbers, there are over 10 million table saws across the homes of the United States. Besides that, people have this power tool in schools, workplaces, and workshops. Yet, most people are unaware that table saw injuries are the most dangerous of all.
What are the risks of a table saw?
Most of the injuries sustained include lacerations and are that of hands and fingers. However, other body parts are at risk as well since objects fly from the spinning blade, known as “kickback.”. These table saw dangers are unavoidable since the power tool involves a rapid, sharp mechanism.
When did table saws have a riving knife?
In January 2005, the CPSC made it compulsory for all manufacturers of table saws to include a riving knife and modular guard with the product. The two products protect kickback or the debris produced by table saws. Despite this measure, the injuries maintain their previous numbers. The CPSC proposed new safety requirements for table saw ...
Why are table saw injuries inevitable?
The table saw injuries are perceived as inevitable because they are inherently harmful. The occurrence of injuries is blamed on the people, their carelessness, and no attention to the instructions provided. However, people should recognize the unwillingness of manufacturers to provide safety for consumers. Moreover, users should take measures ...
How fast does a blade move?
On average, a blade 10 inches in length moves at a speed of 4000 rpm. The outer blade’s edge spins at a speed of 108 mph. These numbers deduce that a blade can cut someone almost every 370 microseconds or 2,700 times in a single second.
What is kickback on a power saw?
Kickback occurs when the material flies back toward the operator, accounting for the majority of power saw accidents. Despite this inclusion, injury rates have remained virtually unchanged. Currently, CPSP is considering new proposed safety requirements for manufacturers of table saws in 2015. These new regulations would require that saws meet performance standards designed to prevent injuries resulting in amputations and other serious injuries caused by contact with the rapidly spinning blades. This “flesh-sensing” technology senses when the blade comes into contact with skin and triggers a safety mechanism that stops the blade within milliseconds, preventing most serious cuts and amputations.
How many injuries are there with table saws?
While lacerations are the most common injury, around 4,000 accidents with table saws involve amputations as a result of direct contact with the rotating blade of table saws. The medical costs for treating table saw injuries have been estimated at more than $2.1 billion every year.
How fast does a spinning blade spin?
Considering a 10-in. blade spins at about 4000 rpm and the outside edge of the blades spins at about 108 mph, the devastation of these injuries is easy to imagine ...
Why do table saw blades not have blade guards?
The majority of table saw injuries result from contact with blades that do not have the manufacturer’s plastic blade guard on them because many tasks cannot be performed unless this guard is removed , so of course, most consumers remove the guard.
What is the most dangerous power tool?
Compared to other home power tools (including nail guns, chain saws, and circular saws), table saws are the most dangerous home power tool and can deliver catastrophic injuries.
How Do Table Saws Work?
Since the table saw was invented, the basic design has remained the same: a solid, spinning metal disk with a toothed edge that extends below the surface of a table. The saw cuts material that is pushed up to the blade. Today, table saws operate at speeds up to 3,000 to 4,000 revolutions per minute (RPM).
What Standards Apply to Table Saws?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publishes a number of standards for table saw safety, including:
How Do Table Saw Safety Features Prevent Injuries?
Table saw safety features can prevent injuries in a number of ways, including the following:
What Should a Worker Do if They are Injured by a Table Saw?
Workers injured in a table saw accident should notify their supervisor immediately. Employees who fail to provide notice of injury may lose their Workers’ Compensation benefits.
How can a Worker Determine if They Have a Valid Third-Party Claim?
A worker who has been injured in an accident involving a table saw should speak with a qualified lawyer to determine if they have a valid third-party claim. Galfand Berger LLP has obtained numerous significant third-party claim settlements for injured workers, including the following:
What is a splitter/riving knife?
The splitter/riving knife and pawls, which are part of a standard guard, will arrest the progress of an impending kickback by preventing the wood from pinching the blade and by preventing rearward movement of the workpiece. Second, raise the blade.
What is a kickback in woodworking?
The rotation can make the workpiece into a hazardous projectile and throw it back at the operator at high speed (“kickback”). It can eject a spray of saw dust particles, fragments from metal embedded in the wood, such as staples, and broken blade parts.
What is the guard on a table saw?
The barrier guard section of the guard, surrounds the table saw’s blade and can be effective in protecting the operator from blade contact in four directions: from above, left, right, and rear. The front of the guard, under which a workpiece can pass, provides little protection against a hand inadvertently sliding straight forward towards the blade.
How to reduce exposure to table saw blades?
One of the most effective ways to reduce exposure is by providing a guard around the hazard. In the table saw, the hazards are the rotating saw blade and its sharp teeth. Neither of these can be eliminated and still yield a working saw.
Can a riving knife be removed?
On newer riving knife machines, the top of the riving knife can sit lower than the top of the blade and can remain. But again the barrier guard and pawls must be removed. In both cases, with the barrier guard removed, the rotating blade is exposed to the operator before the cut is made, and after it is completed.
Can you use a dado head on a splitter?
It may be done with a regular blade or with a dado head. On a standard splitter-equipped machine, the splitter would stop the progress of the workpiece just after the leading edge passes the blade. So the operator is tempted to remove the splitter, anti-kickback pawls, and the attached barrier guard, to permit the cut.
How to cut a kerf?
Make narrow cuts on the left side of the blade. Start with a wider piece of stock than necessary. Make a trim cut to establish a clean edge on the stock’s left side. Then, simply move the fence further to the left, to set it to the desired width and a bit further to account for the width of the blade’s kerf.
How fast does a table saw blade spin?
These tools are dangerous enough to have their own specialized accident litigators: The Table Saw Attorney. With a 10-in. blade spinning at about 3500 rpm and an outside edge humming along near 108 mph, it's not hard to imagine why. Table-saw attorney John Uustall says he's seen technologies that can detect human tissue and immediately stop a saw blade. "It's kind of amazing it's not mandatory," Uustall says. "They should put me out of business. I hope they do."
What are the most common injuries to the legs and feet?
The study goes on to say that the most common injuries are likely to be fractures to the legs and feet. The problem is everyone has a ladder. Even if you never play around with saws or nail guns, you probably paint a room occasionally, change your storm windows or, you know, change a light bulb.
How does a nail gun work?
Regardless of size, they work by harnessing the power of compressed air to fire off a fastener to the tune of around 120 pounds per square inch.
How fast is a circular saw?
Circular saws have faster blades than table saws, with an outer edge spinning at about 120 mph, and they can cause some serious damage if used incorrectly or recklessly. A study in Australia's Hazard Magazine found that of all reported saw injuries, circular saws make up the largest group at 30 percent.
How many chainsaw injuries were reported in the US in 1999?
A study by the CPSC found that in 1999, there were over 28,500 reported chain-saw injuries in the U.S. By 2004, as the included chart shows, that number was up over 32,000. A lot of these injuries occur when users fail to wear the correct protective gear.
How to keep your hands on a ladder?
When you're on the ladder, keep a hand on a rung whenever possible. * Maintain a steady center of gravity by keeping your belt buckle within the ladder's sides, and closer to the wall than the ladder's feet.
How many people were injured by ladders in 2005?
A recent study by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that between 1990 and 2005, ladders sent 2.1 million people to the hospital. Ninety-seven percent of those accidents happened in "nonoccupational settings"--in other words, your backyard.
How Are Table Saws Harmful?
What About Safety Measures?
- You might question whether manufacturers and brands provide safety technology for table saw injuries. The answer would be yes and no, since the technology is either inadequate or deliberately not used. At the moment, table sawscome with plastic blades designed for consumer protection against the rotating blade. However, these plastic blades can be ineffective since several tasks r…
Why Does The Industry Not Use Safety Technology?
- Companies don’t use safety technology because there is an insufficient financial incentive. The industry manufactures and sells 500,000 table saws every year. More than 85% of these are manufactured by well-known brands, including Dewalt, Bosch, Black & Decker, and others. The table saw injuries are perceived as inevitable because they are inherently harmful. The occurren…