
Table Saw Accidents - MagicPropmaker
http://www.sawaccidents.com/
======
abraae
I inherited a very grunty table saw from my father in law. The lights dim when
its started, and it takes two men to move it.

It frankly terrifies me somewhat. I have always been very respectful of it,
and had had no incidents in a couple of years of use.

However one day he watched me using it and said I needed to use a pusher stick
to push the piece in, rather than the tips of my fingers as I was doing.

I switched to the pusher stick, and things felt...safer! I felt more casual I
guess. And then, some months later, I contacted the blade with the pusher
stick which disintegrated, with a piece flying past my face.

My learning was that sometimes having safety equipment can make one less
careful, with a commensurate increase in the likelihood of an accident.

(A secondary learning was that table saws are just plain dangerous, and I
wouldn't want a job that involved using one all day long - statistics would
catch up with me one day).

~~~
jdietrich
Aside from using pusher sticks or blocks to keep your fingers away from the
blade, the other critical element of table saw safety is understanding
kickback. In the wrong circumstances, the saw blade can suddenly grip the
workpiece and launch it back at you; the sudden change in force often causes
the user to push their hand into the blade. Fortunately, kickback is a
predictable and avoidable phenomenon if you understand the physics involved.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f8VWwtaudU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f8VWwtaudU)

~~~
quicklyfrozen
Absolutely -- don't stand directly behind the piece when ripping, and use a
featherboard in addition to push sticks.

~~~
abraae
Thanks! Somehow I've never come across a featherboard.

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beams_of_light
This is one of my favorite kickback demonstrations. Since watching this, I
have made sure to keep my push block/stick close to the blade & applying
pressure toward the fence, instead of closer to the fence & applying pressure
toward the blade.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fifjjacjLBE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fifjjacjLBE)

------
simondelacourt
It amazes me how in America the cabinet style table saw is still favoured
above the European Slider. I own a European slider, and it allows me to have
my hands further away from the blade, it allows for easier support of the
workpiece...

In my opinion it's just way safer, especially if you keep the safety guard in
tact.

The other culture difference I've noticed with American furniture makers is
that they use the table saw for many more operations than we europeans do. For
making rabbets, we generally use a shaper. Shapers can be daunting machines,
but used with the safety equipment they come with they can be a blessing to
work with. Things like kickback if you try to create a rabbet are prevented.

It just feels strange to see that difference between these two continents,
maybe OSHA is just way more lenient, or the idea of the importance of employee
safety is something totally different..

~~~
quicklyfrozen
Never even heard of a European slider before; it looks clever, but a bit large
for a home shop.

Also, these tools last a long time, so even if something better comes along,
it's going to take quite a few years to make inroads into existing shops.

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jcims
No discussion about table saw accidents is complete without SawStop! -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq3o0VGUh50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq3o0VGUh50)

~~~
diggernet
Nor is it complete without an opposing viewpoint...

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18523073](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18523073)

~~~
fingerlocks
Those arguments are kind of weak. I’ve owned a sawstop for several years and
never triggered it, nor have I met anyone that has. It’s an event equivalent
to losing a finger on a regular saw. Furthermore, Sawstop replaces the brake
for free if it wasn’t triggered by wet wood or metal. And regarding the patent
issues, can you really blame them? That’s the entire point of the patent
system. Patent expires in a year or so anyway, and then the market will be
flooded with knock-offs.

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alphabettsy
I didn’t realize the accidents were so common and while I’m not sure brakes
should be required it appears some in Congress thought the CPSC should be
stripped of that authority anyway.
[https://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542474093/despite-proven-
tech...](https://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542474093/despite-proven-technology-
attempts-to-make-table-saws-safer-drag-on)

------
sowbug
I honestly can't tell whether the "MANSCAPED #1 IN BELOW-THE-WAIST GROOMING"
banner ad is targeted terribly or perfectly.

[https://i.imgur.com/OrCwd0U.png](https://i.imgur.com/OrCwd0U.png)

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macjohnmcc
My right hand pinky is the result of a table saw accident. That one accident
was enough for me.

~~~
csours
I heard a story of a carpenter missing half of three fingers.

Someone said: Wow, that must have been quite an accident to lose three
fingers!

Carpenter replies: Well I lost this one 3 years ago, this one a year ago, and
this one 6 months ago...

Some people never learn.

\---

When I was a kid I met an old man with half a pinky finger. I asked him how he
lost it. He said he was picking his nose one day and zoop, it was gone.

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IshKebab
It would be nice if they distinguished between riving knives and blade guards
somehow.

