Tablesaw Accident

sunshadow

sunshadow

Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
3,238
Thursday night my tablesaw threw an offcut at me, messed up my hand and threw me across the porch. Three stitches, an evening in the ER and according to the Xray no broken bones.

-Page

hand.jpg
 
Damn nice one. Glad it wasn't too serious. Had one kick back and hit me right in the gut one time hurt like hell.
 
Wow! That looks painful and ugly!!! Is there anything you could have done to avoid it? Glad it isn't worse
Jason
 
Yep,a tablesaw scares me more than any other piece of machinery,I give it plenty of respect----get well soon and be careful,some lessons of life are painful---Regards Butch
 
I had a friend that had a piece of walnut caught between the fence and blade last year...he leaned over to shut off motor, wood flew back at him..hit him in the mouth, broken jaw, hundreds of stiches, 12 broken teeth and is a bit uglier now than before. Nasty stuff.
 
I don't own a table saw. Learned my lesson at an early age, and have given them a wide berth since. I will confess I have thought of getting one recently, but truth be known I'm likely not to do so. I get along fine without it. There are some things I can't do... and some thing I can do without. A trip to the ER is one of the latter.
 
Wish I could offer wise words, but even experienced guys get surprised on a tablesaw sometimes. Glad there were no broken bones.
 
One way I found to split blocks into scales is to not cut the whole way threw, leaving something to keep the loose piece from becoming a projectile. Later I wedge a knife in the slit and split the scales apart it also keeps them in matched sets.
I came up with this Idea because I got hit in the chest with a flyer and it really packed a hard punch, I thought I would see some Blood.
Heal Up Quick Page!!!
 
Looks nasty.. I've been bitten a couple times by the saw and had 2 kickbacks that got me but those were both my fault.
Last time I was cutting a piece of "door skin", the really thin stuff that they put on pallets of prefinished plywood as such an it got caught under the fence. Being a wide piece, when it came loose and the blade spun it around in my hands and nailed me right in the 'nards... I was on the floor in pain and my buddies were on the floor laughing.

Hope it heals quick.. I feel for you. The "deep" pain is the worst.
 
Yes, a table saw is one of those tools which need to be used with a lot of respect. I had my saw kick a 3' x3' x3/4" ply wood into my gut. Got away with a bruise, I felt very fortunate.

So its a couple of months later. I'm talking to a co worker.

"Hey check out this bruise. My wife would kill me if I show it to her."

I look at his bruise on his stomach. Just like mine.

"Table saw kick a piece of wood at you?"

"How'd you know that?!"

I sheepishly replied "I did the exact same thing about 3 months ago."

We had a good laugh.

Hope you heal fast.

Ric
 
Ouch!!! Page , that looks like it hurts.

A table saw is great for what it was made to do.....cut lumber into shorter and thinner pieces. It has anti-kickback pawls to prevent long cut offs from becoming javelins.
It is not the best, or safest device for cutting short things into thin pieces. That task is for the band saw.



My table saw, like most, has the pawls and the blade guard removed, as they get in the way when cutting shorter things, like blocks. This is not the smartest thing, and I know it. I am a safety kind of guy, and am telling you this because I want folks to think about how dangerous a table saw can be...especially when its safety features are removed. If a careful guy like me does it, imagine how easily a foolish and unskilled newbie can get hurt. Don't read the last sentence as implying I know enough to not get hurt on the table saw.....everyone who uses one runs the same risks.
Using push sticks and a foot switch can help, but if you cut blocks of wood that are shorter than the blade width, the chance of a flying piece of wood is high.

A good tip is using a consumable pusher. Take a 24" long piece of 2X4 and push the block through the saw blade until it completely clears the back of the blade. Carefully withdraw the pusher and shut off the saw. Remove the scales after the saw stops.

Another trick I use is similar to Dave's suggestion. I set the blade height a tad lower than the block height, thus leaving a thin hinge between the two halves. This way I can cut many blocks in a row, and let them fall into the basket hanging on the back of the saw. The scales stay together and aligned until you need to use them this way. No more trying to match up pairs and orientation of 20 pieces of buckeye burl. When you are ready to use a set of scales, just snap them apart and hit them on the disc sander to flatten them. I came up the idea to hang a milk crate basket on the back of the saw to catch the pieces being cut up after getting tired of crawling around looking for blocks and scales on the floor. I know this can't be an original idea, but haven't seen it anywhere to date.
 
The sliding " T " square that comes with all table saws (but most people throw away) will save many fingers if used correctly on small pieces. Move the fence out of the way and clamp the wood to the square. Nothing to bind and kick back. Most DIY'er cheap table saw fences are junk and are not parallel to be blade.
I build Trade Show Exhibits and get about 50 temporary guys every year during show season. One of my jobs is to train them to stay alive during 18 hr. days on equipment some of them have never used.
My first "sermon" every season is that 95% of all industrial accident victims surveyed actually knew this was the wrong tool and proceeded anyway, then I show them my scars to back it up..... Be safe......Randy
 
Wow that really looks nasty Page.

I have had several close calls with the table saw through the years. I no longer use the table saw for small pieces like scales, i use the bandsaw, it has proven to be a little safer without the risk of kickback.
 
I was actually ripping 8 foot 2x3 boards into 2x2s. I got my saw at an auction and it didn't have guards or pawls, I got "Board Buddies" anti-kickback wheels which attach to the rip fence. Unfortunately they did not adequately grip the narrow off-cut, and actually pressed it into the spinning blade, so I got a full 8 foot length thrown at me like a spear. I will get a foot switch and attempt to build some sort of architecture that I can attach pawls to

-Page
 
I have worked with a table saw for years doing construction. I will agree with bladesmith the guard with the anti kickback pawls are usually the first thing to go. In my opinion, the design of most will cause as many accidents at they prevent.

Having said that I will say I have had several close calls over the years. I had a blade catch a piece of thin wood and shatter it. Hitting my hand like Pages, however I will say I think his looks worse! :eek: It was my fault I should have readjusted the blade height for the thickness of the piece. So I also have to agree with Randy somewhat, this wasn't the wrong tool but it was the wrong way to use that tool, but I did it anway becuase I had got away with it before!

The worst one I got was last year. While cross cutting a piece of ¼" plywood it begin to bind and even though I could see what was happening I couldn’t stop it. The piece after binding began to try and turn around pushing up over the crosscut slide and when I clamped down on it that much harder it an attempt to stop that, it exploded!
The blade propelled a chunk back at me. Catching me in the stomach, it hit so hard it actually knocked the breath out of me.
lucky it hit me crosswise and not endwise cutting it into my gut. I wore that bruise for months. Once again it was my fault for not adjusting the height of the blade for the material.
Those type of accidents happen because you get complacent and in a hurry. Over the years I have probably got away with doing that one thing I knew was wrong and twice it cost me. But luckily I am still around to talk about it, and I don’t plan on a third. I now stop and readjust the height to make that one quick cut.

Page I am sorry you got hurt but like myself, when I look back at my last accident I realize it could have been much worse and hopefully unlike me, it won't take a second time to get thru to you. A power tool is inherently dangerous and misuse increases that danger, ten fold! By the sound of what you are saying happen this right here may have stopped your problem from happening a push stick! Check out this page. You always want to push the piece between the blade and the slide thru and out beyond the blade.

http://www.google.com/search?q=push...cEIihtweqpZzODQ&ved=0CF4QsAQ&biw=1440&bih=672

Don't forget about the cutoff as if it vibrates back into the blade it too becomes a missile also. On that page you will also see a wide push block. That can and will stop both things from happening. But never forget you are going to have to reach over the running blade and hold it till all movement has been stopped. Like I said power tools are inherently dangerous!
 
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The gadget that will instantly stop the saw if it hits you finger really does work !!!
I don't know how it does with kick backs .I'll have to ask .My friend knows the inventer.
 
Shoot if i have any problems or stuck peice of wood or anything i drop straight down below the table and go for the power switch fast!
 
Thats nasty but I am glad you still have 5 fingers. I have had a piece kick back and hit me in the gut one time and it took me a while to stand up again.

You ever seen the SawStop table saw?
http://youtu.be/FquL0GG9RGI
 
Bet that one was numb a while before it started to hurt, glad you're o k and it wasn't any worse.
Tablesaws and drill presses have great respect from me.
Ken.
 
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