Shrapnel from the table saw - ouch!!!!

[Mitchell Andrus]

Just a little reminder to keep tight control of cut-offs. Yes, I use a splitter. No,, I don't use a guard.

The damage to my arm was done with a piece of wood just 1/2" x 2" x 3/4" (small end-grain cut-off)....it was picked up by the back-end of the saw blade and scattered over a 12" area like buck-shot, as you can see in the photo. It stings.... well..... like a few bee stings.

This is my first launch in 12 years. I always wear my safety glasses for EXACTLY this reason. Do you use yours????

.

[Jim Kountz]

Wow, glad to hear it wasnt as bad as it could have been. Dodged a bullet there. Literally!!

[Wes Grass]

Years back I went into work one monday and the shop manager came over and said "come here, I have something to show you". Took me back where we had a 5hp Unisaw and pointed out all the black plastic shavings on the table. And then turned around and pointed at the wall 10 feet away. There were a number of 1/8" x 1/4" strips of ABS stuck in the sheetrock 5 or 6 feet off the floor. Made an impression on me. And apparently not (that we know of) on the guy that did it ;-)

The other fun one was the guy that decided he could cut 3/4" thick rubber sheet by putting it in the freezer first. The whole building was full of blue smoke.

[Rick Fisher]

Glad all you got was a nasty reminder.. I use my table saw less and less, the older I get..

I have thoughts of just getting a good vertical panel saw sometimes...

I was building a mitered corner glass table about 6 years ago and cut dado's in the bottom after the pieces where mitered..

Dumb..

The lumber was basically an arrow.. It kicked back and damaged the drywall on the inside of the house... I was in the garage.

[harry strasil]

I have to wear corrective lenses, they have safety lenses, so, YES, I always have my safety glasses on.

And, I put in Central Air last year as the wife needs it to breath, and I have never had AC before so I wear a hoody zippered sweat shirt, so I have a little extra protection if and when I ever get a kickback.

[John Thompson]

I use my TS every day for an average of 2 hours. I have a hole in a sheet rock wall 20' behind the TS from a launched piece. The first thing I learned in HS shop class in 1964 was Keep the Lane Clear until the blade quits turning. I also wear glasses as you can get off-shoot and especally if the stock has knots.

And.. I have taken about 5 gut shots from twist in kick-back over the past 38 years. So for off-shoots and to pad just in case.. I wear a pretty thick leather apron also. BTW.. I use feather-boards left of blade.. short fence.. hold downs on the fence.. splitter and plastic gaurd always with exception of cross-cuts and a few non through cuts.

Good luck... a long sleeve shirt would be advisable to help pad but... I don't usually wear one here in Atlanta. I do have marks on my arms as you have from not doing so though.

Sarge..

[Larry Edgerton]

The average speed coming off of the blade is 110 mph. Thats bound to sting a little. I too have a lump on my gut from a little 3/4" x foot long cedar octagon, and that was twenty years ago. That piece weighed just ounces and it took me to my knees, knocked the air right out of me.

[Mike Goetzke]

Glad to hear it wasn't worse, but, what could have been done to prevent it??? Were you using a zero clearance throat plate? Maybe with a small cut-off use several passes to shave the board to size?

Mike

[Mitchell Andrus]

Glad to hear it wasn't worse, but, what could have been done to prevent it??? Were you using a zero clearance throat plate? Maybe with a small cut-off use several passes to shave the board to size?

Mike

Not much. I made over 200 similar cuts and one got sucked back onto the blade just right.... Zero clearance, yes.

Just stay out of the line of fire.
.

[Rick Moyer]

A SawStop would have totally prevented that. I don't know how, but I'm sure someone here will tell us how it would have!:D

Glad you weren't hurt worse.

[Aaron Berk]

A SawStop would have totally prevented that. I don't know how, but I'm sure someone here will tell us how it would have!:D

Glad you weren't hurt worse.

:D:D:D:D---That's funny---:D:D:D:D




But safety is no joke, thanks for the reminder Mitchell

[Jeff Bratt]

Not much. I made over 200 similar cuts and one got sucked back onto the blade just right.... Zero clearance, yes.

Just stay out of the line of fire..

Sorry about your injury, and glad it wasn't worse!

A cutoff piece just got picked up by the blade, shredded, and fired back at you? Did it get wedged against the fence or something else? Was there a splitter? I'd still like to know exactly how it happened, and how it could have been prevented...

[Mitchell Andrus]

Sorry about your injury, and glad it wasn't worse!

A cutoff piece just got picked up by the blade, shredded, and fired back at you? Did it get wedged against the fence or something else? Was there a splitter? I'd still like to know exactly how it happened, and how it could have been prevented...

All good procedures.... Cross-cutting with a zero-clearance plate and push-bar that ran to both sides of the blade.

Sometimes a cut-off will just sit there and rattle. This one time I pulled the bar back without first getting the piece clear and it was light enough to fall towards the blade.
.

[Mike Gager]

i always get little pieces that sit there and rattle next to the blade. i end up having to shut the saw off wait for the blade to stop and push it out of the way. i thought about using a stick to push the pieces clear but didnt know if that was a good idea or not?