Radial arm saw injuries

[Rick Potter]

There is a lot of commonly accepted talk about how dangerous a radial arm saw is, which got me curious, so I googled both 'radial arm saw injuries' and 'radial arm saw accidents'. There is very little actual info available, but I did find one site.....'Saw Accidents.com', which quoted some stats from the 2003 Consumer Products Safety Commission report.

In a nutshell, they broke down saw accidents as follows:

93,000 total saw injuries reported, with 52,000 being from stationary saws.
Table saw..........38,000.........73%
Miter saw........... 7,640..........15%
Band saw............4,060........... 8%
Radial arm saw....2,300........... 4%

The operation being done was.
Ripping..................52%
Crosscut................17%l
Dado/miter/ bevel....8%

Most of the injuries were cuts, but some were kickback, flying pieces, or eye injuries.



OK, those are the basic facts I have found. Getting back to the subject, the percentages given do not take into account the vast numerical superiority of the table saw over the RAS, so they become interesting, but not all that helpful.

Now, if you are still with me, does anyone have any actual knowledge of injuries caused by a radial arm saw?? If so, I would like to know if it was from crosscutting, ripping, or other use. I am asking this because I think it would be nice to get some factual information on this subject, which gets discussed here often.

Rick Potter

[Mel Fulks]

The worst injury I've seen was to the thumb of a helper who was just over minimum work age .He was using dado set to make dental strips,something I hate and never use without strong protest. Anyway he was incapable of concentration and should not have been given that assignment ,I'm proud to say I spoke up about that before he simply pulled the cutters over his hand. Because it was the thumb they operated numerous times to save it .Sewed it to his belly for a while for blood flow etc. Dont know how successful result was as he quit .

[John McClanahan]

I feel safer using my RAS than my table saw. I also prefer to push cut. The times that I had a kickback, the saw backed up into the cut kerf and stopped kicking. Those times were my fault, but I knew how the saw would react and didn't feel in danger.

John

[Jeff Duncan]

I only know of one injury caused by a RAS and it was.....wait for it.......one of my shop teachers:eek:

I don't know how bad the injury was as I had just finished up my senior year, but I was told he cut his thumb pretty bad. I'm also fairly sure it was a crosscut as I don't believe they ever used the saw for other types of cuts. I also know of several guys....myself included, that had some nasty router based injuries:( As for the many discussions on the dangers of RAS use.....always feels a little "urban legendy" to me. That's not to say there aren't a lot of injuries, but I'd bet money the handheld circular saw does more injuries per year than RAS and table saws combined!

JeffD

[Bill Geibe]

I taught shop for 36 years and only recall one serious RAS injury. A 9th grader pulled the blade into his index finger, cutting halfway through it. I usually was teaching subjects other than wood but was always nearby the wood shops so if anything bad happened, I was aware of it. I taught at the HS level for 20 years and we had two wood shops going many of those years, both with RAS's. Then I taught 16 years at the middle school and that wood shop also had a RAS, but generally only the 9th graders were allowed to use it. At the HS level the student used them constantly.

I, too, think the danger of the RAS is greatly over-rated. A simple safety rule - keep your body parts out of the path of the blade. RAS's rarely kick or do anything unpredictable, especially with a negative hook angle blade. Also, I pull cut and taught the students that way. Push cutting can cause the stock get picked up and to lift over the fence.

We would paint an orange stripe on table of the school RAS's several inches on either side of the blade as the danger zone. We told the kids to never put their fingers there. I don't think we ever used them for ripping - crosscuts and angle cuts only.

Bill

[Rick Potter]

Yup, the 'urban legends' abound. That's why I posted. I would like to know the truth, whatever it is.

Rick Potter

[Stephen Cherry]

I wonder how many of the ripping accidents with the radio arm are from climb cutting?

[Harold Burrell]

In a nutshell, they broke down saw accidents as follows:

93,000 saw injuries reported.
Table saw..........38,000.........73%
Miter saw........... 7,640..........15%
Band saw............4,060........... 8%
Radial arm saw....2,300........... 4%



I would be tad leery of those stats to begin with. Especially since the numbers don't add up. They do not total 93000 nor is 38000 any where near 73% of that.

[Dave Zellers]

40 years, same Craftsman RAS, 0 injuries.

Used to rip on it before I got a table saw.

I follow safe practices and so far, I've been safe.

[Bill Geibe]

<<I would be tad leery of those stats to begin with. Especially since the numbers don't add up. They do not total 93000 nor is 38000 any where near 73% of that.>>

Actually, they do add up. The numbers don't total 93K because this part of the study separated out 'stationary' saws. That eliminates hand-held circular saws, jig saws, unspecified saws, etc. It leaves 52,000 accidents. 38,000 is 73% of 52,000.

Here's the study: http://sawaccidents.com/ To find the original study, Google Injuries Associated with Stationary Power Saws, May 2003, Propit Adler, Directorate for Epidemiology, Division of Hazard Analysis, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to find the .pdf

Bill

[Rick Potter]

Thanks for catching that Bill, I now have both figures listed.

Rick Potter

[David Kuzdrall]

It seems that one would need to consider that few people (comparatively speaking) have a RAS vs a table saw and unless taken into account would significantly skew the figures.

[Jim Matthews]

The figures are misleading if they aren't weighted to show the percentage of the "population" each type represents.

For example, the number of maulings by certain dog breeds far outweigh their numbers.
Therefore, the correlation between some breeds and aggression is strong.

[joe maday]

i think the RAS is far more dangerous than the table saw. I have had both for decades.
Studys are made to show what ever the writer/researcher is looking for. The number or percentage of injuries is not the "danger". far more "injuries" are done with a hammer. More peolpe get paper cuts or splinters that cutting a didgit on the TS. It is the severity of those injuries that gives the RAS its reputation. I know of many who at some time or other have been bitten by the table saw but in contrast Know of some who have lost multiple fingers in an instant on a RAS. The damage done by a RAS is usually far more serious. The use of negative rake blades are a relative new option for the RAS. I've seen shops that have added cables, window sash wieghts, recoil springs etc. all to lessen the likelyhood of the blade running out towards the operater. (usually installed after an accident). Using the chart in that study.... how many were injured by a swing arm crosscut saw?? there a reason tools get their reputations. No question the RAS is far more dangerous than a table saw. A stick of dynamite versus a fire cracker, which would you put lit in your pocket? Safe use of equipment is important regardless of the percentages or frequecies of injuries.

[lowell holmes]

I cut my finger on a table saw, but never have on my radial arm saw.

It is easier to get careless on the table saw because it doesn't appear to be as dangerous as the RAS.

Never work at either when tired or distracted.

[Jerome Stanek]

30 years no RAS accidents 1 table saw kick back that required stiches

[Rick Potter]

I believe I stated in the first post that the numbers are interesting, but not very helpful. They were the only stats I could find. That is why I asked the question. It would be nice to get some 'real world' info. I certainly don't intend to compile statistics, it is just that after so much discussion of how dangerous a RAS seems to be...........how many of us know of someone hurt with a RAS, and how did it happen??

OK, perhaps my original question was not clearly stated. If so, I apologize. Let me try again.


QUESTION: Do you know of anyone who has been injured using a radial arm saw???



So far, we have three incidents. Any others??

Let's not get off track please.

Rick Potter

[Matt Marsh]

Yep! I know of three. Two people that cut fingers off, and another that had a large splinter in the face/eye. One of the digit losers was a high school shop teacher that had the dado blade ride up and he lost the tips of two fingers on his left hand (seems it was first and middle). The splinter was another shop teacher. The large splinter entered his cheek below his safety glasses with enough velocity that it punctured his eyeball. I can't recall what he was doing on the saw at the time, but I do remember watching them hustle him off in a car with the splinter still sticking out from between his fingers. I also remember him giving us a pep talk about safety when he came back a few days later. They saved his sight. The other digit loser is a good friend of mine who is a carpenter. He simply got complacent and sawed through his fingers on his left hand during several repetitious crosscuts. His cut was such that he lost all of his pinkie, most of his ring finger, and just the tip of his middle finger.

[Joe Hillmann]

My stepdad had his hand nearly cut off when cross cutting with a radial arm saw. He was cutting and the blade cought and started to self feed (or what ever you would call a kickback on a radial arm saw). Some how what would have been the cut off end of the board ended up jumping up on to the fence which caused the arm of the saw to be deflected up and to the left and ran right into his wrist. The fact that the arm got forced up prevented his hand from being completely cut off. It cut all the tendons on the back of his and cut into one or two of the wrist bones.

He said it happened so quick he didn't know what actually happened until after it was over, but I suppose that is the case with any kick back accident.

[joe maday]

As a follow up to my prior post... my father when he was 16-17 worked in a lumber yard after school, using the RAS. As he was removing wood from the table, the saw blade
kicked out" and ran over/through four fingers on his left hand. For some unknown reason someone removed the weight that retracted the saw. he looked down and saw his fingers lying on the table. Like the post by matt Marsh the fingers were cut on an angle. The doctors said they would never be any good and only be in the way, so they removed the remaining parts.The result was loosing all four fingers right to the knuckle, only left with a palm and a thumb. He too said it happened so fast and felt like someone hit his hand with a hammer. Went on to become a mechanic, bodyman, woodworker and autobody shop owner. To his credit it never held him back and he never thought as hiself being dissabled in any way. My opinion ....No question about it.... The RAS is more dangerous than a TS.

[John McClanahan]

Usually when I mention that I prefer to push cut, the FUD mongers come out to scold me on my dangerous use of the saw. What's interesting is that a lot of RAS injuries involve self feeding, as a result of climb cutting (cutting on the pull).

I should also mention that I have only used 10" saws. The big 3 phase saws could be a different story.

John

[John TenEyck]

A Niagara Falls high school student cut off his hand with a RAS about 10 years ago I think it was. I remember reading about in the newspaper; didn't know him personally. I believe they were able to reattach his hand. Personally, I've never had an accident with mine, but I sure have an acute awareness of where I put my hands while using it. I wish someone would invent a guard like on a CMS for the RAS, or has someone?

John

[Bill Graham]

I've worked with various RAS models since the mid-80's and still can count to 10 without taking off my shoes so I guess I'm qualified to offer an opinion...

My observations:

1) Proper blades are a Good Thing. You wouldn't put a table saw rip blade on your slide-miter saw, what makes some folks think they'd work fine on a RAS?

2) For a blade to climb on top of the work and track into the operators hand(assuming the operator has enough sense not to put his hand into the path of the blade) means a)the saw doesn't have enough power to push the blade through the stock and b) the beam has to deflect in the X and Y axes. Underpowered and under-engineered for the application, thank you Crapsman. I've always felt more comfortable using the big 14-16" Delta or DeWalt saws than the cheap 10" versions made by whoever. Those scare me and make me extra careful. My rule is that if I can pick it up I don't want to use it.

3) I had a friend years ago who was an insurance engineer working with commercial lumber mills and millwork factories. His big thing with RASs was no return spring, most of the injuries he investigated occurred after the cut was made and the operator failed to return the carriage to rest after the cut. Think: 16" blade spinning in front of your face and you're reaching past it on both sides to remove the offcut and push the stock into position for the next cut? Sounds like a candidate for a Darwin Award to me.

And no, I don't know anyone personally who's been injured on a RAS. I do know several folks who can't count to 10 because of table saw and circular saw accidents.

Just my thoughts on the issue.

Best,
Bill

[Pat Barry]

John, I don't know what a FUD monger is, but I thought I would check a user manual. Here is from Craftsman radial arm saw user manual:
* Start and finish cut with blade in rearmost position, behind fence.
* Firmly hold workpiece flat on table and up against fence.
* Cut only one workpiece at a time.
* Pull blade through workpiece only far enough to complete cut, and never more than half the diameter of blade.
Norm, I recall had a saying "be sure to read, understand, and follow the safety instructions that come with your tools.
OK - I'm a FUD monger - be safe.

[Ole Anderson]

If anyone is worried about RAS injuries, just install one of those god-awful-guards-designed-by-a-lawyer you see at HD.

[Bill Geibe]

Matt - Those were severe accidents. I'm wondering how the guy got the splinter in his eye as you'd think that cut off wood would be going the other direction (unless he was ripping). And Joe, that's scary that the saw's arm moved left with your step-dad's accident. I didn't think that would happen if the arm was locked.

A question for both of you (or anyone else, for that matter): Lets do the same question but change it a bit - How many people do you know that have been injured by table saws?

Bill

[Tom Ewell]

The last serious injury that I've heard of was a guy severing four fingers off using a bandsaw, seems to me, that saw would be considered one of the safer powered cutting machines. Personally I've had kickback bruising from my tablesaw, knicked a finger tip off with a portable plane, snot knocked by a revolving piece of stuff in my drill press, wrist almost trashed by a heavy electric drill binding in the work, finger poked by a finish nailer, thumb bludgeoned by a hammer more than once, pipe clamp to the head dropped from a second story, air nailed a ring shank nail through the thumb knuckle, I could go on but the oldest stationary tool I've had around is a Craftsman RAS, the worst to happen so far is a "self feed" which caused the blade to bind and the overload to pop shutting it down. I always do the pull cut with a firm elbow along with a shoulder upper body rotation allowing for a more controlled cut.

[Joe Hillmann]

Bill.

I am almost positive the arm was locked when the accident happened. That saw was only ever used for 90 degree cuts.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

50+ years no RAS accidents, started with a 18" Comet RAS when I was a teen working for my father. To day I have two RAS. I like them both better then my CMS. Tom

[Rob Damon]

Got my first RAS in 1980, 10" Sears Model and currently have a Delta 5 hp, 18" RAS and have never even come close to a dangerous moment. On the Delta, I always clamp the work and keep both hands on the saw handled with a stable stance.

I wonder if most happen from ripping cuts (which I don't do) or from holding the wood with one hand and pulling/pushing the blade with the other and not percieving how close your hand is to the blade?

Rob

[Matt Marsh]

Matt - Those were severe accidents. I'm wondering how the guy got the splinter in his eye as you'd think that cut off wood would be going the other direction (unless he was ripping). And Joe, that's scary that the saw's arm moved left with your step-dad's accident. I didn't think that would happen if the arm was locked.

A question for both of you (or anyone else, for that matter): Lets do the same question but change it a bit - How many people do you know that have been injured by table saws?

Bill

Bill, I know of lots of accidents with table saws also, too many to count really, but only one real serious one that actually resulted in death of the user. I can't think of a single one that didn't involve kickback. The death was about 10-15 years back here in the Bemidji Minnesota area of a local cabinet maker. The piece kicking back struck him in the stomach/groin area, causing him to bend forward violently, resulting in the guy hitting his head on the table, which caused a brain hemorrhage.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Bill.

I am almost positive the arm was locked when the accident happened. That saw was only ever used for 90 degree cuts.

What size motor was on that? It must have been one of the giant behemoth commercial saws to have enough power to bend a cast iron arm. I don't think an old craftsman would have enough juice to do that.

I have been using a RAS as my primary saw for about 35 years now.
The first few years I experienced the saw try to climb a number of times. Then, I got a copy of Jon Eakes's "Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw". I was amazed at the difference a well tuned saw and sharp, high quality, low angle hook blade makes.
I have not experienced any surprises since then, neither crosscutting nor ripping.

But, even when my saw tried to climb in my "learning years", I never felt threatened. The saw was confined to one path by a cast iron arm and steel yoke. As long as I didn't do something crazy, even if it started to self feed, the worst that happened is the motor would stall and trip a breaker.

Short of something like Joe's stepdad's accident, I can not visualize how one gets injured on a crosscut by a RAS. You are not pushing your body or hands towards the blade as you would as you feed wood on a table saw.

[Ronald Blue]

I guess everyone has "war" stories to tell. I think the bottom line is that any saw is capable of serious damage and most incidents were due to carelessness. I have used radial arm saws most of my adult life and have owned one for 27 years. I have cut a lot of boards and even some aluminum and only once did I even have a scary moment. It was when I was ripping and it flung a piece out against the garage wall. Anyone who has a "climb" cut accident had their hand in the line of fire almost without exception. I am sure that will rankle someone but difficult to dispute. The blade is following a defined path and doesn't deviate from it.

[Bill Geibe]

I agree with Ron and wonder what the responses would be like if the question were about known accidents with table saws. Between kickbacks and blade injuries, I would think there would be many more responses.

Ron said "Anyone who has a "climb" cut accident had their hand in the line of fire almost without exception." and I agree. An exception may be Joe's story about his step-dad having the saw climb-cut and the arm swing left and got his hand. I wonder in that case if the arm was properly locked - though I imaging some serious forces are involved in an incident like that. I've had my saw try to climb and then dig into the stock and stall the motor. I always keep away from the blade path so the only damage in that incident was to my underwear. Since then I have switched to a negative hook angle blade and haven't had any problems like that.

Matt mentioned a fellow who had a splinter fly up from a RAS and cause eye damage. I really can't figure how this could have happened (the direction that the blade is rotating is away from you) unless he was ripping with the saw, and even then it would be a freak accident.

I use my RAS for crosscuts all the time. It's especially good for cutting rough lumber to length before milling. A RAS isn't fussy if the stock is cupped or twisted a bit.

Bill

[Matt Marsh]

Matt mentioned a fellow who had a splinter fly up from a RAS and cause eye damage. I really can't figure how this could have happened (the direction that the blade is rotating is away from you) unless he was ripping with the saw, and even then it would be a freak accident.

This happened when I was in high school back around 1973-74, so it's been awhile. He was assisting/instructing a fellow student, so he may not even have been the one operating the saw. We did use it occasionally for ripping, but I honestly cannot remember what operation was being performed. I don't even remember the brand of the saw, but it was a big and heavy one. I know it wasn't a Craftsman.

[Floyd Mah]

RAS are dangerous for several reasons and I've had my share of near misses. Imagine operating a cutting machine and just as it engages your workpiece, an object larger than a bowling ball obstructs your view of the cut and your hand. Wait a second, that's the saw. I had a big dent in my garage door when attempting to rip a board and it took off. Dodged a missile that time. The last incident was totally my fault, so I can't blame it completely on the radial arm saw, but since this is the sawmillcreek, it's a good place to confess acts of stupidity. I accidentally cut across a chisel. Wow, never knew how it got there, but it was vivid testimony to the need to have an uncluttered workspace. I must have literally dodged a bullet, because I heard a "bang" and there was a piece of metal flying through the air. Anyway, it's good to have luck when using some of the power tools, but especially so when using a radial arm saw.

[John TenEyck]

Relying on luck to avoid an accident will certainly result in having one. It is the thoughtful consideration of what could go wrong and taking steps to minimize the danger to both you and your equipment if something does that prevents 99% of accidents.

John

[John Piwaron]

RAS cut the end of one of my fingers. One of the 10" Sears models. Ripping.

OTOH, haven't had any trouble at all with any TS I've had.

[Charlie Velasquez]

...... Imagine operating a cutting machine and just as it engages your workpiece, an object larger than a bowling ball obstructs your view of the cut and your hand. Wait a second, that's the saw.
Again, I can't visualize this. If your stick is left of the blade then you are standing left of the blade, with your right shoulder behind the yoke, your head left of the blade, and your left hand holding your stick a safe distance from the path of the blade. All are clearly in sight. Right side means pulling the yoke with your left hand and as before.


. . . I had a big dent in my garage door when attempting to rip a board and it took off. Dodged a missile that time.
Ripping always requires care. We need to remeber we are cutting something that was alive and is as unique as any other living thing. Internal stress, twists, checks, moisture are all characteristics that affect how a board reacts when assaulted by a blade.
But we can hedge our bet. Checking heel and toe alignment, having a FLAT table that is parallel to the arm and making sure your column to arm has no play are paramount to increasing the safety of ripping. Even then, technique is important. Using a pushboard instead of a pushstick to provide balanced force on both sides of the blade, holddowns (featherboards, board buddies et al.), dedicated ripping fence and such all help.

In the last few years I can count on one finger (I still have all ten) the times a board tried to grab the blade. That was a pretty wet piece of treated lumber.


RAS are dangerous for several reasons...
All tools have a degree of danger. I think the #1 dangerous thing about the RAS is it has so many moveable parts that must be adjusted to perform as a safe, precision tool. Missing even one adjustment will compromise its effectiveness.

[ray hampton]

i think the RAS is far more dangerous than the table saw. I have had both for decades.
A stick of dynamite versus a fire cracker, which would you put lit in your pocket? Safe use of equipment is important regardless of the percentages or frequecies of injuries.

a stick of dynamite without the fuse, if fuse are included then the firecracker

[Floyd Mah]

The point is that to safely operate the RAS, you must stand with your center of gravity directly in front of the yoke. When you crane your neck around to peek at the cut, you are no longer as optimally aligned as when you first align your blade and workpiece visually. Also to maximally direct your forces and to oppose the risk of the saw climbing across the workpiece, you need to extend your right arm as much as possible. That literally puts you at arms' length away. So, yes, give it a try and see if you are safely in a position to control the saw, or are you going to give the saw a chance to get out of control.

As for the rip, I carefully planned and aligned everything, but when you are relying on everything to be properly set up to work, anything can go wrong. Visualize this: The saw is on an arm that is almost two feet long. Tell me that your saw doesn't deflect in the slightest if you exert a small downward force. Tell me that the lever arm doesn't oscillate once you start cutting. Remember, when you are ripping, your hands are occupied with controlling the board. You are no longer dampening the yoke's movement with your body mass via your arm. What's the chance of the blade not remaining parallel to the fence if things start to vibrate during the cutting process? Tell me how to keep the board from lifting while I am trying to feed it into a blade that is trying to throw the board up, as well as back at the force I am exerting to advance the board. Show me a diagram of your push stick or pushboard. I bet there are flaws in your technique that put you in danger for at least part of the cut. Show me how you fit feather boards or hold downs to the RAS table to make it a safe process (ripping). I think those who routinely use a RAS to rip lumber are deluding themselves and eventually will have an accident or near miss. RAS are good for crosscutting long boards. Period. Get a table saw for ripping and use all the safety devices.

It's pretty smug of those of you who think that you can outsmart the RAS. As you can read here, there are many fingers and other body parts that are lost to RAS's. Mostly by people who didn't operate the saw with the intention of losing their fingers, limbs or sight. So, yes, I say it's good to be lucky. Bad things will happen to people operating RAS's because of the nature of the machine's design, not because of their intelligence. By the way, I didn't say that you should rely on luck to operate any type of power tool. I did say that it is good to be lucky when sometimes things don't turn out as planned. Sometimes it's just lucky to lose only one finger rather than a hand or your life. We have a saying in the medical field that I hear sometimes: "It's better to be lucky than smart."

[John McClanahan]

Again, I can't visualize this. If your stick is left of the blade then you are standing left of the blade, with your right shoulder behind the yoke, your head left of the blade, and your left hand holding your stick a safe distance from the path of the blade. All are clearly in sight. Right side means pulling the yoke with your left hand and as before.


Ripping always requires care. We need to remeber we are cutting something that was alive and is as unique as any other living thing. Internal stress, twists, checks, moisture are all characteristics that affect how a board reacts when assaulted by a blade.
But we can hedge our bet. Checking heel and toe alignment, having a FLAT table that is parallel to the arm and making sure your column to arm has no play are paramount to increasing the safety of ripping. Even then, technique is important. Using a pushboard instead of a pushstick to provide balanced force on both sides of the blade, holddowns (featherboards, board buddies et al.), dedicated ripping fence and such all help.

In the last few years I can count on one finger (I still have all ten) the times a board tried to grab the blade. That was a pretty wet piece of treated lumber.


All tools have a degree of danger. I think the #1 dangerous thing about the RAS is it has so many moveable parts that must be adjusted to perform as a safe, precision tool. Missing even one adjustment will compromise its effectiveness.


Charlie, you said what I was thinking.

John

[John McClanahan]

If the blade guard is adjusted (tipped forward) for ripping, the blade cannot pick the board up from the table.

John

[Myk Rian]

QUESTION: Do you know of anyone who has been injured using a radial arm saw???
No. Table saw, yes.

[Ronald Blue]

I agree with you Charlie completely. People get hurt on Miter saws as well and they are the same concept. Use a little common sense in the operation and setup. If the piece is to small to hold securely then you probably shouldn't make the cut.

[lowell holmes]

I would add that my RAS is mounted on an elevated cabinet that can be rolled out of the way. The casters are locking casters. The saw sits 42" above the floor. There are 12"X40" boards mounted with hinges on either side of the saw table. when ripping, these boards are rotated up blocked in place. This gives me a ripping table that is 116" long. The blade guard is rotated down to keep the board from rising up and the anti-kickback pauls are in place. I use a long push stick to push the board being ripped through the cut.

I've never had an accident ripping on the RAS. I did almost sever the end of my left index finger while ripping boards on my table saw.

My experience is that both types of saws are dangerous and should not be used when you are fatigued or distracted.

OBTW, I just purchased a pair of bifocal (reader) safety glasses. They cost less than$15.00.

[Julie Moriarty]

Don't know if this has already been addressed, but if you're looking to find the most dangerous tools, of those injured, you have to know the skill level of the individual, the level of training in both operation of the tool and safety training in general and if that training was certified or a simple 5 minute "here's how". You would also have to know how many trained and experienced professionals are injured on a particular tool and if that tool is universal in its use or one that is typically only found in professional environments. There's a lot more to this than what the CPSC reports.

[Michael Dunn]

The last serious injury that I've heard of was a guy severing four fingers off using a bandsaw, seems to me, that saw would be considered one of the safer powered cutting machines. Personally I've had kickback bruising from my tablesaw, knicked a finger tip off with a portable plane, snot knocked by a revolving piece of stuff in my drill press, wrist almost trashed by a heavy electric drill binding in the work, finger poked by a finish nailer, thumb bludgeoned by a hammer more than once, pipe clamp to the head dropped from a second story, air nailed a ring shank nail through the thumb knuckle, I could go on but the oldest stationary tool I've had around is a Craftsman RAS, the worst to happen so far is a "self feed" which caused the blade to bind and the overload to pop shutting it down. I always do the pull cut with a firm elbow along with a shoulder upper body rotation allowing for a more controlled cut.

Cutting off four fingers on a BS? I can't even fathom that. Well actually, I can't fathom any of these injuries. That's just due to me having a healthy fear of the blade. Now if someone gets complacent and doesn't stay aware of the blade and puts there hand too close. I can comprehend someone cutting off all four fingers on a miter saw or a RAS. But a bandsaw? The blade direction is down. With a RAS the blade is not only spinning but moving and therefor generating some amount of momentum. I can imagine this momentum pulling the blade quickly through the material or God forbid, fingers.

At any rate, this is horrific to think about.

My only shop injuries are from drill bits or chisels. Once I was holding a motor pulley in my hand trying to drill out a stripped Allen set screw. It moved and I drilled a small hole in my hand.

Once while chiseling away some wood from a guitar I was modifying I sliced my nail with the chisel.

I lightly sliced my finger on my WS BS blade while installing it. Should've had gloves on. They had motor oil on them though.

[Tom Ewell]

Cutting off four fingers on a BS? I can't even fathom that. .
It was at a plastic vacuum forming and fabrication shop, heavy production run, they use large band saws (24" or so) to trim certain product. Apparently the guy was cruising along, may have been a little tired or bored, and zipped them right off.

My wife was in the front office and managed to get to the back in time to shove his hand into a baggie, collect his fingers into another and cool it all down a little in a small cooler with a bit of ice. Got him to the hospital and in the end managed to reattach.

She was pretty much a wreck the rest of the day, haven't heard much about the guy since, other than he apparently regained some use of his hand.

[Roy Turbett]

If the blade guard is adjusted (tipped forward) for ripping, the blade cannot pick the board up from the table.

John

When ripping, the blade guard should be tilted back so that it just clears the workpiece, not forward. Anti-kickback pawls should always be used and lowered so they just clear the workpiece and can engage the piece in the event of a kickback. Unfortunately, on many older RAS like my DeWalt GWI the kickback pawls are missing because the saw is usually used for crosscutting and they are not needed for this operation.

[Tom Ewell]

Backward/forward.... which ever, the tilted guard protects the infeed side by limiting the upward lift of the stock, the pawls/splitter helps prevent kickback.

[Paul Fellner]

My dad was a cabinet maker. A radial arm saw lopped off half of the index and ring fingers on his left hand. It was, however, a freak accident as the saw arm broke while he was positioning the board, and the running saw churned across and through the table (and his fingers).

[jeff friedhoff]

A saw is as safe as it's operator.

[Floyd Mah]

Backward/forward.... which ever, the tilted guard protects the infeed side by limiting the upward lift of the stock, the pawls/splitter helps prevent kickback.
This illustrates the problem with the RAS. There is only one correct answer on which way to tilt the guard. You both appear to claim expertise with the RAS and those who admit to accidents with the saw or apprehension about its safety are implied to be novices or to not have studied the use of the tool. As it turns out the guard is crucial to prevent the workpiece from lifting and requires knowledge about the direction of the blade's rotation and the feed direction. Performing a rip with the guard in the wrong position is a prescription for an accident.

[Jim Matthews]

It seems obvious, to me, that an extra degree of complexity is induced when the blade is moving in multiple dimensions.

Combine this with the questionable security of the most common versions and you've got a device that
appears to be operator-friendly and deserves more caution than it normally receives.

A more fair comparison would be across tool types that similarly have a fixed versus mobile version, such as router tables.

[Roy Turbett]

This illustrates the problem with the RAS. There is only one correct answer on which way to tilt the guard. You both appear to claim expertise with the RAS and those who admit to accidents with the saw or apprehension about its safety are implied to be novices or to not have studied the use of the tool. As it turns out the guard is crucial to prevent the workpiece from lifting and requires knowledge about the direction of the blade's rotation and the feed direction. Performing a rip with the guard in the wrong position is a prescription for an accident.

I stand corrected. Knowledge of the direction of the blade's rotation and feed direction is the critical first step when positioning the guard. In the out-feed position (feeding from the left), this is usually obvious because there is usually a decal on the blade guard that indicates which way the blade is rotating and oftentimes an arrow indicating direction of feed. In this position the guard should be rotated counter-clockwise so the back of the guard (left side) just clears the workpiece. The anti-kickback pawls should then be lowered the piece will clear on the right.

The guard position is not as obvious when feeding from the in-feed position (feeding from the right) because the decal can't be seen. In this case the guard is rotated clockwise.

The above instructions are documented in the manual that came with my 1979 Sears Craftsman However. the saw was recalled because the guard didn't have side protection like guards typically found on table saws (that is before they get removed). Sears sent me a replacement guard and a new table with mounting hardware free of charge. The new guard is stationary and separate pieces drop down from each side to prevent lift and kickback. I found the new quard awkward and gave the saw to a friend when I got my DeWalt GWI.

The manual for my DeWalt GWI has similar instructions regarding how to position the blade guard when ripping. However, some of the sales brochures from the 50's show guys making cuts that are clearly unsafe in an attempt to show how versatile the saw is. One in particular shows a guy cutting a full sheet of plywood with the blade parallel to the table and the plywood being slid vertical along the floor! The brochure doesn't say what you're suppose to do when you get to the blade or the plywood snaps. I wonder if an overzealous sales department led to some of the accidents that gave the saw a bad rap.

[Carl Beckett]

My FIL cut the end of his thumb off with the radial arm saw. Just put the board down, held it in place as is natural, and pulled the saw right through the end of this thumb (the board first).

Tablesaw I personally experienced a kickback when doing an edge dado. The front of the board was able to dive down into the blade front because I didnt have a zero clearance insert and the opening was slightly wider than the board. It cost me a couple pins to hold my thumb together, and some stitches and now it clicks but otherwise is fully functional.

Then two bandsaw accidents I know personally. One was at Kentucky fried chicken and my friend had a quota on cutting up chickens. I think it was 10 seconds for each. He ran the knotch of his thumb a little far one time and cut it open.

The another friend was working in the model shop and just pushed his hand through the bandsaw. Again was cutting a piece and holding it between the thumb and palm, and it went much easier than he expected and he cut about a 2" slice which nearly severed the entire thumb. That one gave me the willes.

Finally, my brother ran a hand backpull dovetail saw a good ways through his thumb. Just one pull stroke and it went through his piece and the thumb at the same time. Nerves, tendons, etc. So its not just power tools that can cause damage (and another friend gouged a good part of his finger open with a hand chisel once.

As I write this, I see that many of these injuries are to the hand that was holding the workpiece.

[Tom Ewell]

Sears sent me a replacement guard and a new table with mounting hardware free of charge. The new guard is stationary and separate pieces drop down from each side to prevent lift and kickback. .

This is my current setup but don't believe I've used it to rip since the upgrade (use table saw). The recall update makes my saw a treat to use, the dust port shoots straight back into a "big gulp" for dust collection, the guards prevent the carriage from drifting over the fence and having to manually lever up the guard gives you that little extra pause for final check and to get fleshy parts out of the way.

As you say, the guard is locked into the head with sliding front nose piece (infeed side ;)) and pawls with what I'm guessing is a pseudo riving knife and it has never rattled loose which the old version seemed to do on occasion.

[Aleks Hunter]

Anyone who suffers an eye injury pretty much asks for it. Safety goggles are cheap.

The biggest problem is lack of training. All of the above can be had relatively inexpensively, and unfortunately a lot of people just go out and buy tools they are clueless about, and find themselves in the emergency room soon after.I've had my RAS for thirty years and love it. But I also have a deep respect for its ability to maim and mutilate flesh. I never use it for ripping saw, Just cross cuts and mitres, and dados. There are too many better easier and most importantly safer ways to rip boards. Keep the work clamped down and keep your free hand holding something that is over a foot away from the blade and you will be pretty safe. But there is no guarantee how any given piece of wood is going to act and affect the saw when you cut into it.

I am bit curious about 52+17+8= 77. What were the other 23% of the people doing if they weren't ripping crosscutting, Mitering, beveling or dadoing. What else is there for 23% of the injuries to be from? As far as the numbers for each type of saw I think the proportion of table saws out there to Radial arm saws is much higher than the number of injuries reported by each. Table saws are pretty common, and unfortunately many are pretty cheap pretty cheap. I've been on jobsites and seen people do some pretty stupid things them as well so I never set up within 30 degrees of the line of the blade of someone else's TS. 2x4's flying off from kickback because a genius removes a riving knife hurt like hell.

[Randall Clark]

I worked in a woodshop for three years. My boss cut corners and did not follow all osha regulations. We had a couple pin router fingers claimed. One of my crew cut a couple of finger tips off with a dado blade on the table saw. Many little bandsaw cuts. I used to cut off boards for 4-6 hours a day on the RAS; I never came close to an accident. When the RAS catches it just binds until it can't come out any more. I really never understood all of the fear of RAS. You have to respect all of the machines, but in my opinion, the RAS is no more dangerous than a bandsaw. My two cents.