Kickback Owwwwie!

[Sam Chambers]

I was enjoying a good day in the shop today, when I experienced my first violent kickback on the table saw. The photo below is a piece of 1/2" MDF, about 4" x 6". This was a test piece that I was using to set up the saw, and I was trimming one edge. The small piece of falloff did just that - it fell off, no problem. Had my MicroJig MJ Spliter in place, and was using a Grr-Ripper to carry the piece through the cut. I carried the piece past the blade, and then I meade my mistake.

I took the Grr-Ripper off the stock, and instead of shutting the saw off and waiting for it to spin down, I reached past the blade and picked the MDF up. I then promptly dropped it on the top of the spinning blade, which threw it back into my rather substantial belly at high speed. It looks like it hit me pretty much flat, so the skin wasn't broken, but I'll have a 4" x 6" bruise for awhile.

Lessons learned:

1. Good safety equipment is no substitute for common sense.
2. Don't do unsafe things just because the guys on TV do it.
3. MDF really hurts.
4. Sometimes extra padding around the middle comes in handy.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Glad you were LUCKY!

Bruce

[Richard Wolf]

It's amazing that it always happens when we least expect it.

Richard

[Bruce Page]

Sam, I'm glad that all you ended up with was a bruise, it could have been much worse.

P.s. I live by rule #4. :rolleyes:

[Sam Chambers]

It's amazing that it always happens when we least expect it.True enough. In my case, it happened because I got overconfident and cocky, and ignored the (now) obvious risk in what I was doing, since I had done the exact same thing several times earlier this afternoon.

I'm now reminded of something I tell my kids. If you do the wrong thing and nothing bad happens, that doesn't mean it was the right thing to do.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks for the reminder Sam. I've been guilty of doing about the same thing (picking stuff up before it should be picked up). I use the MJ splitter and GRR-Ripper a lot, and I guess they can make a person a bit complacent. Glad to see it was no worse than it was. I'd also suggest another lesson/rule...

5. Don't stand in line with the blade if at all possible. DAMHIKT

- Vaughn

[jack duren]

Thanks for the reminder Sam. I've been guilty of doing about the same thing (picking stuff up before it should be picked up). I use the MJ splitter and GRR-Ripper a lot, and I guess they can make a person a bit complacent. Glad to see it was no worse than it was. I'd also suggest another lesson/rule...

5. Don't stand in line with the blade if at all possible. DAMHIKT

- Vaughn

hes standing where hes suppose to, just dropped the ball.

glad no serious injury. hobby woodworkers arent under the production gun. enjoy it and take your time :) ....jack

[Joe Mioux]

Sam I am glad to hear your accident was not worse.

You never forget, how the incident happened.

A number of years ago, while working on a new building for me a foreman on a job kept telling his guys, THINK SAFETY. Whenever I use my TS those two words float around in my head.

Joe

[Sam Chambers]

5. Don't stand in line with the blade if at all possible. DAMHIKT

During the cut, I was in the right spot. But when I reached to pick up the piece, I moved to my right, in-line with the blade.

I guess I have another one to add to my DAMHIKT list.

[Fred Voorhees]

forget exactly what I was cutting at the time, but a number of years ago, I had about the same experience. The piece shot back into my belly and it smarted for a couple of days. It is amazing how fast something can be shot back off of the blade.

[Alan Turner]

Glad it was not worse. Think safety.

[Frank Hagan]

Good to see you weren't hurt badly. But I'll be you never do that again! That seems to be the way I learn a lot of lessons ...

I had a similar thing happen ... only I left the off-cut sitting there, pushed the off button, and moved to the right and started crouching down to make the next blade adjustment. The offcut vibrated back a bit ... or maybe I bumped the table when I moved ... and then it came flying at me, hitting me in the chest. Because the saw was off and the blade was slowing down it wasn't as powerful as the time I stuck a thin piece through the drywall 10' behind my saw, but it sure got my attention. I had this vision of going in to my LOML and saying "Say, honey, can you call the doctor? This off-cut has done speared me through the chest!"

Now I push off-cuts all the way through when ripping, or move them several inches away from the blade with a push stick when cross-cutting. And I try to quit when I get tired or in a hurry. Its amazing how quickly things happen, though.

[Keith Christopher]

Good news about not being hurt ! Happens in a split second.

I know what you mean about TV shows. Man sometimes, my fav DMarks, does something that makes me wince. Like when he "knocks" the fall off away from the blade with the other piece of stock. *shudder*

[Mike Circo]

Why no blade guard?

For a through cut I always have a guard in place, too scared to work without one.

Just so beginners know, a a splitter is only half the protection you need. There are many events which a guard will help protect you against.
*sermon mode off*

Glad all digits and other vital appendages survived!

[Sam Chambers]

Why no blade guard?

Mark, I chose to use the Grr-Ripper and the MJ Splitter for better stock control, and to help guard against kickback. (Ironic, isn't it?) The splitter and Grr-Ripper worked just fine - it was my own impatience that caused the kickback.

I'm rethinking my stance on blade guards. The problem is that you can't use the Grr-Ripper with a blade guard in place, or at least not very effectively. You can't use the stock guard at all, and even with an aftermarket unit, you'd have to lock it a good 6" above the work. That basically renders the blade guard useless. I really like the Grr-Ripper - it's far and away better than anything else I've tried - and I'm reluctant to give it up.

What I need to do is to engage the most important piece of safety equipment I own...my BRAIN!

[Corey Hallagan]

Sorry to hear about your mishap! Glad your ok. Lessons learned! Be safe.

Corey

[Byron Trantham]

Sam, I just experienced the same thing. I was cutting a piece of 1/4 plywood about 20" square and didn't wait for spin-down. One of the edges caught the blade and sent the board towards me and hit my left wrist with enough force to break the skin and give me a substantial bruise. :mad: My watch was torn off as well. :o

[Ellen Benkin]

Nail that piece up where you can see it every time you start to use the table saw. That should help as a reminder.

[Byron Trantham]

Nail that piece up where you can see it every time you start to use the table saw. That should help as a reminder.

Ellen, I have only so much wall space!!!! :D

[Sam Chambers]

Nail that piece up where you can see it every time you start to use the table saw. That should help as a reminder.
Good idea, Ellen. I'll tack it up underneath the sign I just made:

[John Shuk]

Sazm,
Glad it wasn't worse and thanks for sharing this with us.
John

[Ed Breen]

Sam,

I had a chunk of butternut hit me in the belly several months ago. Started with a large bruise, but I've still got a small blue mark where it hit two months ago.
Like your sign! Think I'll copy it./
Work safe
Ed

[Brian Hale]

Sam, i'm REALLY glad you didn't get hurt any worse than a bruise!!



I'm always telling myself to slow down and think, especially during repetitive operations. I remember ripping drawer sides for 14 drawers and a few times just stopping, turn the saw off, refill the soda cup and starting over again. I need that time to clear my head and rethink what I'm doing. I can still count to 10 and want to keep it that way.

Brian :)

[J.R. Rutter]

Ouch!

I got nailed by a 1/4" ripped offcut a couple of months ago, with splitter in place. It shattered the plexiglass front of my Biesemeyer blade guard and hit me just above the liver on my ribs. I was picking out splinters weeks later.

Still not sure why it happened...