Tablesaw injuries

[Michael Callender]

In your opinion are tablesaw injuries more likely to occur. With someone with say many years of experience. Or someone who has maybe a year experience. Is it due to everyday use and odds of injuries goes up. Or for the Person lacks the experience. Just a thought.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Most probable when people have small or none understanding of the tool... of course it also occurs afterwards mainly when people get excessive confidence in their skills.

[Frederick Skelly]

Most probable when people have small or none understanding of the tool... of course it also occurs afterwards mainly when people get excessive confidence in their skills.

+1. Osvaldo made both points that I was thinking about.

[Joe Bradshaw]

It can happen in both groups. That split second of in-attention is what gets you. I have trimmed fingers on both hands over the years.
Joe

[Ron Citerone]

Most probable when people have small or none understanding of the tool... of course it also occurs afterwards mainly when people get excessive confidence in their skills.

I agree. In addition, I think people who buy a saw and don't have any training from a very experienced person is at a higher risk on both accounts.

[Tom M King]

Just listing personal experience, so not worth much, as only one example. I've used a tablesaw almost daily, as a pro, for 45 years, and some before that. I've never once used one with so much as a splitter on it, or any other safety device. Knock on wood, but so far, not even a nick. I do know when to quit working for the day though. I also almost never use one for crosscutting.

[Jim Becker]

In most cases, tool accidents are mental mistakes (including being tired or distracted or rushed), so it can happen to anybody at any time. But risk does increase when folks either don't know and understand the risk or don't know and understand how to best mitigate it when working with their tools.

[Lee Schierer]

In most cases, tool accidents are mental mistakes (including being tired or distracted or rushed), so it can happen to anybody at any time. But risk does increase when folks either don't know and understand the risk or don't know and understand how to best mitigate it when working with their tools.

I agree with this completely. I've had one injury when using a TS and that was many years ago. I needed to make four cuts and I felt a problem on the first one. Instead of stopping and thinking about what I was doing. I was in a hurry and I ignored the warning in my head and got bit on the second cut. It was several weeks bofore I could make a new piece and complete the last three cuts.

I know lots of folks do free hand cuts on table saws and many claim they have never been injured. I will state categorically that free hand cutting on a TS is Dangerous and eventually you will get injured. Before making any cut you need to walk through the process with the saw turned on and see where your hands will be in relation to the blade and where teh cut off will go once your hand isn't controlling it.

Here are some guidelines I try to follow:

If you aren't 100% comfortable making a cut, find another way to do it.
Quit working if you are tired or distracted by other things in life.
Never work when you are angry.
If you make more than one mistake in a session, it is time to quit.
Always make sure your push sticks are handy before starting a cut.
When using feather boards, make sure you can complete the cut.

[glenn bradley]

Just to be clear, most tablesaw injuries are just that, injuries. They are not accidents; they are the result of improper operation. The amazing numbers thrown around for tablesaw (and other tool) "accidents" is misleading and a blatant spin on statistics. There may be accounts of a tablesaw throwing off parts due to some freakish sequence of occurrences and this sort of thing would be an accident. So far as I know there is no reliable account of a tablesaw lunging at someone, having the blade suddenly veer off course or grabbing material and throwing it back at the operator all on its own . Sorry to be snide but, the whole "your tablesaw attacked me" thing really lights me up.

Was that too serious?

[Steve Demuth]

Just to be clear, most tablesaw injuries are just that, injuries. They are not accidents; they are the result of improper operation. The amazing numbers thrown around for tablesaw (and other tool) "accidents" is misleading and a blatant spin on statistics. There may be accounts of a tablesaw throwing off parts due to some freakish sequence of occurrences and this sort of thing would be an accident. So far as I know there is no reliable account of a tablesaw lunging at someone, having the blade suddenly veer off course or grabbing material and throwing it back at the operator all on its own . Sorry to be snide but, the whole "your tablesaw attacked me" thing really lights me up.

I hear this all the time in many contexts - "it's not an accident, because someone was doing something stupid that caused it."

Here's the first meaning of the word accident in the Oxford dictionary: An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury."

I highly doubt that very many people start a cut on a table saw expecting or intending to be hurt. So, with respect, I think you're distinguishing between preventable accidents, and force majeur accidents. Both are accidents by the common definition of the word.

[John Blazy]

Great breakdown by Steve and Glenn. I'm like Tom King - nearly 40 years using the tablesaw daily, as professional with all the pressures to make a living, not hobby, and have over 100 stitches in both hands to prove it (but no lost digits - Thank God). Ditto to all thats been said, except the insistance on guards - can't do many operations with guards in place - first thing removed from my unisaw. I will add these two insights: one - hope you get bit by some machine someday, and I hope its not bad, but I do hope it happens, because nothing will slow you down to hyper focus on safe cutting more than after you first get cut from a machine. You literally learn a hyper awareness of the space between the blade and your fingers, and can likely detect any blade location even with your eyes closed.
Second - don't cut styrofoam, just don't. Use a razor knife. Even during the rush of shipping. Principle is true for any unique material other than wood. Lexan plastic is also super dangerous - sticks to rear of blade, grabs easily, unpredictable. Learn alternative ways to cut too, like push in pc half way through, pull out, then flip end over end and cut til it meets in middle - no need for push stick then, and quite safe.

[glenn bradley]

I hear this all the time in many contexts - "it's not an accident, because someone was doing something stupid that caused it."

Here's the first meaning of the word accident in the Oxford dictionary: An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury."

I highly doubt that very many people start a cut on a table saw expecting or intending to be hurt. So, with respect, I think you're distinguishing between preventable accidents, and force majeur accidents. Both are accidents by the common definition of the word.

I do have too strong an opinion on this and I apologize if I rubbed anyone the wrong way. I'm speaking of the many "accidents" that result from using a tablesaw while drinking beer, assigning an unskilled worker to use a tablesaw on a job site, not setting your saw up correctly and getting kickback, doing operations that are beyond the scope of your particular model, doing "just one last thing so I didn't bother with the push block", that kind of stuff. If I approach a machine that I am unfamiliar with, and I am unsure of its state of readiness for an operation, something going wrong is not unexpected, it is likely.

If I am reasonably able to use a machine safely and a tooth flies off a blade, a bearing seizes up, a trunnion fails, etc. I would certainly call that an accident. Tomato, tomato; just don't jack up my insurance rates because "tablesaw are statistically unsafe"

[Mike Kees]

I agree with john ,styrafoam is the most dangerous stuff I have ever cut on a table saw. Kickbacks like crazy. Plastic laminate is also another hazardous material to cut on a t.s. It can catch and shatter. In 30 years or so I have had two serious kickbacks,thankfully the long skinny one went by me and stuck in the wall. The reason it went by was my training from shop class days to stand off to the left side of blade. Other one was a nearly square piece of plywood 20" x20" or so. This drilled me in the abdomen,big dark bruise and sore for a while. Fingers have never contacted a blade. Again I would credit this to my shop training and good push stick design and use.

[Matt Mattingley]

I am instructor and I preach safety first. I have a saw stop in one of my shops. I also have a Wadkin PK in a other.

The first thing is it is way too many people remove guards.
The second thing is way too many people don’t have a healthy respect.
The third thing is healthy respect goes away with confidence.

I instruct proper body position, proper guarding, proper push stick operations, proper hand placement,.....

In my personal opinion, a sliding table saw is way safer (when properly trained) than any basic cabinet saw.

I really wish weekend warriors took a two hour course before jumping behind the wheel Of a machine that can cause finger amputation or bodily injury.

[Jon Barnett]

Injuries can happen to anyone. I know of a professional carpenter and cabinet maker with many years' experience who has sustained TS injuries twice in the last couple of years. Time pressure, momentary inattention, lack of safety protocol can have serious consequences.

I started out in carpentry using a small Makita table saw. This tool essentially had a handsaw motor in it, and we did crazy things with it on site. However, the motor was weak enough that you could power through many activities with fairly small risk.

When I finally achieved my dream of having my own woodshop, I purchased a General 350 cabinet saw. The power of that tool is in another world, and I had to learn to be much more careful when cutting smaller pieces, etc. As I've aged, and spend intermittent time in the shop, I need to mentally be sharper to avoid accidents when doing unfamiliar tasks. I often run through what I want to accomplish in my mind, and may choose an alternate tool, jig, or method to prevent injuries.

Repetitive tasks are some of the most dangerous, if concentration falters.