how common are table saw accidents

[Stephen White]

Trying to decide on table saw. I totally get the sawstop debate, they add a huge markup to the saw for the safety brake. Most everyone seems to feel its an adequate saw and some people love it but mainly you would pony up the dough for the safety brake.

I have an old cheap table saw that I have used for years and never had an accident but I have not really used it as a woodworking tool but to do large projects, such as building a few building (one pretty large and finished out) and remodeling a house. Looking back I do wonder if I was always as careful as I should have been. Laid a couple thousand feet of hardwood and did a ton of ripping for that project. Never has a problem but don't remember being particularly careful, although I have always respected power tools and saws.

The main tool in my workshop has been a CNC router and have used my little cheap saw only occasionally but now I am adding some products that will need a daily table saw session ripping small boards for a few dozen frames. My wife will also be using it. Neither of us has a lot of experience and I am feeling protective of both our fingers and hands and inclined to pop for the sawstop. That will mean I would have to get the cheapest one they have to stay under the 2 grand I can spend on the saw. It is very tempting to just get a good thousand dollar saw but ....

Is it really worth the extra cost for the blade brake or is this a case of the brand playing up a hazard that is really not much of a problem for folks that are careful?

[Myles Moran]

They're fairly uncommon until they happen to you (I don't know an actual scientific number off hand, no pun intended). If the saw is worth it to you or not will always be a personal choice. I own one and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but for guys who run big pieces of plywood or otherwise work with large pieces of wood where their hands aren't anywhere near the blade and they can always use the guard? I can understand them not thinking the additional cost is worth it. One thing to consider is they do hold their value pretty well, you'll get more return selling a used sawstop job site saw than you would from from other jobsite saws.

How big of pieces are you ripping, and how comfortable are you/your wife around a tablesaw?

[Rob Luter]

I know lots of folks with lots of hours on table saws that have never had an accident. These same folks are methodical, safety conscious, and make it a point to not do anything stupid. They leave the guards in place and use push sticks. I've used a TS3650 for 15 years. I've only had one indecent and that that scared me more than anything. I was doing something stupid and a work piece got caught between the fence and blade and kicked back. I was using push sticks and wearing PPE. Lesson learned without blood loss. Smarter now. The other thing I never do is push the envelope. I only use my table saw for things a table saw is good at. I use the guards, feather boards, and hold down devices. I use all manner of push sticks. It makes me cringe seeing people cutting without guards and push sticks or trying to resaw planks.


I have mixed feelings about Saw Stop. The guy that invented it had a great idea. The patent troll that bought it and then sued everyone who wouldn't license the tech from him should be shot (figuratively of course).

[Lee Schierer]

I've had one accident on my table saw in the 30 years I've had a table saw. I work on it intermittently. I needed 20 stitches on my little finger and wore a bandage on my left hand for 3 weeks. It only takes one error to send you or your wife to the emergency room. What is the cost of a single visit to the emergency room with potential complete or partial loss of use of one or more digits.

[Bill Dufour]

I would say everyone who has been doing woodworking for over ten year knows someone who has had an accident that has left scars.
Bil lD

[Joel Gelman]

I always thought of a safety feature as something I could not afford to risk doing without. I do not like ripping boards on my table saw. I use the bandsaw if the boards are not too wide, and with a feeder, that really is a bonus in safety (hands never near the blade with no push sticks needed) No kickback. No binding. All personal preferences and priorities.

[Stephen White]

How big of pieces are you ripping, and how comfortable are you/your wife around a tablesaw?

She hasn't really used one at all and I haven't used one that often. The hardwood install was the most I have used one because I did a couple thousand square foot and every room usually needed the last strip ripped but really was probably less than a 100 rips. Other projects just needed a board here and there ripped down to size.

Right now it is just for small frames and will be ripping 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 strips but it will be probably a session every morning to prep the wood needed for a few dozen frames.

[Stephen White]

I had not considered that, do you rip picture frame boards on a band saw?

[Jared Sankovich]

I have no interest or intention in getting a saw stop.

If my wife was going to use a tablesaw I would buy a saw sawstop tomorrow.

[Matt Day]

If you are reasonably intelligent, think through the cut before doing so, have the saw aligned properly, you will be fine.

It sounds like you should get a SS though. You have little experience, are worried about it, and your wife has zero experience.

Maybe pass on buying a few of those high end planes and spend it on the SS.

[Bob Riefer]

I'm honestly curious how, if following safe practices, the injuries occur?

Jeffrey Lohr taught us years ago... splitter or riving knife for all possible cuts, guard in place for all possible cuts, properly aligned fence, left hand (guide hand) never goes past the front edge of the table, right hand uses a well-designed push tool as soon as it passes the front of table.

My hands do not ever get close to a spinning blade following these types of tips.

Even when a board has had internal stresses and wants to pinch, it has pinched on the riving knife instead of kicking back.... Power saw down, lift board off the blade, take a second pass.

I'm almost cringing at the wave of yelling that's about to occur ("you can always fall asleep at the wheel!", "you haven't cut enough boards to know!" etc.)... but I'm truly curious. The safety practices taught to me (namely, don't put any part of your body above or near spinning blade, and use riving/splitter to combat kickback) seem sound. (and I'd say that working while tired isn't smart, and that a teacher like Jeffry has cut enough boards to know)

[Richard Coers]

Over 30,000 per year according to this paper. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4154236/

I got complacent with an ELU biscuit joiner around 1985. The board shot out of my hand, and the forces of my muscles sent my hand into the blade. It cut 3/4 of the way through one finger bone. The emergency surgeon screwed it up. and required a second surgery to stabilize the end of my finger on the bone. I had a corporate job so didn't loose income. If I would have been the self-employed woodworking shop owner I latter became, I would have been in debt for a decade and unable to work for nearly 2 months. I have a Sawstop in my basement shop now! I'm a huge fan.

[Stephen White]

yep, I came to the same conclusion after reading all the great responses. It really seems to come down to 'if' there is an accident then the extra grand may save a finger or hand.

Jared's mention of my wife made the difference. I'm making the decisions that anyone else using the saw has to live with and following all the safety rules and using a table saw with the kickback prevention stuff and a blade stop is right now the ultimate for everyone's safety. Annoying that I have to spend a grand on the blade stop but that's life.

Thanks for all the great input. Now pulling the trigger on the $1500 job site saw doesn't feel so brutal (I've got two small 8'x7' work areas carved out so space is a huge deal so the smaller saws are all I can look at).

[Bernie Kopfer]

As a Dentist I saw a lot of individuals over the years with a missing digit or two. Invariably when I would ask it was a tablesaw or a circular saw that did the damage.
Had three relatives with several missing digits due to saw accidents. They would joke that “Between the three of them, they could come up with two good hands”. Funny until it happens to you or someone you know well.

[Bob Hinden]

I purchased a SawStop PCS about a year ago, this was the third table saw I owned over about 30 years. I never had a serious accident with any of the saws, other than some kickbacks.

My thinking was that I only have one set of fingers, it was worth the extra money to keep them. I am generally careful when using power tools, but we all get tired and make mistakes.

I am very happy with the PCS, it's a great table saw, technical support from the SawStop is excellent, the instruction manual and parts packaging is the best I have ever seen. It was well worth it for me.