If you’re going to use a table saw, it’s a good idea to know what you’re doing–even if you’re using a SawStop. There are all sorts of ways for table saws to maim you severely, and even worse, they can do it in a split second. With this in mind, The Woodworker’s Guide has put together a guide full of tips and insights that should help you keep your appendages intact. You can find it right here. While some of the advice should be obvious to most people (”Don’t operate a table saw while drunk, medicated or tired!”), a lot of it is stuff that is not so obvious, particularly to a novice. Here’s an example:
“Do not wear gloves while operating your table saw. Gloves cause a loss to your sense of touch as well as a possible loss of gripping power. Most gloves are also loose fitting which gives the chance for the blade to catch on them. However, use a glove whenever you are changing the blade. Sometimes the blade is on tight and you need a strong grip to remove the holding nut. This gives opportunity for slippage which can cause cuts to your hand. As well, you can also use a commercially available blade holder.”
It might not occur to a person who is just learning to operate a table saw that wearing gloves could put them at more risk than not wearing gloves while they’re running a saw. This is the kind of advice that comes from experience, which makes it invaluable to novices. If you want to maximize your safety while operating a table saw, this is a great article to have a look at, even if you’re running a SawStop.
After a long wait and lots of anticipation, people are starting to get their hands on the brand new SawStop Contractor Saw. SawStop.com has put up a web page with some customer feedback on the new saw and unsurprisingly, people seem to be quite happy with it. Here’s a couple of quotes from the page:
