Group I had a really close call this weekend with a 1/4 inch plywood panel that kicked back on jet contractors saw. I feel like I am pretty well educated on safety, causes of kick back etc. I make sure my saw is tuned up, the fence is parallels stand to the left and all the basics. Did I forget to mention that I did remove the factory blade guard and splitter? My question is what of the after markety accessories available have you folks used that work, are practical and reasonably improve safety. I have a really bruised belly from the flying panel but it was inches and degrees from being darn near fatal. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Rod
Replies
I have a Beisemeyer splitter (on a cabinet saw), and I like it. It pops in easily, and removes with no tools or fuss. Mine does require a full kerf blade, but it's "beef" adds confidence.
Steve,
The doofus who owned the saw before me ground the splitter down to accomodate TK blades. Now it's useless to me, a guy who only uses full kerf blades.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
It could still be of benefit, as long as he did his grinding on the side away from the fence, or if the adjustment is tweaked so that the side closest to the fence is in line with the inside edge of the blades. Even a thinned down Beisemeyer would greatly reduce the chances of getting that "over the top" kind of kickback.
I use a device called 'board buddies'. Pulls wood into the fence and won't let board backup. You need a fence that fastens front & back to use them though. I've severely 'customized' mine and they work great. I've probably had them for 10 years or so.
I use a Brett Gaurd (comes with a splitter) and grip tites:
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Did I forget to mention that I did remove the factory blade guard and splitter? " BINGO!!! Really bad idea. That kind of spin-over-the-blade kickback can drag your hand into the blade with disastrous results. I've had it happen once, precisely because I didn't have the splitter on, and have sworn it'll never happen again. That was a Jet contractor saw (old blue one) that I had a Merlin quick-release splitter for, but had removed it for a dado cut, forgot to put it back on.
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forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 9/23/2008 12:08 am by forestgirl
Find or make a riving knife. Push the work toward the fence as you push it through--this is hard to do if your hand is too close to the fence. All 'contractor' fences I've used go in and out of parallel to the blade as one attempts to make fine adjustments, so if your using one just notice this.
Brian
I have a "SharkGuard" and am really happy with it.
The protection against kick-back is top rate (splitter is as close to riving knife as you can get and anti-kickback pawls),
It has the ability to collect to sawdust from the top of the blade (I hooked up a DC hose to both the bottom chute and the Shark Guard enclosure)
Finally, it is easily, and quickly removable if you need to clear the top of the saw table for whatever reason.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
I use the micro-jig in the full kerf version and love it!
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5067
Two good reasons to own - they will replace splitter part for life as long as you mail in warranty card and depending on how you put in splitter, you can add or subtract from pressure it applies to wood.
Chris
I'm with terryb. Board Buddies are the way to go.
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Edited 9/25/2008 8:19 am ET by mvflaim
MV, great picture of the Board Buddies, but the file size is 1522 K, at least 10 times bigger than what should be (IMHO) maximum for inserting in-line with the thread. I may get flamed for saying something, but when a big file like that is stuck into a thread, the readers have no choice whether to download it while reading the thread.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks Forestgirl, I had no idea the file was so big since I just copied and pasted it. I would image people with dial-up would have difficulty.
My DSL has been on the slow side lately, and it took quite a few seconds for the file to download. Attached below is your picture reduced to 450 pixels wide and saved at the "High" quality (one step below the "Best" quality) so it isn't even compressed much. File size is about 53 K. IMHO 75-100 K is them biggest size that should be included in the body of a post. I could have made it 500 pixels or so and still stayed well under the 100K.
Thanks for not "flaiming" me, LOL! forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks FG! I swapped that picture with my original one. Hopefully it'll up load quicker.
I don't "flaim" people, I just burn their @ss from time to time. ; )
I have a Beisemeyer splitter on a Delta Contractor saw. Had it sitting around in a box and had an bad experience and then got around to installing it. Though it's no riving knife, I still really like it. It pops in easily, and removes with no tools. Beware it's for full kerf blades only. I can no longer use my beloved Tenyru Gold Medal blade.
I hear the Shark guard is nice too.
Another vote for Sharkguard although, what you really need is a saw with riving knife.
I speak from experience. About three weeks back, I was cutting 1/2" plywood with splitter installed. The piece twisted during the cut and wedged between the blade and the splitter stalling the saw.
And I am not talking any old wimpy saw but a zip code 22124. It may not be a 5 HP gorilla but it's no slouch either.
Unlike a riving knife, which maintains a constant distance from the back of the blade, the distance between the back of the blade and the splitter can vary with the height of the blade. I was fortunate that the triangulation wedge created by the piece getting struck amongst the splitter; blade and fence stalled the blade.
I had the presence of mind and reaction to cut off power and stand aside. I was sweating bullets! After that incident, I am seriously considering a SawStop (mainly for riving knife but the extra insurance bought by the brake is bonus when encountering a freak accident).
Work safe. Splitter is a must although riving knife is what is needed.
Lyle
I have begun to develop new ideas about using the Shark Guard:Current advice is to minimize blade height above the wood for safety. Good idea when there is no top guard but PERHAPS not valid when the blade is shielded as with a SG.It is a fact that the higher the blade is raised the less the action of the back teeth of the blade to propel things forward - "kickback".Therefore, why not raise the blade to maximum height as long as it is protected by the SG housing - andDoing so brings the blade almost as close to the SG splitter as a riving knife.Any thoughts out there?Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Lee includes three splitter sizes with shark guard.
After my incident, I have started working on cardboard templates for splitters sized for 1/2" and 3/4" plywood. Once done, I plan on getting in touch with Lee to see if he can make me a couple of actual splitters based on those templates.
I think that might be a better way to go.
Lyle
Edited 9/24/2008 10:43 am ET by LB
Probably the most significant thing that improves safety in my shop, vis-a-vis the contractor's table saw, is my radial arm and miter saws. Rule # 1: Table saws are for ripping, RAS (or miter) saws are for crosscutting.
I think the shape of the workpiece (when it starts to get as wide as it is long) is the main element of danger. I try to avoid cutting anything close to a square on the TS. But when it's unavoidable, I make sure to have good control over the piece with hold downs or feather boards.
I use a push board -- a piece of plywood about a foot long and almost as tall, with a hook on the back, -- instead of a push stick. This helps the board resist the upwards force of the rear of the blade and keeps it flat on the table. The best defense against kickback is to keep it from getting started.
Another safety factor is that my TS would probably be considered underpowered by many. A pinched blade on my saw means a stalled saw, not a hole in the back wall. This also forces me to keep my blades sharp (a dull blade is another safety risk, often overlooked). It takes me a bit longer to get through 2" hardwood, but I don't rip much of that, so it's a good trade off for me.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
I install shop made splitters in my shop made inserts. The splitter is right up against the rear of the blade, preventing the work from being turned into the rising teeth. The splitter should be slightly (maybe 1/32") wider than the blade. While I normally wouldn't, I can STOP and let go during a rip, with no ill effects.
For a kickback to happen two things are required, contact with the rising teeth, and a fulcrum to provide enough force for the rising teeth to throw the work.
A splitter or riving knive prevents the first, the second is prevented by a properly aligned fence when ripping, and no fence when crosscutting. Stationary stop blocks used to make duplicate parts must not trap a workpiece between the block and the blade. Whenever possible, I prefer sleds for crosscuts over miter gauges.
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