Table Saw Safety

8 Important Tips for Table Saw Safety

When operating a table saw, it is very important to take proper table saw safety measures to guard against accidents in the workshop or on the job.  The main tool in many shops, a table saw is a powerful and dangerous piece of equipment. In inexperienced or careless hands, a table presents a grave danger to the user.  Avoid table saw accidents by following these table saw safety tips:

Table Saw Safety Tip #1

Dress appropriately when operating your table saw. Avoid wearing gloves while operating your table saw.  Gloves can cause a loss of tactile sense in the fingertips, which can make it harder for you to “feel” what you are doing.  Additionally, you have less gripping power in gloves.  A loose glove can also be snagged by a fast moving blade, causing your hand to be drawn into the path of the table saw.  Wear short sleeves and snug fitting clothing that cannot possibly get entangled in the table saw.  Never wear dangling jewelry, including watches and bracelets.  Non-slip soles on your footwear is a great idea.

Table Saw Safety Tip #2

Promptly discard cutoffs, saw dust, and other debris from the floor surrounding your table saw work area.  Keeping a clean working area helps you to avoid falls that might result in you falling into a running saw blade or tripping and becoming injured elsewhere in the shop.

Table Saw Safety Tip #3

Protect your eyes and your ears from damage when working with your table saw.  Wear proper safety goggles to prevent damage from projectiles or sawdust, and use hearing protection to guard against hearing loss.

Table Saw Safety Tip #4

To ensure proper balance and lessen the chance of slips and falls when operating your table saw, stand comfortably with your feet apart.  Avoid awkward movements and horseplay.

Table Saw Safety Tip #5

Don’t forget to use your push stick to cut stock that is 6” or less in width to avoid getting your hand close to the table saw blade. Use a stop block for crosscutting shorter lengths of stock.

Table Saw Tip #6

Always keep your body in a position where it is not in line with the table saw blade to keep saw dust from feeding back through the slot of the blade and ending up in your face.  This will also keep you out of the way for any kickbacks that the table saw might cause.

Table Saw Tip #7

Disconnect the power to your table saw before performing any maintenance or changing the blade.

Table Saw Tip #8

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