How Do You Work a Table Saw?

[Dolmetscher007]

Alright... I've been passing wood over a table saw for 5-6 years. But today, I finally got my brand new Grizzly G0690 table saw assembled, and I made my first cut in my new garage shop, in my new first house. It was a brilliant moment. I cut 1/2" of the left side of a scrap board. Then I cut 1/2" of the other side. Then I took the 3/4" board and set it on it's side, raised the blade, and went to re-saw it. So this would be my third cut... half way through the cut... it just dawned on me like a bucket of cold water going down my back.... I don't really know what the F*** I am doing... at all! I didn't know if I was supposed to be standing behind the piece or of to the left in case of kick back. I didn't know how far it is "safe" to have my fingers on the wood vs. using a push stick. During that resaw cut, the wood was vibrating like a sum'bitch! Did I need to have a feather board? I know on YouTube or the New Yank WS there is the occasional nugget of knowledge about safety, hearing protection, safety glasses, kick back etc. But... 9x out of 10 is it just from some dude that doesn't wear safety glasses himself in half his videos. 

Is there a Bible on how to use a Table saw, Band Saw, Miter Saw, etc.?

[Art]

Not sure about a Table Saw Bible, but the Jessem Clear-Cut Table Saw guides have made a huge difference in quality of cut, ease of use and safety:

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=72471&cat=1,41080,51225

[bleedinblue]

As for a Bible...I'm not sure.  I will say that your instincts are pointing you in the right direction...if you are asking if you should stand to the side of the work piece in case of kickback, you know the answer.  If you are asking if a featherboard will make the cut safer and if it is a warning sign if your work piece starts vibrating, you know the answer.

[Coop]

I don't know about the feather board blue. Maybe on the initial cuts on each side. It seems like it would compress the sides on subsequent cuts? Correction, it would compress them on the first cut of the second side as well?

[Eric.]

Well first of all you shouldn't be resawing on a table saw.  That's what bandsaws are for.  I know you hear about and see people doing it...but they shouldn't be.  It's dangerous and wasteful of material.

[Dolmetscher007]

24 minutes ago, Eric. said:

Well first of all you shouldn't be resawing on a table saw.  That's what bandsaws are for.  I know you hear about and see people doing it...but they shouldn't be.  It's dangerous and wasteful of material.

Perfect example of what I'm talking about. Is re-sawing on a table saw really dangerous and should not be done. Or is this just some ol' boy on the internet giving his opinion, knowing I don't have a band saw?

[Eric.]

Both.

[Tpt life]

1 minute ago, Dolmetscher007 said:

Perfect example of what I'm talking about. Is re-sawing on a table saw really dangerous and should not be done. Or is this just some ol' boy on the internet giving his opinion, knowing I don't have a band saw?

Ol boy still has his fingers. Resawing on a table saw is a work around. It is not best practice. 

[Coop]

6 minutes ago, Dolmetscher007 said:

Perfect example of what I'm talking about. Is re-sawing on a table saw really dangerous and should not be done. Or is this just some ol' boy on the internet giving his opinion, knowing I don't have a band saw?

I tried it once before getting a bandsaw and the pucker factor was so great, the wife raised hell for a good two weeks afterwards.  Not worth it, as well as being dangerous. 

[Denette]

Well, there was a two-part New Yankee Workshop called "Tablesaw 101" that was pretty darn good.  I know we aren't supposed to post links here, but it's out there.  It's a bit dated now, but most things about table saws haven't really changed that much since then.

 

*edit*

Also, yeah, don't stand in the path of where the wood would launch if you got kickback.  No bueno.

[Eric.]

Just now, Denette said:

I know we aren't supposed to post links here

You're not supposed to post links when the only purpose of posting it is to drive traffic to your youtube channel, blog, etc.  If you have a video clip that's relevant to a topic and you think it would be helpful, fire away.  There are no rules prohibiting that.

[Denette]

2 minutes ago, Eric. said:

You're not supposed to post links when the only purpose of posting it is to drive traffic to your youtube channel, blog, etc.  If you have a video clip that's relevant to a topic and you think it would be helpful, fire away.  There are no rules prohibiting that.

I thought we weren't allowed to post NYW videos because they're technically all pirated from people's DVRs.  But I'll post it here and if I get my wrist slapped I'll just plead good intentions.  

Here's part 1:

Evidently part 2 is a little harder to find, but it's probably out there, too.

[Eric.]

4 minutes ago, Denette said:

I thought we weren't allowed to post NYW videos because they're technically all pirated from people's DVRs.  But I'll post it here and if I get my wrist slapped I'll just plead good intentions.

I'm not 100% sure about Marc's policy about that...but you have to imagine if it's on youtube, it's fair game.  The person who published the video without permission is the guilty party, not someone who links to it.  If youtube wants to remove it that's their responsibility.  IMO

[wtnhighlander]

I'll add that making sure the safety features included with your saw are in good working order is imperative. Splitter or riving knife, blade guard for through cuts, brake mechanism if you own a SawStop, etc...

 

And don't forget to wear THESE, safety glasses (to quote Norm).

 

And keep the blade clean and sharp.

[Cheeset202]

I would take heed of Eric's advice (I am an old boy as well) on resawing on a table saw, you are limited to about 6" cutting on both edges with a high probability of kickback on the second pass.  There is no way I would attemp a resaw on a 3/4 board!  As for safety, there are plenty of advise video's and articles out there on the proper use of the saw.  It is critical the saw is set up properly with a parallel fence.  I check my fence with a dial indicator in the miter slot and measure front to back of the fence and I am ok with a negative lead of 0.001" - 0.003" to prevent the back of the blade from making contact with the stock.  If your dial indicator goes positive as you go to the back of the fence then you are at higher risk of kickback.  If your stock has saw marks on the backside of the cut your fence is pinching at the back of the blade and you are at risk of kickback.  You need to make sure your blade is parallel to the fence and the miter slots - this should be the case in most reliable saw manufacturers, if it's not you will need to loosen the bolts holding the table top and adjust so the miter slots are parallel with the blade.  You stated the obvious on where to stand but to be honest it's hard to stand to the side on many cuts, especially narrow ones!  Kickback occurs when the stock becomes pinched between the blade and the fence, hence the need for the proper setup.  It happens so fast you can't get out of the way!  Bottom line if you feel nervous about a cut, stop, rethink your approach.  Feather boards, hold downs, push sticks are all good choices, especially when you are doing cuts close to the blade, the key it to keep the stock tight to the fence while pushing through the cut.

[Ronn W]

Before I had room for a band saw I would resaw nice square boards up to about 4".  I would cut no more than 1/2" at a time and only cut 1/2" the depth and then flip the piece over. Inspect the kerf after each pass and if the kerf starts to close due to stress relief in the boards, stop because it won't work.  Still not the best practice but it was all I had at the time.

[Wood Basher]

So where is the dividing line between a safe and acceptable rip cut and a dangerous and unacceptable resaw?

[Pondhockey]

1 hour ago, Ronn W said:

Before I had room for a band saw I would resaw nice square boards up to about 4".  I would cut no more than 1/2" at a time and only cut 1/2" the depth and then flip the piece over. Inspect the kerf after each pass and if the kerf starts to close due to stress relief in the boards, stop because it won't work.  Still not the best practice but it was all I had at the time.

One of my most exciting moments was a stressed piece of Doug Fir closing on the saw blade (my older Grizzly has no riving knife.)

[TerryMcK]

If you like reading then this book is a great one for the table saw (The Table Saw Book by Kelly Mehler if the link fails). The answers to most of your questions are in it.

[wtnhighlander]

So where is the dividing line between a safe and acceptable rip cut and a dangerous and unacceptable resaw?

As a rule, if the height of the workpiece is wider than the width in contact with the saw table, it should be considered a risky cut. I would not recommend attempting such a cut without a jig to support the stock vertically (like a tenoning jig), or at least featherboards.

If you can assemble a tall, square and secure fence, and use featherboards to keep the stock tight against it, I think "resawing" on the table saw is reasonable. What I prefer is to not go completely through, but leave a strip in the middle to finish with a hand saw.

Of course, use a bandsaw, if you have it!

[Marmotjr]

I haven't watched this in a long time, but I remember learning quite a bit from it.  I believe he even goes into detail about his kickback experience where he ended up dropping his hand down onto a moving blade, which completely changed his views on TS safety and usage.

 

[BonPacific]

10 hours ago, Pondhockey said:

One of my most exciting moments was a stressed piece of Doug Fir closing on the saw blade (my older Grizzly has no riving knife.)

Been there, done that, thankfully no injuries. Even with a riving knife, DF likes to grab the blade. My (unscientific) theory is the preponderance of pitch and wide growth rings makes it more likely to stick to the blade.

 

14 hours ago, Dolmetscher007 said:

I didn't know how far it is "safe" to have my fingers on the wood vs. using a push stick.

I'm not going to pretend to know any better than you. I learned the same way. That said, my personal rule is that fingers never pass over/into the throat plate area, and a push-block is always the default method. I keep two on a shelf along the right side of the saw, along with a push pad. I make my own in the Jay Bates style, so they are fully sacrificial.

[jplemons]

15 hours ago, Denette said:

Also, yeah, don't stand in the path of where the wood would launch if you got kickback.  No bueno.

And don't park your car there, either. 

[Tom King]

No hand ever goes over the top of, behind, or even close to the blade-no exceptions-NO EXCEPTIONS.  If you are doing an unusual cut, and don't have the push stick you need for that one push, stop and make what you need.

I've never had a kickback, but failed to notice a small knot on the lower corner of the tail end of a board.  The knot bounced off the wall behind me, did a double bank shot off the top corner of the 11' wall, and took out a window pane on the opposite side of the big room.  I was glad I had developed the habit of not standing in the line of fire.

[gee-dub]

+1 on Kelly Mehler.  He also has videos on Finewoodworking online if you use that.  You could put a WTB in the classifieds here.  I know I gave my machine books to members at another forum who were in need and I was pretty much done with them; win-win.