Table Saw

Safety

Additional Precautions

• Do not try to force the saw to do something it was not designed to do. For example, do not try to cut wood faster than the motor can handle, and use the right blade for the job.
• Do not over reach or stretch to get something when using this off keep proper footing and balance at all times.
• Turn the power disconnect switch to off before servicing the saw and when changing components or accessories such as blades, brake cartridges, and the like.
• Never leave the Saw running unattended. Wait until the blade comes to a complete stop, and then turn both the main power switch and the disconnect switch to off when you’re finished using a saw.
• Always maintain firm control over the material being cut. Never cut any material freehand.
• Never reach over a spinning blade for any reason.

TABLE SAW

The Table Saw is commonly used for the processing of wood lumber, wood-based sheet / panel products and most sheet plastics. It’s powerful and stable enough to cut up standard 4’ x 8’ sheets of material, and accurate enough to cut parts as small as 1/8”.

The table saw in the SOA is normal and standard in most ways.

It has controls which allow the raising and lowering of the saw blade, and also, a way to tilt the saw blade to any angle between 90 or zero degrees and 45 degrees. It also has various support structures and measuring devices for safety and accuracy. The feature that makes this table saw unique is a finger saving device, patented by the “Saw Stop” company, for which the machine is named.

Finger Saving Mechanism

The Saw Stop’s saws apply a small amount of electric voltage to the blade of the saw. The current through the blade is continuously monitored. If the saw detects a change in this current (as would occur if a hand or other body part came into contact with the blade), an automatic braking system is activated, forcing an aluminum brake block into the blade. This aluminum block is designed to absorb the energy of the blade by deforming.

According to the manufacturer, the saw stops in less than five milliseconds and angular momentum retracts the blade into the table. The operator suffers a small nick instead of an amputation or other more serious injury. The design takes advantage of the difference in conductance and capacitance, between wood and flesh.

Other things besides flesh can trigger the mechanism such as, wet or freshly glued or painted materials, metallic films, stray hardware and laser-cut panels, which have carbonized edges. The Saw Stop mechanism can be disengaged when needed. Please ask a Shop Technician for assistance.

Basic Table Saw Operation

The operator of a table saw typically stands at the front of the machine. From this position, they have access to most of the controls and implements, which are needed for most operations.

The Dust Collector is located below and to the right of the saw along with the power switch. The Dust Collector should always be turned on when operating the table saw.

The front of the machine has the 2 power switches, the blade raising / lowering mechanism, blade tilting mechanism, the rip-fence control lever, various miter gauges, various types of saw blades, shrouds, riving knives, feather boards and push-sticks. There are also crosscutting sleds and tenoning jigs nearby, for special operations.

Power Switches

The 2 power switches are located at the lower left on the front of the table saw. The smaller “Toggle switch” activates the overall system, and the larger red “Paddle switch” activates the motorized saw blade. The toggle switch is usually in the up or “on” position, but gets turned off for an occasional blade change. Make sure it’s on first and wait for the green light to glow steadily. Blinking red and green lights mean the saw is powering up or there is an issue with the saw stop mechanism. To activate the saw blade rotation, lift upward and outward on the red paddle switch. Press the Paddle inward to deactivate the saw rotation. Be aware that the SAWSTOP mechanism works while blade is slowing to a stop-can be triggered.

Blade Raising / lowering

The Blade Raising / lowering Mechanism is in the center of the front panel. It’s a large chrome crank wheel with a locking knob in the middle of it. Before raising or lowering the blade, this knob must be loosened a couple of turns to the left. Raise the blade by turning the crank clockwise. The maximum height of cutting capability is 3 inches. The Blade height must always be adjusted to about 3/8” above the material to be cut.

Blade Tilting Mechanism

The Blade Tilting Mechanism is located on the side of the saw cabinet, and looks identical to the raising mechanism. To tilt the saw blade, loosen the locking knob and turn the crank clockwise while viewing the angle gauge on the front of the saw to set the desired angle, then tighten the locking knob. (Extreme force is not needed.) The riving knife does not need to be removed!

Rip-fence / Control Lever

 There are 2 main types of cutting operations. One is called “Ripping” and the other is “Cross-cutting”.  Ripping is the cutting of long narrow strips, and Crosscutting is the rendering of segments from long narrow strips. In either case, a ridged support structure needs to be utilized at the table saw, so that the material to be cut can be braced against and guided by it.  So for ripping, the “Rip Fence” will be employed. The Rip Fence slides along the top of the table and clamps to the rail on the front edge at measured increments. When it’s clamped down, it becomes locked in place and sits precisely parallel to the saw blade.

Push-sticks

When the space between the fence and the blade is too narrow (less than 6”) to safely push the material through with your fingers, push sticks are needed.  We have an array of push sticks for different materials. The heel of the push stick needs to be only tall enough to catch the back of the work piece, and not so tall that it sits taller than the thickness of the work piece. The push stick is disposable and should a cut require you to be close enough to the blade that it would cut into the push stick, that is ok and what it is designed for.

Ripping Procedure

The left hand needs to remain planted on the table before the blade. The left hand does two things while planted there: It holds the material down and keeps pressure against the fence. If the cut-off is less than 6 inches wide, it’s unsafe to try and use the left hand to guide it past the blade, so the left hand should remain forward of the blade. The right hand feeds the material through the saw at a slow, steady rate, and uses a push stick when needed. The right hand pushes the material completely past the blade, and moves away from the cutting area.

Body / Hand Position

 A proper stance is necessary to accommodate a strong follow-through for any ripping operation. It’s too dangerous to be too timid at this point, and stand back too far to properly execute the maneuver. The left hand needs to stay planted on the table, forward of the blade, and be kept out of the red throat plate area. In fact, both hands need to be kept away from the “red zone” and one should NEVER reach over the blade with hands or push sticks! If the blade touches a part of the hand, it could cut the operator or trigger the safety mechanism. If a push stick touches or is accidentally dropped on the blade, the push stick can be thrown at the operator. A stable stance is needed whether ripping or crosscutting, and the operator needs to be in a position to avoid “kick-back” should it occur. Standing outside of “the line of fire” and keeping hands out of the red zone are vital safety precautions and good habits to adopt.

Crosscutting / Miter Gauge

Instead of using the ripping fence to make crosscuts, a different device known as a “Miter gauge” should be used for smaller crosscutting operations. The Miter gauge has a spoil board attached to it, and a bar that rides in one of the two channels in the saw table. The retaining ring on the end of the bar must be fed into the t-slot from the front edge of the saw table. The Miter gauge also has a handle to control its movement through a cutting operation. The handle can also be loosened to set the gauge at different angles for miter cuts or set back perfectly square to the blade using a square. Now the work piece is properly supported along it’s longer edge, and the rip fence is entirely out of the way.

When using the Miter gauge in the neutral position (miter gauge located to the right of the saw blade) your left hand grasps the handle while your right hand holds the material to be cut down and back against the spoil board. Your right hand should be located to the right of the blade far enough so that it does NOT enter the Red Portion of the throat plate. When using the miter gauge in the alternate position your hand and body position will be a mirror of the previous set up. Your right hand grasps the handle while your left hand holds the material to be cut down and back against the spoil board. Your left hand should be located to the left of the blade far enough so that it does NOT enter the Red Portion of the throat plate. If any materials to be cut are too small to be cut without entering the red portion of the throat plate, please seek assistance or a different cutting saw.

Avoiding “trapped cut-offs”:  Lets say for example that you need several parts that are 1” square. You can clamp a stop block to the spoil board 1” away from the saw blade kerf. The squares can be stabilized by holding them down with a dowel or a stick, and only advance the Miter gauge forward enough to cut through the work piece, then pull back. This prevents them from getting caught and lifted by the back of the saw blade

Crosscutting Sleds

Crosscutting Sleds are custom-built platforms which have two rails attached to their underside that ride in the slots on top of the Table Saw Bed and allow for safe and accurate crosscutting of large panels of material. In cases where the Miter Gauge is too small to cut panels that are long and narrow, a crosscutting sled can be used for larger crosscutting operations, instead. When a crosscutting sled is used, the ripping fence must be removed or otherwise off-set with a spacer block, so that work pieces cannot be trapped between the fence and the blade.

Saw Blades

We have a large number of different Table Saw blades available to be used for various types of materials. There is a flat rotating organizer located below the table extension to the right of the saw. There are blades for making regular cuts in coarse materials, fine cuts in veneered panels, finish cuts in hardwoods, precise cuts in most plastics or foam, and slotted dado cuts /rabbets in most materials.

Riving Knife

The Riving Knife (also known as a “splitter”) helps prevent lumber from pinching the blade beyond the cut. When using the saw various situations can occur while cutting that can cause a partially cut board to move, twist, or have the saw blade's kerf close up and bind the blade. The riving knife rides within the kerf, pivoting on the saw's arbor in relation to blade height, to maintain an even gap between the two cut sides of the board, preventing jamming which could cause the stock to be forcefully ejected rearward toward the saw's operator. The Riving Knife should always be installed in the clamping bracket located behind the Saw blade, unless Dado stack blades are used or the Blade Shroud is otherwise employed.

Blade Shroud

There is a Blade Shroud available, which fits into the Riving Knife holder, and is used primarily for cutting large sheets of material, to prevent debris from hitting the Saw operator. It has a push-button installation button on the right-hand side to allow installation and de-installation, as needed.

Feather Boards

A Feather Board is a safety device that applies sideways pressure holding the work piece against the saw fence. It can reduce the risk of a kickback developing but will not restrain the board if one does occur. Shop Technicians will help install feather boards when needed.

Tenoning Jig

The Tenoning Jig is a mechanical fixture, which has a metal bar that can slide through either slot in the Bed of the Table Saw. It has a clamping structure, which accommodates mounting work pieces vertically at any angle between zero and 45 degrees both laterally and horizontally. This device allows cutting the ends of boards into smaller tabs or “Tenons” for wood joinery, and also provides a way for compound angles to be cut in work pieces up to 4 inches square in cross-section, and up to 6 feet long. A Shop Technician typically performs Tenoning Jig installation. Please ask for assistance when Tenon cutting.

Dust Collector

The Dust Collector should always be turned on when operating the table saw. It’s located on the floor to the right of the Table Saw. The toggle switch for it is on the left side of its’ motor housing.

Clean-up

Please be aware that there are 4 Trash barrels in this room, and that each one has a broom, bench brush and dust pan attached. You must use these items to clean up your work areas at each machine, when you are finished working there. Also, there are scrap barrels at each workstation to deposit scraps of material, which may be useful for someone else. Please do not put materials with stray hardware or glue on them, or food/drink items, only re-usable materials.