Table Saw

TABLE SAW / BENCH SAW

A. PART IDENTIFICATION:

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B. SAFE OPERATION PROCEDURES:

1.Crosscutting

a. Use a crosscut or combination blade. Always use sharp blades. Make sure blade is always cutting down towards front or operator's side of table.

b. Adjust the depth of cut so that the teeth clear the thickness of material by the depth of the teeth.

c. Be sure saw guard and splitter are in place. Check anti-kickback device to make sure it is working.

d. Always use the miter gage when crosscutting. A wood facing is recommended for the miter gage.

e. Never use the ripping fence as a guide when crosscutting short pieces. Use a stop on the miter gage or stop blocks clamped to the ripping fence or the table top.

f. Place board against the miter gage and saw the board saving the cutting line.

g. Do not force work through the saw.

2. Ripping:

a. Use a ripping or combination blade.

b. Use ripping fence as a guide. Never saw freehand.

c. Double check cutting width by measuring from fence to outer teeth. Also check front and back of blade so fence will not bind material to blade.

d. When ripping narrow pieces use a push stick.

e. Be sure guards are in place for all sawing operations.

f. Use a helper or a roller stand to support long pieces of material while sawing.

g. Adjust blade to proper height, 1/4" above the material being sawed.

h. Do not force material into blade. If blade overheats stop saw immediately and check for dullness or binding of blade.

3. Dadoing or Plowing:

a. Use a dado blade if available. A combination blade may be used and the fence varied with each pass.

b. raise the saw to the desired depth of cut. Make pass on waste piece before cutting into actual work piece.

c. This operation may require the guard to be removed if the materail is to be dadoed on edge.

4. Bevel Cuts (Ripping):

a. Use a combination or ripping blade.

b. Adjust saw by tilting the arbor to the angle desired.

c. Adjust blade to proper height 1/4" above work.

d. Adjust ripping fence to desired width of cut.

5. Bevel Cut (Crosscutting):

a. Use a combination or crosscutting blade.

b. Use miter gage (not the ripping fence) and follow the steps as listed in tem 34.

C. GENERAL SAFETY PRACTICES:

1. Wear eye protection and proper clothing.

2. obtain permission from instructor to operate bench saw.

3. Use only sharp blades of the proper type for the job.

4. Be sure blade is correctly installed in saw. make certain power is off and properly disconnected before removing blade insert. To losen arbor nut,turn wrench toward normal direction of travel holding blade with waste piece of wood. Do not overtighten arbor nut when replacing blade.

5. Do not stand in line with the blade while sawing or aloowing fingers to hands to be in line of cut.

6. Be sure that all adjustemnts are tight and the table part of the saw is free to tools, chips, small pieces of wood or other materials.

7. Do not talk to anyone while using the saw. The operator should be the only person inside the safety zone.

8. Be sure the floor is clean and free from scraps and rubbish. Do not work on wet or slippery floors. Non-skid materials are recommended.

9. Saw only material that has a straight edge.

10. Study the adhjustments and make sure you understand them before starting to work.

11. Use saw guard where possible.

12. Use a "push" stick for ripping narrow pieces.

13. Hold material against the ripping fence when ripping, and miter gage when crosscutting. Never saw freehand.

14. Never use the ripping fence for a gage when crosscutting short pieces.

15. Do not place the hands over or in front of the blade. Never reach over the blade.

16. Turn off the saw before removing short pieces from near the blade.

17. Be sure the power is off before adjusting or working on the saw.

Avoiding Kickback

Kickback is caused when the blade catches the workpiece and violently throws it back to the rear of the saw, towards the operator. It can be thrown very hard and can injure the operator.

Blade must be sharp and clean. Novices often do not recognize the importance of using a clean and sharp blade. Pitch buildup on a blade greatly increases friction and decreases the quality of the cut, causing burning. Pitch also increases the probability of kickback.

Saw must be aligned. The blade must be adjusted so that it is parallel with the miter grooves and the rip fence. If the blade is out of parallel, it is possible for the workpiece to be pinched between the blade and the rip fence, which will cause violent kickback.

Use the blade guardThe blade guard on typical American market saws incorporates a spreader, which helps prevent the cut from closing on the back of the saw blade. Natural tension can exist in wood that causes the cut to close. Some blade guards have anti-kickback devices that allow only forward travel past the blade.

Push the workpiece past the blade. Do not release a workpiece until it is past the blade and removed from the saw. Turn the saw off before removing small cut off pieces.

Always maintain control. Do not execute a cut where you do not have complete control of the situation. Make sure there are no obstructions. Do not cut a workpiece that is too large to handle.

Do not use the rip fence as a guide during crosscuts. If you need cuts, use a stop block in front of the blade so the workpiece is not in contact with the rip fence during the cut. It is easy for the workpiece to twist out of perpendicular at the end of the cut and thus get caught by the blade and thrown.

Be careful about flaws in the wood. Cutting through a loose knot can be dangerous. Cutting a warped or twisted board along the rip fence is dangerous because it can get pinched between the fence and blade

Here is a video about a Canadian Invention. On this video you will see the creator of the device being challenged into testing is invention in real life. Amazing, this will hopefully become a standard on all table saws in the near future.

Bank of Questions: (Table Saw)

Missing words

1. A ______________ is used to support long pieces of material while sawing.

2. The _____________ is used for a guide when ripping.

3. The __________ ___________ is used as a guide when crosscutting.

4. A ___________or _____________ blade may be used for crosscutting.

5. A ____________ ____________ is used when ripping narrow pieces.

6. When making a bevel cut the saw is adjusted by tilting the_______________ .

7. Saw only material that has a _______________edge against the fence.

8. The saw should be _____________ before removing short pieces from the blade.

9. A ____________ blade can be used when plowing or dadoing.

10. The blade should extend above the material the depth of one ____________ .

Short answer Questions

  1. What is a kickback?

  2. What should you do in order to prevent kickback?

  3. Why should you keep pushing your piece until it passes the blade completely?

Please state why each of the following represent a safety hazard.

  1. Using the fence and the mitre gage while crosscutting

  2. Having the blade set at it’s maximum height

  3. Cutting stock without a true edge (straight edge)