Mike W. wrote:
Before you read this, please understand I am not asking if it's OK to be
unsafe and have a kickback incident, I just want to know what really
happens to us all.

A post about a year ago from me describes a kickback incident I had that
hurt pretty bad. The board didnt break the skin, but blood finally made
it to the surface of my gut the next day. I never want to have that
happen again, but a recent post titled 'Table saw wood splitter/anti
kick back question' made me wonder what people are actually referring
too when they say stuff like "it'll eventually get you".

How many people here have had a significant kickback incident?

How bad was it? Was it just a 'put a bandaid on it and get back to
sawing' incident or a 'Im not sure I ever want to touch a tablesaw
again' incident? Was it really a life threatening issue?

Mine was a 'put a bandaid on it' (plus a new pair of undies) incident. A
year later and I'm still ultra careful and hate to think what would have
happend had my gut been my head in that instance.

Thanks,

Mike

Not sure these qualify as kickback, but they seem to line up with what
others are posting.

First was a brief moment of misjudgment (read: stupidity). I was moving a
piece of ~ 1' x 2' ply I had recently rabetted from the right extension wing
of my TS to my workbench, and I swung it into the blade. Board caught me in
the gut and knocked the wind out of me. No bruising or cuts, but enough of a
scare to call it quits for the day. At the time my saw was a tiny little 50
year old Craftsman (crapsmen for the more clever in the group) with an 8"
blade. I think my DW746 would've caused a bit more damage.

The other time was when I was planing a board that I now realize was way too
thin... I was approaching 1/8". The board broke at a knot, and the planer
sent half of it sailing out so fast that I never even saw it. My only clue
that something happened was that only half the board came out the other end.
(I had ear plugs AND over-the-ear muffs on at the time). I eventually found
the missing half lying on my garage^H^H^H^H^H^Hworkshop floor by the door,
with a fresh 1/2" deep impression in the door a couple above it. I'm not
entirely sure how it got past the infeed rollers. Perhaps that half of the
board was thinner than the half that had already gone through.

Work safe.

-John in NH