Morris Dovey wrote:

wrote:
| Hi all,
|
| My wife just bought me a nice table saw/router for Christmas, I set
| it up, but have never used a Table saw before, any safety tips ?

Stay focused on what you're doing.

Keep body parts well away from whirly sharp objects.

Wear your safety glasses.

Google for and read up on "featherboard", "table saw sled", "table saw
kickback".

Congratulations on both the table saw and the wife. If she's willing
to buy tools for you, she's definitely a "keeper"!

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto


In addition to the excellent advice, let me add.

It takes a lot longer to regrow flesh than it does for the tablesaw to
remove it and some of does not regrow.

A 1/4" dado blade will remove a 1/4/" section of your finger as easily as it
will remove the same amount of wood. Fortunately, I only had it set at
1/4" height. Still I have a reminder from the knuckle of my index finger
down around the end. Missed the nail though.

Kickback is "DEADLY." It can put a piece through your navel in a heartbeat.
Never, never use anything to keep the cut open on the far side of the blade
(except a designed splitter). Saw an article a few years ago when someone
used a screwdriver to keep the kerf open. A combination of several forces
implanted it screwdriver in his forehead. You can guess the consequences.

Get a dust collector, with less than a 1 micron filter bag. You only have
one set of lungs and emphysema is a nasty way to go.

End of horror stories.

Always observe the Golden Rule of any woodworking shop, "Begin with 10 and
end with 10."

All of that said, woodworking is not dangerous "IF" you use common sense,
keep alert and don't take short cuts with the machinery.

Wood (or is it Woodworkers Journal)magazine has an excellent set of jigs in
its latest issue. The most valuable, at least to me, is one of the
simplest to make. Just a little jig to do thin strips on the non-fence
side of the blade. I made a couple of mods to the jig which made it even
easier to make. Instead of putting dados and runners on the base piece, I
overlapped the bottom piece with the top piece and placed the runners so
they captured the bottom piece.


All the best. It is a wonderful hobby.