Table Saw Safety | DIY Push Stick (Easy)
Table Saw Safety | DIY Push Stick (Easy)
Rob Cosman shows you how to make his table saw push stick from your scrap wood pile
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I don’t know how many times the piece of wood I was ripping tried to climb up close to the blade shortly into the cut. This style pushblock really helps stabilize your workpiece and makes it so much safer. Thank you for sharing this!
How do you feel, Rob as to the usefulness of a strip of sandpaper glued to the bottom of the flat section? Overkill?
Very nice. Will have to make one.
I have to ask. Your push stick puts your hand exactly in the position you don’t want it to be if you do have kick back. Pulling it across and into the blade. Why isn’t it longer so that you don’t have to lean over the cut or put your hand where the blade can cut it off?
Nice, simple design. I love it~! I’ll try this with ply as well. I had one that I’d made (20+) years ago out of solid wood and it splintered one day when it hit the table saw blade during a cut. That was my intro of flesh to spinning steel. Love my SawStop now, but don’t want to take the chance of setting off the brake, or much less reenacting that scene. Thanks for sharing this, Rob~!
450mm is the minimum requirement for a push stick in Europe, if using a TS.
Darn it Rob ya make me wanna grow my hair out…. Tks,tks a lot lol
Thank you !
I love the Jessem stock guide. I attach it to my fence with two Mag Switches so it can be removed easily (lots of videos on how to do this). It does everything – canted wheels keeps the board tight to the fence, one way wheels stops kick back, spring wheels stops the board from lifting, and it is a Canadian company – probably not far from where you live. Does everything a feather board and push stick do plus more. No more splinters in my hands. For the really narrow boards you can use almost any skinny stick to push through the blade, it just doesnt matter when the stock guide does all the work.
Not saying you dont need a push stick, you do for some cuts and I like your design, but the Stock Guides are in place for the majority of my cuts and make me feel safer
Hi Rob. I learned how to make this push stick watching your online workshop. I had seen you use this design hundreds of times which encouraged me to make one and use it. Thanks for being such a great teacher and example for your students (of which I happily consider myself one). Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Rich.
Wonderful design. Thank you for sharing this, stay warm, safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
Nice design although I would prefer a wider opening at the top like a handle. Also if you have to show someone how to make it then maybe they shouldn’t be using a tablesaw.
Saw Stop saws are great at saving your fingers, but I’m sure the replacement parts are rather expensive still from the time the mechanism was introduced. The push stick is countless times less expensive.
I’ve been experimenting and I prefer a big heavy block of wood with a tooth on the back end. Gives plenty of downward force and keeps my hands far above the blade. I’m a beginner so if anyone sees a problem with this, let me know.
Thanks for video, going to make one. Question: what tape measure are you using, looks very readable.
I thought plywood wasn’t supposed to go through a jointer. The glue would damage the blades. Not criticism, wanting to learn. Maybe only being 10" it’s not significant.
Love the simplicity, time & cost.
I’ve been searching for the perfect shop made pushstick for years. I’ve got about 10 different shapes and styles in my shop, and I have never fallen in love with any of them. I can’t wait to try this one and see whether it finally is the last design I need to try.
I’ve used this exact style for over 20 years at the college I teach furniture making/woodworking. I tend to make them out of baltic birch plywood. (some 1/2" and 3/4") I save up 10-15 pieces of scrap about the size you use and stock up. I also will often take and cut the bottom 1/2" off and re-do the sole if the groves are not too deep. the students love them and always use them.Safety is the first thing we teach
Wow. I have been using this design for years. I don’t remember where I got the design but it is the best push stick bar none.
Why doesn’t your table saw have a guard over the blade?
You do have to spend some time setting the saw up… blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter’s tape… this tightens up the side to side play a lot.
Nice. I prefer moving the handle forward a few inches from this design, but to each his own.
400mm-16" in the uk i dont like that type of push stick
Thank you!
Dude you really need to get a hair cut!!!!!
Rob you made another good video to learn from. i would like to see your video about why a splitter is important. i know those videos exist, but they are not yours.
thanks
This design is worlds above the generic 16” stick with a bird’s mouth. I do however prefer the design Marc Adam uses in his shop. It’s highlighted in a Fine woodworking video series on table saw techniques. Thanks for all you do rob and company. I don’t always agree with Rob but I always learn something.👍🏼 keep it up!
Damn!……get on with it
Check out Rob’s DIY Jointer Push Blocks video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyyZ6NlnxcY&list=PLqUOljnY0d9dPYYJ5M7nu0tC6zES8hiSn&index=3
You do a better job freehand than I do with a French Curve. Great video.
Push sticks are for sissies 😒
Real men opt to turn doorknobs with left hand due to less-secured grip from his right hand’s thumb and index finger knuckles being missing
Two thoughts from watching: isn‘t your hand pretty close to the blade (in case of tilting the push stick to the left)?
Secondly I learned that putting the stick near to the blade (instead of the fence) provides more pressure towards the fence, which is preferable?
I love your work, but this time I am not 100% convinced.
What are your experiences with my concerns?
Thanks, Rob
Suggesting that a Sawstop will keep you from cutting yourself is probably an exaggeration. Rex Krueger has a video about a pretty significant injury to his thumb from a Sawstop. The working theory was that his fingernail made contact first, which didn’t conduct enough current to trigger the safety mechanism until it had started cutting him.
I do like this pushstick design and will be making a few.
I use something similar… I make a comfortable palm shaped handle (kinda like the curve in the back of yours) out of a 2×4. The handle is reusable, so make it comfortable.
Screw this to the edge of a 2×4 block of whatever length you like (don’t let the screws penetrate more than an 1.5" into the block. Then screw a 1.5" wide piece of scrap to the back of the block hanging down by 1/8" or so to catch the back edge of your material.
I like the wider push block because it stands up when I set it down, making it easier to grab as I reach the end of a long rip. And cuts narrower than 1.5" it will push both sides of the cut past the blade. Of course this means that the block gets chewed up faster… But I just remove the handle and screw it to another 2×4 block and add a new price of scrap to the back (or flip the old one)
Probably the cheapest push block to make. And you can really spend some time making a comfortable handle since it will last forever.
This is similar in principle, but my handle is screwed to the top.
https://www.woodsmithplans.com/plan/push-block/
Timely video, had been planning to make a push stick, inspired action, works great
Would it work just as easily to just joint the whole bottom and then glue on the little heal cleat part? Seems like it would and might might even be faster if you don’t count the time for the glue to dry.
Might feel even better if instead of a hole make it oblong so ill fingers fit
Love it! Marked out on a plywood offcut while I watched. Will be in use tomorrow. Thanks!
My thoughts on this… Well, I liked it enough that I just paused the video and went and made one.