Woodworking Tips: Table Saw Safety Tips

Woodworking Tips: Table Saw Safety Tips

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Woodworking Tips: Table Saw – The table saw is at the heart of most shops. Keep yourself safe with these table saw safety tips from George Vondriska. A WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA) original video.

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50 Comments

  1. AZRydr on August 1, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    In your opening cut, why didn’t you use the push stick?



  2. WoodWorkers Guild Of America on August 1, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    You should never rip, make cuts parallel to the grain, on a miter saw. The table saw is the best tool for this job.



  3. Dan Wissler on August 1, 2023 at 4:06 pm

    Thanks man!👍



  4. Tribulation Prepper on August 1, 2023 at 4:08 pm

    BEFORE MAKING A CUT, ask yourself… "Where are my fingers?" so that after you make the cut, you don’t have to ask yourself… "Where are my fingers?!!!"



  5. bongobrandycasy on August 1, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    enjoyed your video, very helpful. I would like to say one thing please, whenever a main switch on a piece of equipment is turned off, do what is called a bump test to make sure the power is off by turning on and off the power switch.



  6. Dan R. Graham on August 1, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    Couple of days ago, a sharp piece of board flew back and hit my hand causing 7 stitches. I wasn’t wearing any protection. If the board landed on my arm just one inch over, perhaps the inside of my arm would have sustained damage – including blood vessels.



  7. Blake West-Comer on August 1, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    How much would a good table saw like that cost?



  8. Cool Guy on August 1, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    🫠🤪



  9. southernexposure123 on August 1, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    My saw’s insert is far too thin to replace it with a traditional zero clearance insert. I made a zero clearance guard for it that’s different from any I’ve seen before. I fastened a 1×2 to the side of the rip fence in such a way that I can fasten a piece of thin plywood to the bottom of the 1×2. When the rip fence is set in place for the width cut I want I just lock down the fence and slowly raise the blade through the plywood. That works well and its a much safer saw now.



  10. Mr. Hank Hill on August 1, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    I cant help but to wear gloves at a table saw while working I’m no fool around a table saw though.



  11. Gabino X Cachito Agramont on August 1, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    Gracias, muy buen video , saludos desde Tijuana, Mx.



  12. missingno777 on August 1, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    I hanging out until Christmas for my table saw.



  13. Revelation_ _ on August 1, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    The person who invented this dangerous thing should have both his hands dismembered.



  14. DaMasteRZ21 on August 1, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    Why did you have to change the guard when doing the shallow cut? would not the original gaurd do the same thing to do the shallow cut?
    I do not have the option on mine ( still havent used it yet ) but trying to work out the safest way to use it.
    thanks for the video’s, the one for Christmas with the other guys was excellent!



  15. jsnthurst1 on August 1, 2023 at 4:22 pm

    I think gloves are fine for table saws but not for drill presses.  Very thin cloth gloves saved my hand from a skill saw accident.  The saw was instantly bound up in my clothe glove and kicked up and away from me a bit but it was an instant stop.  I only had a tiny scratch on my skin when I had the guard wedged up and and somehow set the saw blade into the palm of my left hand near the end of a long cold day of working outside. These saws don’t have a lot of mass or power to really pull you into them.  They just bind up and stop or they just tear the cloth apart.  Now something like a drill press has a lot of power and could pull you in.  So I think it depends on the tool whether it’s safer to have gloves on or not.



  16. Ferdy Hidayat on August 1, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    Thank you ..very clear guide…reall;y appreciate what you’re doing…



  17. Steven Tyler Harris on August 1, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    I almost cut my finger off with a skill saw! My finger grazed the blade but didn’t cut. Thank God! Hand positioning is very important!!!



  18. nascar0981 on August 1, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    couldent use a mitar saw for the curfing cut?



  19. vanexxa081 on August 1, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    OMG,I wish my table saw was that easy to 1) take the guard off, 2) replace the splitter for a riving knife. So much jealousy going on right now



  20. Romelia Polly on August 1, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    I am pretty sure you can find good solution on woodprix page 🙂



  21. Alexis Agosto on August 1, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    Great tips, I’m starting now on this kind of "hobby" and this video helps me to be carefull using this kind of tool, thanks !



  22. midwest mogger on August 1, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    I just purchased my first table saw and watched this video before using it . glad I did , lots of useful info .



  23. Another OverTaxed TaxPayer on August 1, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    wish you would talk about blade height safety (min vs max) on a thru cut



  24. Anthony Sorensen on August 1, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    I always feel uneasy when I see these saws with guards and riving knives with saw stop technology. I’m using my grandpa’s old circular saw with little to no safety features



  25. Nabilphysics on August 1, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    Everybody should install a big indicator red light which should be ON if power is connected.



  26. Hanzon on August 1, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    Excellent safety tips, clearly explained. Thank you.



  27. Philip Brister on August 1, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    Thank you!!!



  28. Robin Marwick on August 1, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    Good video thanks



  29. Zogy on August 1, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    I work for a large construction company, and one of our apprentices just lost the tip of his right thumb to a table saw. I’m our trainer so I’m going to be doing a safety course for the company next week. These are good tips. Our guy was pushing a small piece through, it started to bind, he pushed hard and his thumb slipped off going into the blade.

    Another tip is to reduce the depth of your blade so that it barely makes the cut. This would have saved our guy’s thumb and turned it into a few stitches or a bandaid. Because he had the blade sticking up an inch past the wood, it went through 90% of his thumb.



  30. Fred Anderson on August 1, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    Thanks for this – good for newbies.



  31. southernexposure123 on August 1, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    I’m about to do a LOT of cuts for getting thin material (2x4s into 3/8" thick x 1 3/8" wide pieces and 3/8" thick by 1" wide pieces) any ideas for safety there? I’m making bee hive frames. I cut the 2x4s to about 19" first, then do the thinner cuts from the 2x4s. Sometimes the blade snatches a cut off down into the inside of the enclosure. That’s a little scary, but so far its been harmless. My saw is a 25 or 30 year old $99.00 el-cheapo portable saw without a closely spaced blade insert.



  32. Peter Cross on August 1, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    Notice how the first cut he made was without a push stick or push pad and his thumb passed the blade about half an inch away.
    Also when adjusting anything on the saw unplug it. Remove the power source. Anyone can turn that knob to on. You can’t keep the guard on when cross cutting thick lumber because the guard will prevent it.



  33. J. Zingler on August 1, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    Rule number 1: Start with 10, finish with 10 ! 🙂



  34. Eric Atria on August 1, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    thanks for this



  35. Rick D on August 1, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    Near miss here, slight cut on my finger. Your informative video is very much appreciated sir. Thanks you very much!!!



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  37. rita aseri on August 1, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    Hai. Can i use your video as a guider to students in Malaysia? I want to put it at my text book. Im an editor.



  38. Ed Gonzales on August 1, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    Whenever rip stock on a table saw I direct all focus on stock alignment with the fence, aiming for perfect edge, while my left hand forward feeds the wood waiting for to touch the edge, so alerted when to stop. I try not to look at the blade, but periodically do. I stand off to one side when ripping stock shorter than the table. These are the potential projectiles and they pack a wallop. I feed these with two push sticks, forward and fenceward, both longer than the gap to the blade.



  39. Garl Jo'ens on August 1, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    The Woodworkers Guild of America couldn’t do better than 240p with this video?



  40. ImVeryBrad on August 1, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    Ty



  41. Leroy Jenkins on August 1, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    He broke several safety rules just on his 1st cut in the intro…



  42. Hernan Contreras on August 1, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    Thank you, very helpful tips



  43. Cornelius Maximilianus on August 1, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    I never use my dewalt tablesaw without its safety guard chamber and I I use it with microjig, I want my fingers intact I don’t fuck with table saw it is a dangerous tool.



  44. Leo on August 1, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    Fuck me??? You’re making a safety video and IN the fist five-seconds showS you pushing wood into the saw without a stick!! COMPLETE FAIL!!!



  45. nizmojoeblows on August 1, 2023 at 4:52 pm

    buy or make a zero clearance insert. It is a very cheap and important feature when making any cuts that could potentially do exactly as you said.



  46. Robert Stadd on August 1, 2023 at 4:52 pm

    Thank you! God bless your for these tips.



  47. K S on August 1, 2023 at 4:52 pm

    Can there be kick back with riving knife and blade guard both in place?



  48. specialformula14 on August 1, 2023 at 4:53 pm

    Forget the 10 finger club.
    I’m in the 10" club



  49. Charlie Bucket on August 1, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    Cut a good hunk of my thumb off the other day by reaching for the board to keep it from hitting the floor. Figured I better revisit table saw safety tips.



  50. Waaduu on August 1, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    "Any time i’m doing a cut 3 inches or less wide the push stick comes into play" – as you can see at the very beginning of the video. Major fail!