My first kickback...

[jonmulzer]

This morning I wanted to try out the new dust collector so I trundled down to the workshop. I had some drawers to finish up for my workbench and most of the stock was cut except for the bottoms so I pulled out the sheets of 1/4" ply I had purchased for this and when I looked at my table saw I thought about putting on the guard (it was off because I had use the dado stack last) but then mistakenly thought, "Nah, I only have a few rips to make". Well, all went well until the third to last cut when I noticed the plywood arch up a bit. I barely had enough time to think about it when BAM!! A semi-circular cut across the plywood and four nearly broken fingers. It apparently jammed the plywood back against my fingers and tore the **** out of the skin on every finger but my pinky.

Before I realized what had happened I thought the worst. I had lost the feeling in four fingers and the blood was flowing pretty well on my left hand. Next thought, my cell phone is in my left pocket and is going to be awkward and painful to get to. Odd thoughts you have at times like these. I shut everything down quickly and went to the sink. As soon as I ran cold water over it I was relieved to find that the injury was not nearly as bad as the pain that had started would have led me to believe. Just some bad scrapes and some pretty decent swelling.

Never having been one to let things get me down I stupidly wrapped a towel around it and went back to work. It is not easy to install a guard with one hand wrapped tightly in a bar towel. The Ryobi wrenches, while normally adequate, were useless while working in that condition, hehe.

From now on, I will use the guard and I may just have to order a Sharkguard now. I am pretty lucky it did not turn out a lot worse though........

[Uncle Cracker]

You gotta keep that board held flat against the table! Glad your mishap was not as serious as it could have been...

[Tom Slick]

I'm glad that you are "ok," just banged up. Thank you for sharing a a reminder for all of us.

The worst kickback I've seen was when a coworker of mine was in exactly the same situation. just finished doing dados, had two rips to finish, "didn't need the splitter." the board raised up and it flung it back hitting him just above the belt buckle giving him a nasty bruise.
moral of the story: His main foul up was poor technique; using a push stick that only pushed on the rear of the piece. If he'd had downward pressure on the front of the piece it would not have raised up. If the splitter and guard would have been in place it would have not allowed his improper technique to become an injury.

[jackellis]

I'm glad to hear it's nothing more than some bad scrapes and bruises.

I'm about to build myself another auxiliary fence that I can attach featherboards precisely because I'm afraid of having a workpiece rear up And, although I barely have the room, I have a dado set installed in my BT and use my Jet for ripping. Simplifies life.

I never rip without the guard in place and even though it's relatively safer, I do not like having to use the dado blade without a guard.

[Pappy]

One HELLUVA wake up call, ain't it? Paint the cut from the path of the blade and hang it on the wall where you see it everytime you walk into the shop.

[jonmulzer]

Yes it is!! Now I can move every finger except for my index. The others hurt to move, but at least I can.

Featherboards would not have helped on this one. I was ripping 22" wide so unless I attach a bracket to the ceiling it is a no-go. To be quite honest, I don't even use the guard very often. I just never have and in 15 years of using a table saw probably this is my first one. The thing is, it only takes one. At least I have all my fingers and it did not get kicked back into my chest. I think my knuckles took the blow my chest would have.

Yep, UC, you are abso-posi-lutely correct. If I had been holding it down while I pushed it forward with my hands at the midpoint of the piece this would not have happened. Poor form on my part and I am to blame, not the saw. I am glad it is just some nearly broken fingers that hurt like (expletive) and not any of the alternatives which would be a lot worse.

Moral of the story, guards are a lot easier to put on when you do not have one bloody hand wrapped up in a towel.

[Habe]

Jon
I sent you a PM about the shark guard

[jonmulzer]

And I emailed you.

[cabinetman]

Welcome to the club. Glad to hear you came through with minimal damage. Another safety tip about using tablesaws. It's imperative that all stock is held tight to the table, and guided tightly through the cut against the fence. You should be watching the edge that's running against the fence, not the blade. It's easy to drift slightly off the fence if you're watching the blade. If you stay aware of the path to the blade, you will learn to keep your fingers somewhere else.

Experience is an educator if performed properly.
.

[jonmulzer]

I always watch the fence and just glance occasionally at the blade. It was just built up tension in the plywood that was released when I cut it and caused it to flex upwards. I should have set the blade a touch higher and pushed down on the plywood. I have cut up enough plywood that I knew better. It always warps a little when cut, I knew better. This is what happens when you get in a hurry.

[poolhound]

Glad you are OK, I can see a SHark Guard in your future. It was always a PITA using the stock guard and having to keep taking the saw apart for various cuts. The temptation to leave it off sometimes is a weakness in the standard design. I was very happy when I got my SG.

[goslin23]

I had the identical thing happen to me a few weeks ago, thumped me pretty good in the chest. Scared the dickens outta me and left a few scrapes and bruises. I vow to always use my guard from now on, too much to lose for trying to save a few seconds!

-=gos=-

[gary]

I now follow two simple rules

1. "All the safety equipment, all the time"
2. "Use the right tool for the job or don't do it"

The index finger on my left hand is 1/4" shorter from violating rule #2. I vowed, never again.

I knew someone who lost several fingers when the wind blew a door closed in his shop. He jumped and his fingers went into the blade. You can't control that except by keeping the guards in place and keeping your hands out of the danger area.

I have the Marc Adams Safety Video - I'll send it to the OP to watch if he'll PM me his address.