[AndyJackson]

Everyone should be deathly afraid of table saws. I own two, use them frequently for some high precision woodworking tasks and they scare me to death.

[Redleg Duke]

The SawStop is an excellent table saw. As a former manager at Woodcraft in Leesburg, VA once told me, “The SawStop shows that Taiwanese will build in the quality that you are willing to pay for.”

I have one, not only for the safety, but for the fit and finish and overall quality.

The SawStop is the only exception in my shop. All my other tools are “Old Arn”, made in the USA or Canada previous to 1965. I restore them and put them back to their intended use.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

When I think of BLM and Anti-fa, crying hysterically, and table saws, I get a thought...oh, never mind.

[BraveMan]

I have a Shopsmith Mark 5 that is older than I am. When I crank the speed up it is frightening!

I love quality American made tools.

[exDemMom]

My stepdad had a short middle finger because of an incident with a saw. Despite that mishap, he continued to build things. He built a really cute little chicken house for my pet chickens. We lived in a house that he built, and he had built every structure on the property, as well as the property where he kept the commercial chicken ranch.

You just have to be careful with saws. Very careful. And maybe wear hearing protection because they are so loud.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Funny you posted this.

I was just in the Emergency Room week before last from a table saw accident. Took the tip of my right index finger off!

Luckily, not far enough down to get the bone.

I was making a trellis for my wife to go around our pool equipment. And to make it, I had to rip down some 1X6 cedar boards. I am usually careful and have the blade barely come through the wood. But the board was cupped a little in the middle and the blade wasn’t making it all the way through.

So, I raised the blade about 3/8” to finish the cut, but then got sidetracked doing something else. When I came back to it, I forgot that I had raised it up and cut again.

This time, my finger was overhanging the blade and the tip was gone before I knew it! I immediately grabbed a bunch of paper towels and trotted into the house. I didn’t want to look at it for fear I would get squeamish.

Five hours in the Emergency Room. Nothing to stitch, just X-Rays and tetanus shot and antibiotics.

After insurance, $2064 for Emergency Room. $240 for the doctor, billed separately. Before insurance it was over $4000.

I was back using the saw the next day. But with a lot more respect!

[antidemoncrat]

I’ve had a radial arm saw since 1973. One of my old bosses cut his thumb off using the same kind of saw because he was tired and in a hurry to get the job done. I have always remembered that using my saw and so far so good.

[stormhill]

You really should be more careful about perpetuating stereotypes about women and "men's work."

Yeah; stereotypes. Uh-huh, yup. That's the ticket.

[PlateOfShrimp]

Table saws are like corrupt congressmen.

Kickbacks can be a problem.

[Fireone]

On military aircraft, the “plane of rotation” is clearly marked on the inside of the cabin. It’s there to warn crew & passengers not to occupy that danger zone.
The same theory applies to power tools, whatever I’m using, I try to be aware of that zone.

[faucetman]

For whatever its worth to you, I have a slogan I say to remind myself when I pick up my grinder/cut off tool or use my table saw.

“DANGER DANGER!”

These tools DO NOT forgive. My grinder got me once and it was only coasting!

[laker_dad]

I’ve been using table saws for about 50 years and still have all my fingers (knock on wood). I remove the safety guards so that I can see EXACTLY where the blade is spinning and use a push stick for close work.

[rockinqsranch]

I’m fortunate I guess. Never had an accident of any kind with my equipment. I have three various powered table saws, radial saw, and two different sizes of power miter saws I use to build all kinds of things over many, many years.

I notice several mention how to do it right in the previous postings, and that’s always use a stick when working near the blade. Let the stick take the damage, not your hand, or fingers, and always stand to the side when using the machines so they don’t spear you with your work.

[MikelTackNailer]

My high school woodwork class had some industrial-size tools on the floor, specifically the planer and table saw. The teacher was a careful man constantly preaching and practicing safety over twenty years by the time I got there. There were three formaldehyde-filled jars containing student fingers on his shelf to reinforce the lesson.

One day he was showing us how to cut multiple pieces at one time, with the guards on and a push stick when POW! Something went flying over my head and landed in the sawdust. "Well that's never happened before" he said, staring at the gush of blood where his thumb used to be.

While the students who weren't puking bound him up I rinsed the thumb off and got ice out of the teacher's lounge. Microsurgery wasn't all that great back in 1978 but he regained most of it's prior mobility.

So yes - assume high-power tools are out to maim and kill you so stay on highest alert when using them.

[Lovely-Day-For-A-Guinness]

Nothing wrong with old fashioned hand saws. When sharpened properly, they cut like a hot knife through butter. And, it's next to impossible to cut off a finger, hand, or take your teeth out from kickback.

I do a lot of woodworking, and if it's lumber I'm cutting, it's almost always with a handsaw.

I use a circular saw on sheet goods.

[aspasia]

Associating table saws with family traumas doesn’t take much effort. Just absorb the “logic” of any mainstream news anchor.

[drjimmy]

Back in junior high, it was a shop class band saw that took off about half of the two middle fingers from one of my classmate’s hands. He still ended up being a pretty good high school wrestler.