Possibly one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment in the workshop is the table saw. As woodworkers we often take this tool for granted because of its simplicity in purpose and the fact that it is so common in many workshops. Because of this it is easy to become complacent in maintaining our safety vigilance. However, a sharp, multi-toothed blade spinning at an incredible speed should heighten the awareness of the need for caution when working with this tool.

The saw blade is obviously sharp so therefore caution must be exercised whenever working near the blade. The blade has been designed to cut through heavy, dense wood which is much harder than skin and bone. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission there are over 60,000 related injuries every year.

Another cause of table saw accidents is what is called ‘kickback’. Kickback happens when the blade catches the wood and throws it back towards you. It can very easily be thrown back hard enough to injure you. Kickback can be caused by a variety of different things including:

1. Internal stress in the wood pinches the blade.
2. The wood moves up or sideways during a cut
3. The wood is pinched between the rear of the blade and the fence.
4. Underpowered saw.

Here is a great demonstration of a kickback in action.

As you can see, minimizing the opportunity for kickback and the potential for blade related injuries is of major importance. However, while there is the possibility for injury while working with a table saw it should not be feared. With awareness, understanding and respect the tablesaw is an invaluable tool. Adherence to safety guidelines and proper techniques will minimize the chance of an injury occurring.

Although no where near complete, here is a collection of safety tips and techniques for the table saw that I have collected:

Continue reading 'Table Saw Safety Is Serious Business'

1. To keep small brass screws fro breaking when screwing them into wood first drill a pilot hole and then screw in the same size steel screw. The steel screw will form threads that will allow the softer, brass screw enter easily without breaking. If you don’t have a small enough drill bit for the pilot hole use a small nail or brad.

2. Old bicycle tire inner tubes make great clamps for odd shaped items. Simply slice the tube at the valve stem to make it one long length. Removed the valve stem. Then cut the tube into two strips. Wrap the tube around your project pulling it tight. Hold in place with clamps or by tying it.

3. If you find that the live center of your lathe penetrates too far into the end grain of your wood, especially when turning very small items, insert a small flat washer over the end of the live center. This will limit the penetration, while still centering and applying ample pressure on the end of your wood.

4. When sawing plywood use a blade made specifically for cutting plywood to get the best results. When sawing on a table saw position the best side up. When sawing with a circular saw position the best side down.

These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and some from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

Back to the shop…

I got a chance to do a bit of woodturning yesterday and made a cherry bowl. Well, actually, it’s a wooden bowl made out of cherry wood. You can put anything in it, including cherries.

It’s approximately 5″ in diameter at the top, 3.5″ at the base and 2″ tall. It is finished with Tried & True Original Wood Finish.

Cherry wood is really nice to work with, especially turning. It finishes up nice and the grain shows very well.

Here’s a photo of the inside of the bowl:

Continue reading 'A Cherry Bowl To Cherish'

While there are many woodworking sites on the Internet, few offer a free place for amateur and professional woodworkers to meet, chat, blog and showcase their projects. Until now that is! LumberJocks is an online community for woodworking enthusiasts that does all that and more!

The members, known as ‘LumberJocks’, includes both men and women of all ages and they have woodworking skills of all levels. What they have in common is that they love the smell of sawdust, they can’t wait to check out the latest power tools and they have the desire to connect with other woodworkers.

At the time of writing there were 4,291 woodworkers making 201,332 comments on 7,249 projects, 4,385 blogs, 319 reviews and 3,159 forum topics – and these numbers are growing very quickly.

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