Tips and tricks

Room to work:
Setting up your table saw? If you’ll be working with large sheets of wood panelling, allow enough free room for them around the saw. For ripping, you’ll need at least 10 feet at the front of the saw as well as the rear. For crosscutting: leave 6 feet on each side of the blade.

Miter gauge guide:
When you’re crosscutting, a miter gauge places the work at the proper angle to the blade. However, the gauge doesn’t show you exactly where the blade is going to cut, nor does it provide enough support to cut long pieces. To make a cut-off guide that will provide added support, attach a 3″ x 1″ piece of timber to your miter gauge so that it extends from the edge of the saw to just beyond the path of the blade. Make a pass to cut off the excess. The cut end will mark the exact cut-off point of your saw. To keep the work from shifting as it comes in contact with the blade, glue sandpaper to the face of the guide.

Parallel and square:
To ensure a proper rip cut and avoid kickback, align your table saw blade so it is parallel to the fence and square to the table. Here’s a way to check that the blade is aligned properly. Measure the distance between the blade and the fence at both the front and the back. The measurements should be the same. Adjust the fence if necessary. Set the blade and the miter gauge to zero degrees and test-cut a piece of scrap timber. Turn one piece upside down and place the cut ends together. If the pieces match perfectly, the blade is aligned correctly.

Make a height gauge:
Here’s a jig that will help you adjust the height of your saw blade quickly and precisely. Take a scrap piece of plywood and cut accurate notches at a series of commonly used measurement steps, alternating sides as you cut. Mark the measurements on the jig. To set the blade, simply place the gauge over it and raise it until it just touches the appropriate notch in the gauge. Caution; Don’t forget to unplug the saw when you’re adjusting the blade.

Improvements

Collecting dust:
Ripping wood on a table saw generates a great deal of sawdust. Here are two ways to collect most of the larger sawdust particles as they fall Attach a large plastic garbage bag to the underside of the table saw with clothes pegs or duct tape. Or mount a large basket inside the saw apron, holding it in place with two spring clamps through the handles. These dust catchers are easy to empty and remount, but play safe by unplugging the saw before doing so.

Wax your table:
To keep the metal surface of your table saw free from rust — and help the work move smoothly as you cut — rub the surface with paste floor wax.

Bumpers for fence guides:
Don’t leave those metal fence guides that protrude beyond the saw base unprotected. Slit a pair of tennis balls and fit them over the ends. You’ll save yourself many a bruise and avoid causing a head or eye injury to a child.

Seeing red:
As a graphic reminder to keep your fingers and hands away from the blade of your table saw (and any other stationary power saw for that matter), paint the area around the blade a bright red. First make a new table insert and paint it red. Then spray paint 4″ (100 mm) in front of and behind the blade. Be sure to mask the fence and any other areas you don’t want painted.

Hang the accessories:
As you accumulate accessories for your table saw, you’ll appreciate having them all within easy reach. One way to organize accessories is to hang them on a piece of 1/4″ (6 mm) pegboard attached to two side legs of the table saw. Drill holes in the legs and mount the pegboard with machine screws and nuts.

Push sticks and feather boards:
When you’re ripping timber, you need to guide the piece accurately while keeping your fingers from coming too close to the blade. Using a push stick on small pieces keeps fingers at a safe distance (at least 3″ away). To brace the work, clamp a feather board to the saw table so that it is in front of the blade (side pressure next io the blade would cause it to bind in the cut). Adjust the splitter to keep the cut open.

Power saw safety

• Always let the saw reach its full speed before you do any cutting.
• Keep all levers and clamps tight.
• Support both the work and the waste when cutting.
• Keep your fingers away from the saw blade.
• Always wear protective gear for your eyes and ears.
• Feed the work against the rotation of a stationary saw’s blade.

Table saws

• Never remove the blade guard.
• Never reach behind a moving saw blade.
• Set the blade so that it protrudes just 1/8″ to 1/4″ (3-6 mm) above the work.
• Use push sticks.
• Hold the widest portion of the board you are ripping against the fence. Feed the work until it is completely clear of the blade.
• Never cut freehand
• Use either the fence or the miter gauge — never both at once.

Radial arm saws

• Stay out of the path of the blade.
• When ripping, use a push stick and the antikickback mechanism.

Bandsaws

• Follow the manual’s guidelines on the proper speed, rate of feed, and turning radius for each blade.
• Keep the blade guide 1/8″ to 1/4″ (3-6 mm) above the work.