Difficulty
Moderate
Steps
6
Time Required
In Progress
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User-Contributed Guide
This guide is not managed by the site's staff.
Introduction
The table saw can be a very dangerous tool if it misused. The blade can cause serious injury to, including loss of, fingers and hands, and throw debris into face and eyes. Kickback of material can cause serious bodily injury. The sound can gradually or suddenly damage hearing.
Tools
Parts
No parts specified.
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Safety glasses must be worn at all times. Glasses must have side shields.
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Do not wear gloves of any kind when operating this machine or any other spinning tool machine. Gloves can become snagged in spinning parts and pull in your hand.
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Roll up sleeves past the elbow, and tie back any loose clothing.
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Tie back or tuck in long hair so it cannot get tangled in the blade.
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The SawStop table saw can cut any kind of wood material (solid wood, plywood, particle board, etc.), construction foam, and most plastics.
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Check the moisture levels of your wood. Lansing Makers Network has moisture meters available. The SawStop will sense excess moisture in materials and refuse to cut if it's too wet.
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Do NOT attempt to cut anything with a metallic element to it. The touch sensor on the blade works by electrical conductivity. If you cut something metallic while your hand is on the material it will snap the blade in half.
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The most obvious danger on a table saw is the blade. The blade can cut flesh and bone in an instant. Human reflexes are not fast enough to beat the blade.
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This saw has a very nice safety feature: it senses human contact with the blade, and can retract the blade into the table fast enough to either prevent serious injury, or dramatically reduce the severity of injury. However, this is still not foolproof.
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The saw is touch-sensitive whenever the blade is turning, no matter how slowly
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The mechanism could malfunction at the worst time, and provide no protection
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The mechanism can be intentionally overridden for special cases
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The less obvious cause of injury is when a workpiece is thrown back at the operator, called “kickback.” This happens when a workpiece binds between the blade and another part of the machine, typically the fence. The blade motor is powerful enough to throw a workpiece, even a large one, like a sheet of plywood back, and cause serious injury.
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Most mistakes will happen when you are tired, or rushing to get done. Know your limits. Take breaks during long work sessions, and once you start to feel fatigued, stop working and come back another day.
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Power switch and motor stop/start paddle
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Blade
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Rip fence and locking lever
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Miter gauge and T-slots
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Blade height adjustment wheel and locking knob
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Blade angle adjustment wheel and locking knob
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Dust collection hose and blast gate
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