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How To Rip Boards Safely with a Table Saw: Save Your Fingers With A Push Stick
Even with a blade guard in place, you don’t want your hand anywhere near the spinning blade. A moment’s lapse in concentration or one little slip is all it takes to lose a finger. Push sticks allow you to keep your hands a safe distance from the blade while ripping skinny pieces. Woodworkers we talked to prefer the push shoe design over the push stick. The handle on the shoe shape gives you a better grip for more control over the wood and reduces the chances of your hand slipping off. Make a push shoe using the pattern we’ve provided, or buy one for about $20 from Sears or a store specializing in woodworking supplies. Always make push sticks out of plywood, not lumber that could split and fall apart while you’re pushing. Push sticks and shoes are the only safe way to guide a thin board past the spinning saw blade. Make a habit of keeping a push stick or shoe within easy reach whenever you use the saw.
While there are no hard and fast rules about how narrow a strip you can rip before needing a push stick, it’s a good idea to establish a safe distance and stick to it. We recommend using a push stick for any rip narrower than 6 in.
Support Long Rips With An Outfeed Table
Ripping long boards is tricky because the board falls off the backside of the table, tempting you to reach over the spinning blade to catch it. To do it safely, you must support the end of the board as it comes off the back of the saw. You can buy manufactured stands that incorporate rollers and other devices to support this “outfeed” lumber. But a better solution is to build a small table that’s the same height as your table saw. Or if room permits, build a permanent outfeed platform. Just make sure to support the lumber behind the saw so you’re not tempted to reach over the blade to catch it.
You Can Rip Thin Strips Safely Too
A table saw is the best tool for cutting thin strips of wood for plywood edging, jamb extensions or lattice. The problem is that the blade guard assembly interferes with the fence and doesn’t provide enough space for a push stick.
Build the fence extension by screwing a 3/4-in. x 2-1/2 in. strip of plywood to the long side of a 10-in. x 24-in. rectangle of 3/4-in. plywood. Simplify fence adjustments by ripping the finished assembly to exactly 10 in. wide. Then simply add 10 in. to your desired ripping dimension when you set the distance from the blade to the fence. Glue and clamp a 1-3/8 in. wide strip of 1/4-in. plywood or hardboard to a 6-in. x 8-in. rectangle of 3/4-in. plywood for the push block. Don’t use metal fasteners to attach the thin strip.
Follow These Commonsense Safety Rules-
To avoid being hit by a board if it kicks back, stand to the side of the blade when you’re cutting, not directly behind it. Also keep onlookers away from this danger zone. If possible, orient the saw so that doors, windows and walkways aren’t in the blade’s path in case a kickback occurs.
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Unplug the saw whenever you perform a blade change or adjustment that puts your fingers close to the blade. Also unplug the saw when you’re not using it.
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Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. Wear a dust mask if you’re sawing in a confined space.
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Unplug the saw before resetting a tripped circuit breaker or replacing a fuse.
Here’s A Trick For Straightening Crooked Boards
Have you ever wanted to rip a straight edge on a crooked board, or rip an odd-shaped piece of wood like a stair baluster in half? The trick is to attach your workpiece to a straight strip of plywood. Then run the straight plywood edge against the fence to create a perfectly straight edge on your crooked board or odd-shaped piece.
This technique works only for boards with an edge that isn’t straight. Don’t try to rip boards that are twisted or cupped. They’ll likely bind in the blade and could kick back.
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