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Rich Murphy
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Watch Out for Tables Saw Kickback!
Mar 13 in General discussion
Watch Out for Tables Saw Kickback!
Just ran across this information on a FB post, but it wouldn't be hard to calculate:
A little basic geometry tells us that a 10" table saw blade, traveling at 5,000 RPM, has a speed, at the teeth, of 157,000 inches/minute. That really doesn't mean much in our minds; but it works out to 785,000 feet per hour, better known as 149 miles per hour!
Since kickback happens the blade grabbing the wood and transferring its energy to it, rather than cutting it, we can safely assume that the energy transferred to the wood is at a velocity of 149 miles per hour. That's the same as a car driving towards you at that speed, with the board sticking out the window. When it hits you, it's going to hurt.
3 things to do:
  • Always stand to the left of your blade, so that if there is any kickback, it flies past you.
  • Never remove the riving knife from your table saw; it's there to keep the board being cut from pinching the blade, resulting in kickback.
  • if you're using the blade guard, don't remove the anti-kickback pauls.
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