Look up table saw injury studies; there is a disturbingly large amount of data, and many of the injuries occurred when people were using push sticks. You can search a study for push stick to see some accounts of what happened: "push stick flipped", "push stick broke", "push stick got caught in the blade", etc. Table saw injuries represent the highest number of woodworking injuries. Or search YouTube for table saw push stick injury for some bloody anecdotal accounts. SawStop works well, but isn't cost effective for hobbyists. As you are pushing a workpiece through, consider "what if my push stick broke right now?".
The first time I tried to cut something on a table saw, I was terrified. After some thought, I decided that the only way to make it moderately safe was to build a sliding table for it. With that the work can be clamped to the table and your hands remain safely back pushing the table and not the workpiece.
I also added a power interrupter switch activated by a horizontal bar that stretched across the saw stand at upper thigh height. Bumping it with your body stopped the saw. Actually, with the sliding table the bar was overkill; I seldom used it. However, it's a safety feature that, along with a motor brake, should be built into every lathe to help avoid those "rolled in" accidents.
---
Regards, Marv
Experience is always far worse than pessimism
Jon (Feb 27, 2023), Toolmaker51 (Feb 28, 2023)
Clever on both modifications. This is a problem with deadman switch pedals too. If a machine pulls you in, it won't necessarily lift your foot off of the pedal. Improper deadman pedal design was implicated as a cause of the 2003 Waterfall rail accident:
![]()
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Bookmarks