Table saw secret nobody will talk about from the good old days, C&T episode 180

I've been a carpenter for 40 years. I use a job site table saw out in the field. I don't even own a big heavy shop saw. Here's a few things that I do for safe operation of a table saw. I always set the blade height to at least the gullet of the blade, but not too high, for saw dust clearing, and it also helps to keep the work piece down on the table and not float above the table. The blade also cuts better that way. I always check the rip guide with a tape measure at the front of the blade and also the back of the blade... I don't care how good the rip guide is. I always knock the back of the rip guide open a tad to make clearance for the board to pass through ( thats the #1 cause of kick back, no clearance on the back side of the blade.) I only use a push stick if I'm ripping something narrower than about 2 1/2 to 3 inches. When I push a board thru, I always wrap a a few fingers over the top of the rip guide, just in case something wants to pull my hand into the blade, my hand won't go there because I have most of my hand wrapped over the top and around the other side of the rip guide. The number one cause of accidents is just simply not respecting the possible dangers and not paying attention.

I am a retired pro who still works wood as a hobby. My dad was a professional cabinet maker/joiner all his adult life. He taught me to adjust the blade to where the gullets clear the wood, enabling good blade tracking, further, it promotes clearing excess cuttings from the blade while also it keeps the blade cooler. This has served me well. The only hospital visits I've had from woodworking are a cut experienced while sharpening a chisel, and a slightly shortened finger tip that occurred while jointing a board long past fatigue from a LONG day had set in. Don't work with power tools when brain fogged!

Interesting! Thanks for the info. I used to do it the old school way. Decades ago I tired of having sawdust thrown at me so I dropped the blade to 1/8" above the wood surface along with a proper push stick/push block. I am a professional woodworker of over 40 years. No kickbacks ever. The key is a sharp blade. I've cut through the nastiest of wood with a sharp blade without issue. I have found that it's the cheap blades that are the most expensive in the long run.

I was a little worried about installing the blade after reading a couple of reviews. But it was amazingly easy. Took about 1 minute. Works great youtube.com/post/UgkxjpBI8OOeUXib_iT7UomCrQ-uauwZJ… . Cuts easily and is perfect for pocket cuts I needed to make for replacing some old deck boards.

I would encourage any novice or experienced woodworkers to follow the advice offered up by this gentleman. I’m an old-time woodworker who incidentally only has 7 fingers remaining —Yes, I too was bitten by a table saw, amputated 3 digits from my left hand instantly. It’s too late for me but this gentleman is trying to help prevent further injuries to people and I respect & appreciate his efforts —Listen to his words. Nice job on the video by the way. Cheers from Toronto.

Hello, just found this channel. I always cut with the blade high. Your common sense explanation is right on. You can prove this all with geometry, trig, vectors and the whole engineering thing. My first table saw was one I made when I was in my mid-teens and I've been using them ever since. That is some distance above fifty. Also, been around sawmills, large remanufacturing saws, etc. The best safety tool is to watch what you are doing and keep your hands away from the blade. Some wood, especially green, will have stresses in it and will kick back. You have to account for it. Using a hollow ground blade helps. A sharp blade is essential. Some years back, while taking some survey classes at a Community College, I had to rip some rough old lumber into survey stakes in the wood shop. The wood instructor launched into me for having the blade above the board. The stakes didn't get cut. It was too dangerous to cut that stuff in that way.

Terrific video! You did a great job of presenting two schools of thought in a fair and levelheaded way. Cheers.

Thanks for the video & your perspective. More than 40 yrs of carpentry, wood working & cabinet making. I can't even remember for certain from whom or where I learned my preferred blade height. I suspect it was as a young apprentice. I was taught to set the blade height high enough for efficiency but low enough for safety. This means I always raise the blade at apex or top of the blade which is the highest point above the wood/work piece so that the bottom of the gullet between the teeth is just above the piece being cut. About 1/16" - 1/8". This allows for clean, non burning cuts, allows the blade to fully eject the debris, chips, sawdust (that's what the gullets are for). This in turn helps keep the blade from over heating & running cool. It also places the front teeth in a downward trajectory at the leading edge/front to avoid kickback but the blade isn't so high that it will remove a whole finger. Best of both worlds. Relatively low blade exposure. High enough to cut straight, cleanly & with minimal heat build up by ejecting cut debris while minimizing kickback. I also always apply this method to my circular/skill saws. The blade is set just deep enough so that the bottom of the gullet is just below the work piece. Cheers from the west coast of Canada.

Back in 1969 my High School shop teacher demonstrated how dangerous table saws are, no guards, no riving knife, blade as high as it would go, we all stood behind him as he dropped a scrap of 2x4 on top of the blade and we watched as it flew 50 feet to the back wall and shatter, have never had a problem with power tools as I respect them.

I just watched your video on using a table saw. It was the first “real” wood working tool I got. I experienced kickback early on and have not used it since because of this. My Dad gave me a set of push blocks, but still I haven’t pulled the saw back out. Thank you for not only sharing the different aspects of safety, but also the clear and simple way you explained the how and why. I’m glad I found your videos and have subscribed. Looking forward to watching more of the good info you share!

Good info, thanks. I been woodworking since around 1960 and I am a retired safety expert. I really get ticked at these young youtube kids with missing fingers trying be a safety expert. Woodworking as with any job or hobby using power tools poses risks. A smart person will assess the risks, hopefully take some sort of action to minimize them and make the cut. As you correctly pointed out: with the blade low (as most youtubers say is the best and safest, that in itself introduces a SECOND hazard of a higher chance of kickback). And along with that higher risk of kickback comes a higher chance that your hand will end up coming into contact with the blade during the kick back event...so much for being the safest way. I just watched that happen yesterday on a video where the blade was really low, it kicked back a piece of wood that pushed/pulled his hand across the blade causing serious injury. I, like you am old school and keep my blade a little higher, use feather boards, push sticks or whatever is appropriate to keep me as safe as possible and enjoy the hobby. I just finished a 36X36 oak Carrom Board one side/Checker board other side. Loving retirement and woodworking. Be safe.

Just finished watching the video. I have always have the attitude that I keep the blade just high enough to let the edge clear below the gap behind the teeth. No matter whether it is carbide or all steel design. Just keeping it below yet above allows debris to flow away from the area. Nice hat, which tells me you and I have a background of working on planes. Mine was with C-123,”White Whale” and 121s with ADC back in the 60s. Look forward to watching more videos.

Excellent share, C&T! The simplest and most logical reason I was ever given for rip cutting with the blade up high was, "...if you can clearly see it, then you will avoid it!" (let's call this Lesson 1). As for kick-back - yeah, just don't stand there! EVER! (Lesson 2). ...for all the working contractors out there (who can scarce afford time off due to severe injury)... Lesson 3: ALWAYS take off your so-called contractors' gloves before operating any shop tool, and... Lesson 4: If it's someone else's table saw on your jobsite, have THEM make the cuts - they know that machine way better than you do. ...and finally for all of us... Lesson 5: SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION! (I have learned all these lessons the HARDEST way possible, I regret to report.)

I'm just now at age 59 getting back into woodworking. My fear of my Craftsman table saw blade is no less now than back in woodshop in the late 1970's. I'm really glad you took the time to talk about blade heights because its something I dont ever remember learning but I wonder about it every single time I use the saw. IMHO: part of being safe is being efficient. If a blade is cutting sharp and efficient then you dont use as much force to guide it through your cut. Less force means less chance of slippage. I only have high school woodshop for experience but I once witnessed a piece of wood kick back and stick into a concrete wall behind the perhaps donkeyish teen boy making the cut. Also: the Safety shield I remember using seemed to get in the way more than keep you safe. I've never tried a nerd or whatever but that seems like a good thing to try. I think most important is common sense and no distractions. As an amateur I really try to take my time. Sometimes I get in the Zone where everything just flows...but without experience that is rare. Thanks again...I am going to try raising my blade higher...like 200-250% of the thickness of the piece being cut. Up until I watched your video I was adjusting the blade so that the throat of the blade was just coming out of the top of the wood surface but like you said that makes more friction and raises the risk of kickback.

I think it would have been good especially for beginners to explain the importance of aligning the blade straight with the table, and likewise the fence aligned with the table. Another VERY important point to mention is keeping the fence out of way when crosscutting using the miter gauge. I’ve used a table saw for nearly 60 years, and a couple of years ago, I let my common sense lapse for a second, and a short piece got trapped and flew out like a bullet. It struck me on the right side of my chest, and man did it ever hurt! I had abrasions, a bruise, and was sore for about 2 weeks. And finally, standing to the side a bit, out of the line of fire, is ultra important habit to develop! Good video, thanks for sharing, I’m sure lots of people will benefit from it!

Thanks for the honest info! I was taught over 50 years ago that ALL power tools can hurt you and to respect them and know what the hell you're doing before using them. I always had "good" homeowner type table saws and in all these years had 1 kickback (into the gut) and no cuts. I raise the blade to the bottom of the gullet and always use a sharp blade. Equally important as keeping your hands away from the blade is to make sure the fence is properly aligned. I was taught Sharp is Safe. I've seen idiots get hurt using dull drill bits.

Great stuff you have covered here. I would like to add that the use of your push blocks (the type with a heel hook) GREATLY reduces potential issues due to greater control of the work piece and likely reducing the benefit of having more blade exposed. The second item (using your test piece of 1x4 pine) is that it keeps the piece DOWN tight to the saw top, which reduces the possibility of the rear of the board lifting and being introduced to your face at high velocity! Not really obvious, but that test piece has a slight cup to it and was rocking on the saw top. When cutting shorter boards like that, I am always more concerned of kickbacks from the rear lifting, as opposed to kickbacks from blade binding, etc. Maybe paranoid, but I never rip anything shorter than about 30". My saw is a 40 year old Delta, with no guard or riving knife, but I have a whole fleet of push blocks. Those can easily be rebuilt. My fingers, not so much. Although useful in some situations, I usually don't like the old school 'chicken foot' push stick. Those can contribute to the board lifting, IMHO.

Having had a close encounter with a blade that left a memorable kerf in my right first metacarpal, I no longer get closer than a sturdy push pad/stick.

I see you refurbished that old craftsman table saw. I bought one a few years back that didn't have a fence. I ended up putting a accusquare fence on it. Best investment I've made. Good to see someone still using the older saws.

Excellent information. My neighbor gave me a very old table saw yesterday, with zero safety features. I haven't used a table saw in over 50 years, and then only in shop class. And more than 25 years ago I lost my left arm in an electrical accident. I've been getting into woodworking now and am using a circular saw, power planer, miter saw and router. It's fun and I take a lot of precautions. After watching this video I'm wondering if I can ever safely use a table saw, let alone the antique my neighbor gave me.