• Overview

  • In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shares tips for cutting safely at the table saw.

    Steps:
    1. To protect fingers from accidentally coming in contact with the blade, always use the blade guard.
    2. Prevent dangerous kickback by using the splitter and pawls.
    3. Use an outfeed extension when cutting long boards.
    4. Install a featherboard to the saw table to help keep the board tight to rip fence.
    5. Always use a pushstick when making narrow cuts.
    6. Never use the rip fence when making crosscuts.
    7. Use a miter gauge for crosscuts; never guide a board with miter gauge and rip fence simultaneously.
    • Difficulty: Easy
      cutting safely just requires patience and concentration
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      • table saw
        Table saw

      Shopping List

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      1. Plastic pushsticks of various sizes, used to push wood past the blade

      2. Plastic featherboards, for holding boards tight to the saw's rip fence