# Kickback contusions and conclusions: I'm still hurting from this one



## Sark (May 31, 2017)

I was ripping about an 8" piece of 2×4, and was using a push block, though the cut was a fairly wide 3". Evidently I didn't finish pushing past the blade, and that piece of wood kicked back straight into my push block with enough force to bruise my palm, slightly sprain my wrist and torque my shoulder.

Then the projectile bounced off the push block, smacked my stomach, leaving a 4" gash and lots of black and blue bruising just above the waist on my right side. The 2×4 ended up somewhere across the garage.

As is typically mentioned in such cases, it was over before I knew I was injured. A week later the palm of my hand still has a big sore lump, shoulder hurts more and the gash on my stomach is healing nicely but it will be weeks before the bruising goes away. Looks really nasty but doesn't hurt anymore.

Conclusion: using the splitter would have prevented this accident. But the older Unisaws do not have an integral splitter. I have the Delta add-on splitter which needs to pushed down if you are making an angled cut, narrow cut or a cut which does not extend all the way through the wood. Which is to say, the splitter stands proud and is frequently in the way and thus does not get used to full potential. No good carping about the stupidity of this manufacturer and its short sided decision to not provide such an integral splitter until way too late in their company lifecycle. Delta has already been severely punished by the market-place for this omission.

Second conclusion: Time to shop a new saw with proper safety features. SawStop is calling.


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## GrantA (Jul 19, 2014)

If you think that sort of thing can't happen with a sawstop you need a new hobby. You have an excellent saw, we have a member here who has developed a riving knife you can add (assuming it's a right tilt I'm not sure if he has a left tilt version and I seem to recall it makes a difference). 
You may also want to look into a grripper push block which will push both sides of the material.
You were ripping a piece of construction lumber which is extremely unstable and liable to pinch back together, yes even on an 8" board. Always pay attention and adjust or stop accordingly. 
I hope this is the worst injury you ever get, stay safe friend


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

Pushing the wood completely through would be my first option….


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I also used to get hit from my unisaw. Twice it got me really good.
The solution is a bandsaw. If it need to have a smooth surface it rip oversized on the bandsaw then final trim on my table saw. 
No ripping warped twisted unruly bowed wood on the tablesaw.

Good Luck


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

> No ripping warped twisted unruly bowed wood on the tablesaw.
> Good Luck
> - Aj2


Agreed, after a few stress releases from a 2×4 on the TS, I pretty much will only use them for framing and cut them in the CMS


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

After not having riving knife, then getting one, I'd never go back. It just isn't worth it.

SS does not prevent kickbacks. But most people think they are great saws.


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## northwoodsman (Feb 22, 2008)

I have a similar story that happened to me 4 months ago, however it will effect me the rest of my life probably. I have been woodworking for over 40 years, and I considered myself to be very safe. On the forementioned day I was in a hurry and cutting some 3.5" x 3.5" blocks out of 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood to put under the legs of a new bed. Instead of using a miter gauge I was using the rip fence for the final cuts. Wham! On the last piece, kickback. I had a huge gash in my stomach from the block of wood that tore through my short and t-shirt, and a bruise the size of a large dinner plate. I don't think anything of it other than it bled for 3 days and hurt very badly for a week. On day 8 after the incident I woke up early in the morning with a splitting headache. I got out of bed to take some Ibuprofin and realized that I was having a stroke. Evidently when the piece of wood hit me my head snapped back tearing a vertebral artery in by brain stem. I had no idea this had happened. As it healed, a clot formed and was released while I slept and blocked the flow of blood into my brain. I spent almost 2 months in the hospital and in rehab learning how to walk and get around again. Don't think that his can't happen to you, because IT CAN! And some day IT WILL! I am one of the luckiest stroke victims that I know because 4 months later my life is back to about 90% normal (back to work, driving, wood working, etc.). I may never get that other 10% back however. By the way, I have a SawStop now and like a previous poster said, they won't prevent kickback, only you can prevent that. There is an upside to this story, the stroke occurred 2 days before the U.S. shutdown for Covid-19 so I didn't have to fight at the grocery stores for toilet paper, canned goods, hand sanitizer, etc. I came out into a different world that's for sure. It did suck that I couldn't have visitors for 6 weeks while in the hospital and in rehab.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> But the *older Unisaws do not have an integral splitter*. I have the Delta add-on splitter which needs to pushed down if you are making an angled cut, narrow cut or a cut which does not extend all the way through the wood.
> - Sark


I am confused by this statement… all Unisaws since their introduction in the late 30's, had a splitter and guard. And they all tilt with the blade, so could be left in place for angled cuts, including the disappearing splitter it sounds like you have. The only time they need to be removed (or lowered) is for non-through cuts. I have the disappearing splitter on mine and rarely lower it, and usually when I do, it's in a situation where a splitter/riving knife would not do any good anyway (like when doing dado's or using a molding head cutter).

Cheers,
Brad


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

> But the older Unisaws do not have an integral splitter. I have the Delta add-on splitter which needs to pushed down if you are making an angled cut, narrow cut or a cut which does not extend all the way through the wood.
> - Sark
> 
> I am confused by this statement… all Unisaws since their introduction in the late 30 s, had a splitter and guard. And they all tilt with the blade, so could be left in place for angled cuts, including the disappearing splitter it sounds like you have. The only time they need to be removed (or lowered) is for non-through cuts. I have the disappearing splitter on mine and rarely lower it, and usually when I do, it s in a situation where a splitter/riving knife would not do any good anyway (like when doing dado s or using a molding head cutter).
> ...


What are the options for the 30 year old unisaws?


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

SawStop would not have prevented this error. It is not the tools fault you didn't complete the cut before easing up.

2nd safety violation was you weren't standing away from the blade. Kickback occurs between the fence and blade - don't stand there!

Splitter also would not have prevented this as early release of the push block causes the stock to climb causing the blade to catch and throw. Neither a splitter nor a riving knife would have made any difference.

3rd error (suspicion only) was that you were rushing.

How much blade was showing above the stock? More than the bottom of the gullets?

Now splitters, riving knives, guards are all well and good. But an honest failure analysis should put this fail where it belongs - with the user, not the tool. If you don't honestly assess the cause you'll spend lots of $$$ on fancy safety gear that won't prevent the fault from happening again.

Since there was nothing intrinsically unsafe in your cut, the failure can only have *ONE* cause - operator error. Save your SawStop $$$ and invest in some safety classes.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

"Best block, no be there " - Mr Miyagi

Even Mr Miyagi knew not to stand in the line of fire. Its kind of like smacking your thumb with a hammer, where did you think it was gonna go? Lol


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

My sympathies. Hope you feel better soon!


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

Stand were you have the most control. Don't stand anywhere else…

If one feels better standing awkward and out of balance to make cuts then maybe one needs a new hobby…


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## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

> Stand were you have the most control. Don t stand anywhere else…
> - JackDuren


100%


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Would a SawStop prevent this…maybe. The SawStop as well as most other saws these days have good riving knives that would likely have prevented this accident. They move with the blade and are designed to prevent such kick back.

Having a conclusion that it was the fault of Delta for not having a riving knife seems a bit wrong.


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## Sark (May 31, 2017)

Yes a better saw with built-in riving knife most likely would have prevented the accident. I pointed out that I wasn't using the riving knife that the saw has now, and I can't blame Delta for that, can I? Sure the accident could have happened had the splitter been in place…but it wasn't so that's my prime suspect in the failure analysis.

And Redoak, not Delta's fault for having an old design on old saws, I totally agree. But it's always been an annoyance I've had with Delta for not doing better sooner.

Northwoodsman, wow, quite a storyI. Sorry that happened. And I do hope for your continued improvement and recovery.

Madmark2 & SMP, I was not in the line of fire. The wood struck my push stick, ricocheted off at an oblique angle, struck me and kept on going. My push stick is shaped like a handle for a traditional hand-saw, so it provides excellent grip. My hand could have been severely injured without such a push stick.

Operator error is always the number one cause of accidents. However, to expect operators to never make a mistake in a lifetime of working machinery is not a reasonable standard, in my opinion. Some machinery designs are just better with regards to safety.


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

Only one of the statements below, regarding "Failure Analysis" , is true!

1- Conclusion: using the splitter would have prevented this accident.

2- Evidently I didn't finish pushing past the blade.

3- Yes a better saw with built-in riving knife most likely would have prevented the accident.

If you don't finish the cut, what do you expect?


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

I dont care what saw you use, doing #2 above will *ALWAYS* cause issues.

Denial of the source of the issue will make you repeat the error. Perhaps with more disastrous consequences. We're hard because we've seen the results. Listen and learn.

It was *your* fault. Not the saws, not the fences. You violated a basic safety rule: Complete the cut before releasing pressure on the push block. Until you acknowledge that *you* are at fault you should unplug the saw and remove the blade before you cut off something important, verstehen?


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Gee wiz Mark I think Sark gets the picture. 
What do you want him to say he's sorry leave the poor guy alone.
Everyone has the freedom to learn tablesaw safety for the work they do. 





Good Luck


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Thanks to the OP for posting this and being honest about what happened. It is important for others to read about it and just check how you are doing things. A picture of the saw and wood piece could be helpful.

I worked in a steel mill and before shift there were safety meetings. The most valuable was when someone who has an accident shared the injury and the cause of the accident.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

As mentioned a SawStop won't prevent kickback any better than any other saw with a riving knife. But kickback can draw your hand into the blade. A SawStop will certainly reduce or eliminate the chance of severely cutting your hand.

I would agree that if there is some aftermarket riving knife that can be added that goes up and down and tilts with the blade, that might be a great way to go. But with a SawStop you get that, and the safety tech that greatly reduces the chances of cutting fingers off. And you get a very high quality saw. You do pay a premium for the safety feature, but it's perhaps in the range of $500 more, depending on the model. And of course the potential to spend some dollars on new brake cartridges and saw blades if you trip the saw.

Your money, your fingers, your choice.

And really, there are people here trying to talk a guy out of getting a new table saw! That's some form of woodworker heresy.


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## Sark (May 31, 2017)

AJ, thanks for your kind words. I do indeed understand what MadMark is saying and I appreciate his concern and take his points quite seriously. If he were saying the same things in a more gentle way, then he wouldn't be Mad Mark, just Mark, no? (Lol, couldn't resist this one.)

I've looked into the aftermarket riving knife for Unisaw that was being sold as a kit on this website, and made effort to connect with the seller/designer, but never heard back from him. So I think its a dead issue.

I found the offending piece of wood, revisited and photographed the scene of the accident. My analysis indicates that had the splitter been in place, the accident would not have occurred. Yes my hand wavered and I failed to complete the cut, but the splitter would have prevented the accident. Will post the photos in the next reply.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

A splitter keeps the workpiece from angling away from the fence after the blade, where the rear blade teeth can catch and lift it, and throw it with great velocity. If the workpiece angles away from the fence in front of the blade, the teeth on that side are going down into the table.

My shop teacher had blocks of wood that were the minimum dimensions of pieces we could safely cut, attached with a wire to each machine. 10 inch in length for ripping on the table saw was the minimum, IIRC. Smaller pieces had to be cut on the bandsaw, or cut by hand.


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## torus (Apr 8, 2017)

> Thanks to the OP for posting this and being honest about what happened. It is important for others to read about it and just check how you are doing things. ....
> 
> - Redoak49


+500!


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## MPython (Nov 30, 2018)

Sark, the identical thing happened to me with my Unisaw. It was the first (and only) saw accident I've had in over 50 years oof woodworking. It was an eye opener. I'd always considered myself a very safe machine operator, but the kickback taught me that accidents happen to the safest of us. My belief is the very few people simply run their hands into a spinning blade. Usually it happens as a result of some attention lapse or mishap with the cut - the workpiece binds or gets jammed and the blade discharges it violently, jerking the operator's hand into harm's way. It can happen to any of us in the blink of an eye. I sold my Unisaw and bought a SawStop. I may never trigger the safety feature; but it's a comfort to know that, if I do, I'll end up with a relatively minor cut rather than the loss of fingers or a hand - or worse. I'm not affiliated with SawStop, but I am a happy owner. On top of the safety technology, it's a really fine saw.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> I was ripping about an 8" piece of 2×4,


Ohhhhhhh 2x is bad juju, wonky wood = wonky things happening on a table saw. I like to rip 2x stuff on a bandsaw, I know I live a sheltered life.

Seriously the wood probably contributed, but 12" is likely more the problem. Push a 3' long piece of wood, easy to steer straight, on only 12" long wants to bob around some. Bang you hit the blade (force against your direction), and it often wants to change directions, because of the short length, and your proximity to the blade…...ahhhh you mostly aren't gonna want to try steering about now. Rip longer, and crosscut to fit. Most of the time you will end up needing several pieces of that same rip anyhow.


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## John_ (Sep 23, 2013)

Jessem Clear Cut Stock Guides

Bought a set for Christmas and I have been extremely pleased.

One of the reasons for kickback is the piece of wood to the right of the blade, gets up on top of the blade, the teeth grab it and violently kick it back. Another reason is the piece gets jammed/pinched up against the fence and saw blade which usually forces the blade to distort (sometimes enough to damage the throat plate) and then it gets thrown back

A European style fence that you can move forward and back will help solve the problem with the piece getting pinched. But the Clear Cut guides does both. They hold the piece flat on the table and also force it slightly to the right and against the fence. Not only do I think I am working safer with the guides installed - I am also getting better cuts because of the way they force the piece against the fence

Not cheap - but check it out
https://jessem.com/products/clear-cut-ts-stock-guides


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## Sark (May 31, 2017)

Thanks all for your replies. As requested earlier, here are the pics, with my analysis in the next post:


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I was using a push stick today and saw the piece start to ride up on the blade. Scared the heck out of me, I looked and I was outside of the line of fire if it had kicked. I ended up using the push stick to apply downward pressure next to the blade until it was needed to push the remain through the cut.


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## Sark (May 31, 2017)

Exactly what AndyJ1 an John said, the saw blade grabbed the piece of wood when it was just 1/2" away from clearing. And then flung it around and out. Gouged the wood pretty good. This wasn't a case of the wood getting pinched.

The splitter would have totally prevented this accident. Why? Note that the splitter with anti-kickback pawls are about 1" away from the blade. The piece of wood would be held by the pawls had I been using the splitter. Also the splitter would have forced the wood toward the fence preventing the sideways motion from moving the wood into the blade.

This accident was also completely preventable by using better technique as suggested.

The idea that failure analysis must result in only one cause of failure is not a useful way of thinking about failure. In this case there were two principal causes of failure: 1. Failure to push on through. 2. Failure to use the available safety mechanism (splitter). Fixing either 1 or 2 would have prevented the accident. Obviously both failures were caused by me, and I don't really see the point of yelling about this in caps and bold face type.

Accidents are often, if not usually, the result of a chain of events gone awry, in which each event plays a part. For the complete analysis, I would point to other less important but interesting factors as all playing a role:

3. Size of wood: 7" is a bit short to be cutting on the table saw. Need to take more precaution with wood this size. 
4. Density of wood: I was cutting redwood, which is very light, and could move sideways on the table with the smallest of motions. A denser piece of wood might be more stable. 
5. Slick table saw top: Just finished waxing the saw, so the tiniest of sideways force on a lightweight piece of wood could send it into the blade.

All conjectures except for items 1 & 2. Thanks John for the link to Jessem Clear Cut Stock Guides, looks like a great product. And thanks to all of you for your responses.


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## RCCinNC (Jul 4, 2017)

That is one scary piece of wood. I've got one kind of like it myself, with "never again!" scrawled across it. It lives on my pegboard in plain sight as a constant reminder to a similar accident, one that did draw my hand into the blade. I'm OK…can still count to ten, but it was, as you say… a real eye opener.

So yeah, I bought a Sawstop. Another thing you can do is to use a fingerboard to hold the wood tight against the fence, a pushstick and another stick to hold the far end of the wood down so that it doesn't lift up and catch in the blade. Using a push stick, as opposed to a push block, allows you to stay to the left of the piece as you cut. 
The aforementioned gripper block is a great tool. You can buy one, or make your own, but for small rips it's a great piece of safety kit. I've also heard good things about the jessem fence guides.

And lastly…. the blade guard is there for a reason! Unless you are doing non through cuts, or have to rip too close to the fence, you should use it. This statement of course makes me a hypocrite, because yes, they are a pain in the backside and hence I don't always follow my own advice, but the guard attached to the knife might have helped impede your kickback.


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## GrantA (Jul 19, 2014)

The way that push block is made you have to have your wrist all the way past the blade to get the material past. The handle should be well behind the hook that pushes the material 
If a sawstop makes you happy and comfortable by all means get one, somebody else will be happy to buy your unisaw! Just don't make the mistake of thinking the sawstop will think for you - it won't. My 1940 Tannewitz tablesaw won't either. Nor my Porter slash saw, Porter shaper, many lathes, mills etc. All machinery must be respected


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## Sark (May 31, 2017)

GrantA, good point about the push stick! OK, I use a lot of regular push sticks, but this one gets the hand over the piece too much, I'm thinking. 
RCC, correct, one scary piece of wood. I didn't see the gash in it until I found it to take a picture.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Another suggestion is to use some kind of non slip on the bottom of your push block or device. Personally, my favourite is the Gripperrr.

While I have a SawStop and love the extra safety, I think the most important safety feature is a well designed riving knife. One that aligns easy and easy to take off and put back.

I hope you get better quickly.


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## RCCinNC (Jul 4, 2017)

You might want to check out the Sharkguard. It's got some good reviews on the LJ's review site, and allows for plenty of options from a custom riving knife assembly with or without pawls and a guard that integrates with the assembly that includes a vacuum attachment sized to order.
No personal experience, but I've heard good things beyond LJ's as well.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

A fingerboard can be used to hold the work piece flat to the table all the way through the cut (assuming the fingerboard is thinner than the ripped width), but it cannot be used to hold the work piece against the fence all the way through the cut.

The canted roller systems can do that (also assuming they can fit between the fence and the blade). These wheels are usually also ratcheted so that they do not roll in reverse, helping to prevent a kickback two ways (keeping the wood down and against the fence, plus resisting rearward motion.)

I should also point out that splitters and anti-kickback pawls are actually two different features/functions, often employed on a single accessory. Anti-kickpack pawls work like a ratchet to make sure the wood only travels forward (once engaged by the pawls), and cannot travel backward towards the operator. Note that they have their limits, and the teeth on the blade may have more grip on the wood than the teeth on the pawls do…

Splitters not only keep the cut piece from moving away from the fence, toward the blade, they also prevent the kerf from closing behind the blade in stressed work pieces, and potentially gripping the upwardly moving rear teeth of the blade, etc.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

In the pic the push block is shown tight to the fence. This prevents you from applying pressure towards the fence. When you eased up on the pressure the stock was able to move. Because there was no pressure towards the fence the stock was free to move in the only direction it could, into the blade. *BANG!*

Keep your push block near but *not* touching the fence.


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## fivecodys (Dec 2, 2013)

> I also used to get hit from my unisaw. Twice it got me really good.
> The solution is a bandsaw. If it need to have a smooth surface it rip oversized on the bandsaw then final trim on my table saw.
> No ripping warped twisted unruly bowed wood on the tablesaw.
> 
> ...


Same here AJ. I have used my band saw quite a bit for ripping. It is amazing how many times I have discovered "hidden tension" in a board that would have caused problems for me at the table saw.
Rip it on the band saw and clean it up on the table saw with the Shark Guard/splitter in place.


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## Renegade1LI (Jan 21, 2020)

I built a tall auxiliary fence with a t track that will accommodate multiple finger boards, takes seconds to swap out different thicknesses.









I also have fingerboards that fit the miter slot to hold against the fence, the combination works very well & is quick to set up.


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## RCCinNC (Jul 4, 2017)

Nice set up! 


> I built a tall auxiliary fence with a t track that will accommodate multiple finger boards, takes seconds to swap out different thicknesses.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll give you my first born child for your tablesaw… ; ) I've got a back board like that as well, but never thought of putting a T track in it. Great idea!


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I used to get kickbacks sometimes with my old delta rockwell saw. Not fun. I'm wondering though. I've had a new saw for a couple of years now, a sawstop. (Let's not get into a sawstop conversation, many saws have the things I'm going to talk about). The blade hood mechanism has two sets of anti-kickback pawls. Two small toothed things and two larger ones. Sometimes they get in the way but I leave them set. When I put a piece of wood in I can't back it out. I have to go forward. And I can't imagine the wood lifting up over the blade with them in the way. That being said I haven't had any kickback events either minor or major.
Also, I long ago discovered that any pressure on the wood while feeding it is greatly reduced or maybe eliminated if the wood it prepped beforehand in a jointer. Straight wood doesn't bind in a properly aligned saw.


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## theart (Nov 18, 2016)

> 3. Size of wood: 7" is a bit short to be cutting on the table saw. Need to take more precaution with wood this size.


Too short for this cut by about half. Even with a splitter and pawls, a piece this short runs the risk of the trailing edge parting off before the leading edge is far enough under the pawls. The only safe way to rip something under a foot long is on a sled.


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## Renegade1LI (Jan 21, 2020)

> Nice set up!
> 
> I built a tall auxiliary fence with a t track that will accommodate multiple finger boards, takes seconds to swap out different thicknesses.
> 
> ...


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## Renegade1LI (Jan 21, 2020)

> Nice set up!
> 
> I built a tall auxiliary fence with a t track that will accommodate multiple finger boards, takes seconds to swap out different thicknesses.
> 
> ...


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## BigMig (Mar 31, 2011)

Hey brother, thanks for sharing your lesson and keeping us aware of the possibilities of a momentary distraction. Wishing you all the best, and speedy recovery.


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