Woodshop Safety & Guidelines
Shop Rules
Safety glasses are required.
Shoes are required.
No painting or varnishing inside the shop.
All guards are to remain in place.
Used wood is not allowed unless first approved by the Shop Manager.
All tools removed from the shop must be noted on the check out slips found in plex boxes on the tool cabinets.
Tools are allowed to be checked out for 24 hrs only.
Make sure you thoroughly clean up after every use.
Table Saw Operation
Only operators trained in the safe operation of a table saw are allowed to use the saw.
Operator must wear safety glasses.
Blade should be checked for tightness.
Check the blade guard and splitter for proper operation.
Verify location of on off switch and/or emergency power disconnect.
If used, check to ensure the fence is set properly and tight.
Ensure that the table is clear of materials, tools, and debris.
The Table Saw must have a blade guard and splitter installed, One or more of these devices may be removed Only if absolutely necessary to perform a certain cut (e.g. Dado/Rabbet Cut) and only with the approval of shop supervisor. These devices must be re-installed immediately upon completing the cut(s).
The fence and the miter gauge must never be used together. Use the fence for ripping and the miter gauge for crosscutting. Many crosscuts can be made much safer on other saws such as the panel saw (up to 5’). The Rail saw (up to 11”) and the Miter saw (up to 3 1/2”) across.
Push sticks, feather boards, hold downs, etc. must be used whenever an operation is performed that would require the operators hands to pass within 6 inches of the saw blade.
The operator should stand behind and slightly to the left side of the wood as it is being fed through.
Blade height should be set so that the top of the saw teeth extend no more than a .25” above the wood being cut.
No piece of wood is allowed that is smaller than 11 inches long. The smaller the piece the more dangerous it is.
No piece of wood may be cut “freehand” i.e. without a fence or miter gauge. This is a sure kickback.
Table Saw Hazards:
“Kick Back” This occurs for a variety of reasons, and is one of the primary reasons for all table saw injury. One main reason is that the board being cut does not have at least one straight true edge that is pushed up against the fence. Another is that it is warped or not flat as it’s passed thru the blade. Another is that some woods have internal pressures that are released as it is being cut and then becomes not straight causing kickback (as often occurs when using heart wood). Another is the board is being crosscut with only the fence.
“Dust Hazards” many woods and materials when their dust is airborne and inhaled is toxic and found to be a potential cancer hazard in the State of California. Some woods are more toxic than others such as Cedar, Redwood, especially pressure treated woods, and Teak. The glues associated with ply woods particleboard and “MDF” contain formaldehyde with have been shown to be toxic.
Foreign objects in the wood itself. Things such as nails, screws. stones, wire etc. Not only are these potential injuries, but they do damage to the machine surface, fence, and carbide blade.
The size of the work piece is too small putting ones’ hands at risk of being cut due to how close they are to the blade, or hurled back in the face or body
Shattered material being thrown in ones eyes or face as the cut is made due to inefficient glasses or face shield
Falling in proximity to the saw blade or reaching beyond the saw blade and cutting ones self this way.
Certain prolonged noise frequencies from the wood being cut can cause a loss of hearing
Also see the some Table Saw Vocabulary
