Yes, it’s true.  I had a kickback on my table saw last week.

Even after all of the safety posts I have written, it still happened. It wasn’t serious enough to require me to go to the hospital or seek other emergency medical help.  Thank goodness.

I got a bad bruise to the tip of my left index finger and a gash on the inside of my forearm about four inches down from my elbow.  I’m nearly recovered from this mishap.

However, it did serve as a gigantic wake-up call for me to review my attitude about safely operating the table saw. Here’s a list of what contributed to the accident.

• It was the proverbial ‘last cut of the night’
• I was feeling tired
• I was frustrated because I was following a plan that gave incorrect dimensions for a part… I had to saw, edge and thickness another piece of wood to work with a larger blank – and it was curly maple…  not something I want to waste.
• I thought the thin material (1/4″ thick) wouldn’t hurt if it did kick back
• I was crosscutting a board about 3″ wide by 12″ long using the rip fence to gauge the distance… believing it would be more ‘ accurate’ and ‘easier’ to deploy.
• My wife had just walked in to talk to me, so I took my eyes off the work.

As you can see, there were quite a few contributing factors to this accident.  For me to ensure my safety, I am going to have to help set the tone in my shop.

Of course, I’m going to have to start to recognize when I do get feeling tired, frustrated or distracted and learn to walk away from the power tool.  It’s better to do something mundane like sharpening a plane iron than packing my fingers in an ice-filled Ziplock bag for a trip to the hospital.

But, I have to also use the proper jig to help ensure my safety. Crosscutting using the rip fence is dumb.  It’s stupid.  It’s something I know better than to do.  However, I did it anyway, even though I have a $159 Osborne EB-3 miter gauge and a large panel cutting jig maybe a dozen steps away from the saw.

Why didn’t I use them?

The sled is just too heavy.  It’s a monster jig I built to crosscut up to 18″ wide panels.  Great for that application, too much to heft to the saw for small cuts.

The Osborne is sweet, but for small work, it gets kind of awkward, trying to balance a small piece against it. Besides, it doesn’t allow me the option of clamping the work down to the table so I can move my hands out of the way.

So, I set my mind to build a small, maneuverable crosscutting sled that is lightweight, accurate and allows for clamping.  The problem I ran into when looking for one on the Internet is that the plans fall into one of two camps.

There are those that are just too darned simple.  A runner for the miter slot, a back or front fence and a sheet of plywood.  These, like the famous one found in Norm Abram’s shop, are great for cutting square edges on larger panels, but fall down on the job when cutting smaller stock. Besides, these typically just ride on one side of the blade, leaving the ‘offcut’ side unsupported.  I needed something that will bridge the saw blade, keeping the workpiece securely supported on both sides.

Others  look like wooden Swiss Army Knives.  They can miter, tenon, crosscut, slice, dice, julienne and make mountains of cole slaw based on how they are set up.  Crisscrossed with feet of T-Track, hold down knobs and other devices, they are only slightly more complicated than the entire Apollo Moon Landing program, and can take several nights of detailed construction to become reality.  This, of course, brings us back to the weight problem.  If they are too heavy, I can see myself at a later date wondering if I really need to get the sled off the shelf…

This is what I came up with. It’s rather simple to build and it offers me a lightweight jig with excellent accuracy. As with most crosscut sleds, the heart of the system rests with the miter slot runners.  I milled these out of a straight clear piece of maple.  One in each slot, and they fit perfectly.

The base of the sled is a piece of 1/2″ MDF 16″ wide by 24″ long.  No, may not suffice for large workpieces, but that’s not the purpose – this baby is set up to handle small work.   I cut it square on the table saw, butted it against the rip fence and laid it on top of the glued runners.  A few brads held it the assembly in place until I could flip the board over to mount screws.

The front fence is a 3 1/2″ tall piece of 3/4″ cabinet grade ply.  It’s that high so the blade won’t cut through it, leaving me with two sleds.. something I’m not looking for.  It was glued and screwed to the piece from underneath.  Once I did that, I pushed the sled through the blade until it was close to the back of the MDF sheet – not all the way through.

The back fence is two pieces of 3 1/2″ tall cabinet grade ply glued and bradded together to give me a piece 1 1/2″ thick.  My initial plans were to install a T-Track to serve as a base for a hold-down clamp, but I held off for now. That will be a later edition if I want the convenience.  Once I got the back fence squared to the blade, I glued and screwed  it into place and pushed the sled through the blade.

I also dug through the scrap bucket and came up with a few scraps of southern yellow pine to serve as hold downs. Now, when I want to cut a small piece, I can set it in place, using the saw kerf to accurately mark where the blade will cut.  I can then clamp one of these scrap SYP pieces directly down on the board to be cut right at the kerf line.  This way, I can ensure the wood won’t move, and I can keep my hands safely away from the blade.

My first couple of cuts with the sled were dead-on at 90 degrees.  The pieces didn’t move, and I was very happy to have my fingers safely out of the way.

Improved accuracy AND safety?  For the handful of scraps and screws I used, it was well  worth the cost.

About.com’s Top 12 Table Saw Safety Tips

Well, it happened to me Wednesday night.  I was trying to make the proverbial ‘last cut’ of the night, was feeling tired, using the saw incorrectly and I got distracted when WHAM… I had a kickback.

I’m OK, just a few cuts up my arm where the board flew up and a bruised left index finger… but it could have been much worse.

That’s why it’s a great time to review the basic table saw safety tips.  Read through this list and honestly assess what you do when you work at the saw.  It just might save a finger or two…

I have this friend on the Woodworker’s Website Association named Jim.  He’s a now-retired grizzled veteran of the competitive northeast construction and cabinet trades.  He’s seen it all, heard it all, tried it all and shoots straight from the hip. Ask a question, you get an honest answer with Jim. He’s that kinda guy.

But, that’s not who this article is about.  It’s actually about something he dropped off for me this past March when he was down for a visit.

Now that Jim is retired, he has time on his hands to travel and to tinker.  Before his trip this spring, he called me and asked if I was interested in looking at something he had built.  One Saturday morning, I drove to the travel trailer park Jim was staying at, and after our greetings and some shop talk, he showed me something that looked like Rube Goldberg himself had created. Old plumbing fittings, waferboard, 2 x 4’s and weatherstripping had been cobbled together.  It looked as if it had been picked over in a rubble heap.  MacGyver would be proud of this…

While it did look nasty at first, it may prove to be something that will change how I work in my shop.

Jim had created a modified cyclonic dust collector. He started with the plans drafted by Phil Thien.  Phil’s plans show how to create an inexpensive dust collector which fits onto the top of a metal garbage can.  A shop vac and an intake hose to suck up the dust is everything needed to create your own dust collection system.

Jim’s improvements include extending the cyclone separator in a compartment above the trash can, which Jim says improves the airflow by removing any potential debris interference.

Since it was nearing the start of hurricane season, I had left the collector in the corner of my shop to – err – collect dust.  Finally, this past weekend, I was able to run to Home Depot and pick up an old-fashioned metal trash can to affix the collector to.

Jim had routed a groove to fit over the rim of the can and had sealed the bottom of it to get an airtight fit.  I hooked it up as described, and I was initially thoroughly unimpressed.  The collector didn’t seem to generate enough suction to lift even the finest of dust.  I fiddled with the collector for a while, and then I discovered my problem.  I hadn’t fit the lid deep enough into the groove.

A quick shove down on the offending side,  I got that sealed up and WOW…

The suction generated by my standard issue shop vac was impressive. Planer shavings, sawdust, small animals – what couldn’t this thing pick up?  Jim had also warned me that if I drew a vacuum by sealing off the intake hose, the trash can could collapse due to the air pressure.  Well… sure enough, the silly thing’s sides did buckle when I put my hand over the intake hose!  I’ll also have to follow his advice and cut a brace for the inside of the can to give it extra support.

To put this unit to the test, I set up a field experiment.  I had been planing strips of ash and walnut for a project, and I had a good pile of shavings there ready to be cleaned up.  The shop was a mess.

I took my shop vac outside and emptied it.  I banged out the filter – the works.  It was as squeaky clean as I dared make it.  I stacked the empty shop vac on top of the unit and hooked up the hoses.  That’s when I went to work, sucking up everything.

The suction worked as I had expected it to for a dust collector.  There was a large rush of air headed into the hose, and everything was sucked through into the can.  I love clear hoses on my collector…

After working the hose for a while, cleaning up the mess of a long day in the shop, I stopped the shop vac and took a peek inside.  There was some fine dust in the vacuum’s tank, but that was it.  None of the larger shavings made it to the vacuum.

A peek into the trash can showed me why… there’s where I found all of the planer shavings, silently resting in the can.  A quick trip outside, and the can was clean once again.

The collector was extremely effective.  I have a 1 hp 500 cfm Delta model in my shop, and I rarely use it.  The system gets clogged up frequently and it doesn’t have the ‘oomph’ to get the planer shavings.  Then, there are the bag changings… something I never look forward to.  That metal ‘belt’ I have to snap in place rarely goes on the first – or second – try.

This system exceeded all my expectations. In fact, I will be looking into getting a dedicated shop vac to mount on top of the collector on a semi-permanent basis.

Hey, Jim, I gotta hand it to you.  You are one tough sucker after all!

P.S. – If you are interested in seeing Jim’s plans, I can forward the messages to him

The market for woodworking safety devices is huge.  Seriously.

Dust masks.  Eye protection.  Hearing protection.  Powered dust respirators with built in hearing and eye protection. Aftermarket splitters for your table saw.  Safety covers for router bits used in router tables.  First aid kids.  First aid kits with tourniquets should something get hacked off.  Dust collector ports.  Push sticks.  Push blocks.  Emergency shut-off switches.  Small part holders.  Hold down clamps so you can build your own safety devices…

You could go into serious debt buying a selection of woodworking safety devices – before you even buy a single tool. And these safety devices can help reduce the likelihood that you will have a woodworking accident, or make that accident a lot less traumatic should something happen.

But, unfortunately, they are not a substitute for the most important shop tool in your arsenal – your brain.

Before I get accused of encouraging people to give up on safety equipment, hold the phone.  The truth is that you really do need many of the basic protective devices and first aid products should the worst happen.  But, let me draw you an interesting parallel.

Many of us have vehicles and drive them daily.  Of those who don’t have their own cars to drive themselves about, I’d be willing to wager that many of you get a lift with friends of relatives when you have to go somewhere.  Let’s face it, cars are an important part of life.

And, when we get into our cars, one of the first things you should do is buckle your seat belt.  In many areas, this is the law of the land – click it or get a ticket. While this may be the case, I’m sure the other main reason you wear seat belts is to help prevent injury should you get into an accident.  By wearing your seat belt, your odds of surviving a crash increase 45%, according to a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But, even with a seat belt buckled and air bags in your vehicle, you still take the necessary precautions to prevent getting into an accident in the first place.  Stopping for red lights, using your brakes to prevent plowing into the car in front of you… ya know, the basics.

In much the same way, woodworking safety is an exercise in engaging your brain.  Think before you cut, route, chisel or do something else which can harm you.  Is the area clear of obstructions? Does the board have a warp in it that could bind the table saw blade?  Will the routing operation bring my hands too close to the bit?

Listen to the little voice in your head.  If it’s screaming “Danger! Danger!” before you turn the table saw switch on, see if there might be a better way to make that cut.

Don’t rush through your work.  Unlike a lousy score on the back nine of your favorite golf course, rushing your work in the shop could lead to a nasty injury.  Take it easy, and safe those tough cuts for when you are feeling fresh and rested.

Finally, you need all of your brain with you when you are working with tools.  If you just had a fight with your spouse, are upset after a lousy day of work or are under the influence of alcohol or drugs – illegal or prescription – maybe you should make any shop time more about cleaning up and selecting boards for the next project instead of trying something you might regret later.

Just remember to treat your brain right – the rest of your body will thank you.

For those who regularly follow Tom’s Workbench, you may have noticed that there was no link of the week posted this past Friday.  An oversight?  Something more sinister?

Uhh, no.  I was, however, tasked to go and assist our local health department with the public education effort in response to the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak.  Yup, when there’s a crisis, I typically get called in.  It makes my job a little more interesting.

One of the questions I heard time and again from the callers and the media concerned the use and effectiveness of surgical masks to halt the spread of the virus.  After all, aren’t folks all across Mexico City wearing them at the orders of the health ministry?

Well, while working at our local health office, I discovered that those masks are exceptionally effective at preventing your germs from contaminating others, and not so good at keeping you from getting infected in the first place.

If you want to see a good use of a filtering mask to prevent the intake of potentially dangerous particles, you need look no further than your workshop.

Saw dust is one of those shop dangers that falls to the bottom of the list when you think of the other things that can happen in your shop.  The prospect of amputating fingers on a table saw is far more concerning than the pretty colors of saw dust collecting at your feet. But, the ubiquitous byproduct of cutting, routing and sanding can cause big issues all by itself.

First up, saw dust is a known carcinogen.  Yup, after years of exposure, constant inhalation of these fine particles can lead to nasal cancer and the development of polyps in the sinuses.  Cutting manufactured wood panels (MDF, Plywood, hardboard, etc) also adds the chemicals from the binding glues to the air as well – and I doubt many of those products are touted for their health-enhancing benefits.  Many exotic woods – and some domestics – carry in them different oils and other chemical compounds that can lead to severe allergies in some woodworkers, and inhaling them only brings them more deeply into your sinuses and lungs where your body’s reaction can be extreme.

Besides, the dust itself can be an irritant and aggravate other allergies as well.  Believe me, after a long woodworking session this spring (which was on top of the oak pollen in the atmosphere – another allergen I am sensitive to), I had to spend about a week out of the shop with severe sinus headaches.

Cutting the dust should be a priority in your shop.  Dust collectors and dust filters are the best first line of defense against the raging cloud.  Besides pulling these harmful particles out of the air, they help keep your workspace clean and tidy and help prevent slips.  A cleaner and safer workplace…  nice.

For those who work on outbuildings with large doors and windows or garages, providing adequate ventilation will help greatly.  Of course, at my garage workshop, the cars in my driveway may end up with a fine powdery coating on them, but such is the price of safety.  This, with very few exceptions, would probably be an issue with a basement workshop…

Finally, while you may be working with the right equipment, it still won’t hurt to use a dust mask or respirator when doing very dusty jobs – sanding comes to mind.  Even with highly-efficient dust collecting sanders, enough of the fine stuff is produced and can affect your health after prolonged sanding sessions.  It’s always a good idea to put on a dust mask and just be sure you are covered.

What kinds to use?  Well, for really dusty environments, there are dust respirators and even powered dust respirators, which filter and supply fresh air to the user.  These are really sweet, but can be quite expensive.  Of course, we are talking about your health here…

Another option are paper or woven masks. These are inexpensive and can do a decent job keeping the dust out. Before you commit to buying the uber-large package at your local mega-mart, buy a small package first to ensure they fit you well. For example, if you have a beard, these masks may not fit as well as you would like them to, so a respirator might be a better route.

Do I mean to cause a panic?  Of course not.  But, as some wise guy said many years ago, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…”  Or, keeping an ounce of sawdust out of your nose…

I dunno…

It’s good to be popular.

I mean, who doesn’t love being invited to parties, being picked for the adult kickball league or wowing the crowd at karaoke?

The best kind of popularity is when your family loves you. My wife and sons love to have me around. No matter how overworked or grumpy I get, they always welcome me home with big hugs and invitations to play video games, watch a TV show or take on all comers in a tough game of Monopoly.

The fact that I practice my hobby at home means I can put a project down, take a few hours to have some fun and then return when I get the inspiration. I know I couldn’t do that if I was out on the water fishing or on the links playing golf.

Unfortunately, some of the attention can get dangerous. Specifically when it comes to all of that attention when the power tools are running. I’ve had one of my sons walk up behind me and hug my legs while ripping on the table saw. My wife came out to talk about dinner plans while I was working with the bandsaw. And, one of my son’s friends came out to the shop to ask if he could go home while I was shaping a piece on the router table.

At first, I was upset after each of these incidents. One split second of distraction could mean the loss of a finger or a some other gruesome injury. I started lecturing each offender, spelling out in gory detail just how badly I could be hurt.

After sitting and thinking for a while about this danger, I decided that my method of addressing the problem was all wrong. I found myself waiting for something bad to happen before I addressed the issue. I can always control my actions in the shop, but I had to find a way to address the issues that are out of my hands.

That day, I started involving my family in the discussion about shop safety. After letting my family know about the potential danger, everyone understood why I am so concerned about this.

And then, something unexpected started to happen. My two sons started offering up suggestions on how I could stay safer in the shop. While some of their ideas were a little more fantasy (“Why not use bullet proof gloves?”), others were pretty sound ideas:

• “Put up a sign on the door warning us not to bother you when the tools are running.”
• “We could talk to our friends and let them know what the rules are.”
• “Maybe you could put a latch on the door from the shop side and lock it when you are working with the tools.”
• “We could put a flashing light or a doorbell that we could turn on if we need to tell you something.”

I was very pleasantly surprised by these suggestions, and I plan on putting a few into action very soon. When I asked my oldest son why he was being so prolific with the ideas, he told me, “I don’t want to see you hurt, dad. Who would play chess with me?”

Like I said, it’s good to be popular.

There’s nothing quite like a satin-smooth finish on a woodworking project. A surface that begs to be touched. For smaller projects, it just seems natural to pick the piece up and turn it in your hands.

Unfortunately, making that finish can require the use of some pretty nasty chemicals and other products. Many of them are essential to the process, so that’s why safety has to be key when handling and applying them.

• Always use splash goggles when handling finishes and chemicals.
• Many finishes and chemicals give off noxious fumes. Apply these in a well-ventilated place and use a chemical rated respirator.
• Watch out for flammables. Chemicals and finishes that have the potential to catch fire should be applied away from open flames (think about standing pilot lights and sparks).
• If you plan on spraying your finish (a favorite method for lacquer), do so in a dedicated spray booth with an explosion-proof fan to draw the overspray out of the area.
• Fuming wood with ammonia is a classic way to get an Arts and Crafts finish, but the ammonia used for this purpose is considerably stronger than household ammonia.  If you use this method, be extremely careful!
• Rags soaked in oil-based finishes (linseed oil is well known for this) can burst into flame if left wet and wadded up.  Spread the rags out flat to dry and, once they are fully dry and hard, you can discard them.
• Store your flammable finishes in a fireproof cabinet, and keep them out of the reach of children

One other option you might consider is trying some of the newer water-based  finish products.  The formulations have improved greatly since they were first introduced, and have become very common finishes in home shops.  They apply easily and clean up with plain water.

Similar precautions should also be used for other shop chemicals.  Pitch removers, lubricants and other  chemicals should also be used carefully.