How to Avoid Kickback on a Table Saw


If you are looking for information about how to avoid kickback on a tablesaw, you’ve come to the right place. Kickback is the spinning blade of death that causes many accidents every year. It occurs when an already-cut piece of wood catches on a spinning blade and hurtles towards the operator. In many cases, this jerking action pulls the operator’s hands toward the blade. If you have never experienced this, watch the following video.

Push stick

When working with wood, it’s important to avoid kickback. Kickback occurs when the work piece becomes caught in the back of the saw blade and is pushed back toward the operator. This kickback can be extremely painful. The following video shows a demonstration that almost injures the woodworker. Watch the video to understand how to prevent it. Once you’ve watched the video, be sure to follow the instructions carefully.

A push stick is an important tool for woodworkers. It can help prevent kickback by giving you some distance between the blade and your hands. You should purchase a push stick that is wide enough to allow you to hold the work securely against the table while cutting. Alternatively, you can build one from scrap material. However, it is important to make a push stick in several different thicknesses and use it properly to prevent kickback.

Blade guard

The blade guard surrounds the exposed blade and functions as a physical barrier between the operator and the blade. While most blade guards are single-piece units, they can be modular and designed to have a fixed top barrier as well as independent side barriers. The most important thing to look for is the design of the blade guard to ensure the safety of your table saw operation. Whether you use a single-piece guard or modular, there are benefits to both styles.

When considering whether a table saw blade guard is essential, CPSC researchers reviewed the incident reports. These reports showed that fewer than half of the reported incidents involved the use of a blade guard. Those who were using a guard reported fewer injuries than those without. However, many woodworkers still opted not to use one when using their saws for certain cuts. Whether you use a modular blade guard or a traditional one will depend on your personal preferences.

Anti-kickback pawls

Anti-kickback pawls are a useful accessory on your table saw. They reduce the chance of kickback, which can be fatal or severely injuring a saw operator. In addition to reducing the risk of kickback, they protect your table saw and your workpiece from damage – a problem that can cost you thousands of dollars! Here’s how anti-kickback pawls work.

First, you should know that pawls work on only through cuts. This means they are not effective for cuts that cut in two or are shorter than the board width. Dado cuts, on the other hand, require two blades to be set against each other. These cuts are difficult to make without the pawls, and they can cause the board to become wider than you’d intended.

Blade guards

Blade guards on table saws are an important safety feature for those who use them frequently. Without these guards, you can accidentally lose control of your wood cutting work, which could cause the blade to damage the wood. Additionally, kickback can result in wood dropping on the fence or blade. So, you must ensure that you never put your hands between the blade and the rip fence. A push stick can help you guide the wood at both ends.

While blade guards may be essential for safety, they do not serve their purpose well if they don’t fit correctly. These protective devices are often ineffective for cutting thick pieces, bevel cuts, or other critical cuts. This is why it’s important to purchase the right one for your needs. You can buy self-adjusting guards that will fit the thickness of the material you’re cutting, but make sure they remain in contact with the material. You should also provide push sticks to the operators for the purpose of operating the blade.

Blade guards + riving knives

You can keep your table saw from having a kickback problem if you use blade guards and riving knives. Both a crown guard and Euro-style riving knives are great choices. They are meant to sit aft of the blade and keep the workpiece out of the way of the saw’s rising rear teeth. A crown guard is an integral part of any table saw safety system.

A blade guard and a riving knife are a must for any table saw. A blade guard protects the operator from being hit by kickback while a riving knife is able to prevent the wood from drifting into the blade. In addition, a crosscut sled keeps hands away from the blade while the fence is moved in front of the blade.

Blade guards + blade guards

If you’re using a table saw with blade guards, there are some things you can do to minimize kickback. First, you can use push sticks to avoid kickback. By pushing a workpiece evenly past the blade, you’ll avoid any chance of it getting pinched between the fence and blade. In the video below, you can see a demonstration of a kickback.

Another way to avoid kickback is to stand far enough away from the table saw’s blade. Many people mistakenly assume that running the blade high will prevent kickback. Running the blade low reduces up and down forces, but it’s not foolproof. Moreover, it’s not recommended to stand directly in front of the blade. When standing next to the table saw, stand far enough away from the blade, and do your best to stay on the other side of the workpiece, avoiding the area between the fence and blade.