Kickback - Causes And Corresponding Safety Guidelines; Safety Guidelines For Operating Table Saws - Proxxon FET Manual

l) For long sections on work pieces which are thinner
than 2 mm, use an additional parallel limit stop that has
contact with the table surface. Thin work pieces can
become wedged under the parallel limit stop and cause
kickback.
2.4 Kickback – Causes and corresponding safety guidelines
A kickback is the sudden reaction of the work piece due to a
catching, jamming saw blade or because a work piece is cut at
an angle in relation to the saw blade, or if part of the work piece
is jammed between the saw blade and parallel limit stop or
other fixed object.
In most cases during a kickback, the work piece is caught by
the rear part of the saw blade, lifted up from the saw table and
then flung towards the operator. Kickback is the result of wrong
or faulty use of the table saw. It can be avoided by using appro-
priate precautionary measures, as described in the following.
a. Never stand directly in line with the saw blade. Always
keep to one side of the saw blade where the stop rail is
located. During kickback, the work piece can be flung at
high speeds towards anyone standing in front of and in
line with the saw blade.
b. Never reach over or behind the saw blade to pull on or
support the work piece. Unintentional contact may occur
with the saw blade, or a kickback can cause your fingers to
be pulled into the saw blade.
c. Never hold and press the work piece being sawed
against the rotating saw blade. Pressing the work piece
being sawed against the saw blade will cause jamming
and kickback.
d. Align the stop rail in parallel to the saw blade. An
unaligned stop rail will press the work piece against the saw
blade and generate kickback.
e. Use a featherboard when proceeding hidden saw cuts
(e.g. groove, back-gouge or separating in reversal
method). The featherboard allows you to guide the work-
piece against table and longitudinal stop. A featherboard
helps you to control the workpiece in case of kickback.
f. Be especially careful when sawing in out-of-sight areas
of assembled work pieces. A dipping in saw blade can
saw into objects that could cause a kickback.
g. Support large sheets to minimize the risk of kickback
caused by a jammed saw blade. Large sheets can sag
under their own weight. Sheets need to be supported wher-
ever they extend beyond the table surface.
h. Be particularly careful whilst sawing work pieces
which are twisted, knotted, or warped or do not have a
straight edge to guide them along a mitre stop or stop
rail. A warped, knotted or twisted work piece is unstable
and causes misalignment of the kerf with the saw blade,
jamming and kickback.
i. Never saw work pieces that have been stacked or lined
up in succession. The saw blade could catch one or sev-
eral parts and cause kickback.
j. If you want to restart a saw whose saw blade is still in
a work piece, centre the saw blade in the sawing gap
so that the saw teeth are not caught in the work piece.
If the saw blade is jammed, it can lift up the work piece and
cause a kickback when the saw is restarted.
k. Keep the saw blades clean, sharp and sufficiently set.
Never use bent saw blades, or saw blades with cracked
or broken teeth. Sharp and correctly set saw blades min-
imise jamming, blocking and kickback.

2.5 Safety guidelines for operating table saws

a) Switch off the table saw and disconnect it from the
mains before you remove the table insert, replace the
saw blade, carry out settings on the splitting wedge or
the saw blade guard, and whenever leaving the
machine unattended. Precautions serve to prevent acci-
dents.
b) Never leave an operating table saw unattended. Switch
off the power tool and do not leave until it has reached
a complete standstill. An unattended operating saw rep-
resents an uncontrollable risk.
c) Set up the table saw in an area that is level and well lit
and where you can stand securely and keep your bal-
ance. The set-up site must be spacious enough for you
to comfortably handle the size of your work pieces.
Disarray, non-lit working areas and uneven and slippery
floors can lead to accidents.
d) Regularly remove chips and saw dust underneath the
saw table and/or from the dust extraction. Accumulated
saw dust is combustible and can self-ignite.
e) Secure the table saw. An improperly secured table saw
can move or fall over
f) Remove adjusting tools, wood scraps etc. from the
table saw before you switch it on. Deflection or possible
jams could be dangerous.
g) Always use the correct size of saw blade and with
matching mounting hole (e.g. diamond-shaped or
round). Saw blades which do not match the assembly
parts of the saw will operate out of centre and will lead to
loss of control.
h) Never use damaged or wrong saw blade assembly
material such as e.g. flanges, flat washers, screws or
nuts. This saw blade assembly material was constructed
specifically for your saw, for secure operation and optimal
performance.
i) Never stand upon the table saw and never use the table
saw as a foot stool. Serious injuries could occur if the
power tool falls over or if you accidentally come into contact
with the saw blade.
j) Ensure the saw blade is always mounted in the correct
direction of rotation. Do not use sanding discs or wire
brushes with the table saw. Improper assembly of the
saw blade or the use of not recommended accessories
can lead to serious injuries.
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