Preventing Kickback

Below are ways to avoid the most common causes of kickback:

•Only cut workpieces with at least one smooth and straight edge. DO NOT cut excessively warped, cupped or twisted wood. If the workpiece warpage is questionable, always choose another workpiece.

•Never attempt freehand cuts. If the workpiece is not fed parallel with the blade, a kickback will likely occur. Always use the rip fence or crosscut fence to support the workpiece.

•Make sure the riving knife is aligned with the blade. A misaligned riving knife can cause the workpiece to catch or bind, increasing the chance of kickback. If you think that your riv- ing knife is not aligned with the blade, check it immediately!

•Ensure that your table slides parallel with the blade; otherwise, the chances of kickback are greatly increased. Take the time to check and adjust the sliding table to be parallel with the blade.

•Do not remove the riving knife. The riving knife maintains the kerf in the workpiece, reducing the chance of kickback.

•Keep the blade guard installed and working correctly for all through cuts.

•Feed cuts through to completion. Anytime you stop feeding a workpiece in the middle of a cut, the chance of kickback is increased.

•Never move the workpiece backwards while cutting or try to back it out of a cut while the blade is moving. If you cannot complete a cut for some reason, stop the saw motor and allow the blade to completely stop moving before backing the workpiece out. Promptly fix the condition that prevented you from completing the cut, before starting the saw again.

Protecting Yourself

From Kickback

Even if you know how to prevent kickback, it may still happen. Here are some tips to pro- tect yourself if kickback DOES occur:

•Stand to the side of the blade during every cut. If a kickback does occur, the thrown workpiece usually travels directly in front of the blade.

•Wear safety glasses or a face shield. In the event of a kickback, your eyes and face are the most vulnerable part of your body.

•Never, for any reason, place your hand behind the blade. Should kickback occur, your hand will be pulled into the blade, which could cause amputation.

•Use a push stick to keep your hands farther away from the moving blade. If a kickback occurs, the push stick will most likely take the damage that your hand would have received.

•Use featherboards or anti-kickback devices to assist with feeding and prevent or slow down kickback.

Statistics show that most common acci- dents among table saw users can be linked to kickback. Kickback is typically defined as the high-speed ejection of stock from the table saw toward its operator. In addition to the danger of the operator or others in the area being struck by the flying stock, it is often the case that the operator’s hands are pulled into the blade during the kickback.

-10-	Model G0700 (Mfg. since 8/09)