GLOSSARY OF
TERMS
ARBOR – The shaft on which the blade or dado is mounted.
BEVEL CUT – An angle cut made through the face of the workpiece.
BLADE BEVEL SCALE – Measures the angle the blade is tilted when set for a bevel cut.
BLADE ELEVATION AND TILTING HANDWHEEL – Raises and lowers the blade or tilts the blade to angle between 0o and 45o for bevel cuts.
BLADE GUARD – Clear plastic cover that positions itself over the blade while cutting.
COMPOUND CUT – A simultaneous bevel and miter cut.
CROSSCUT – A cut made across the width of the workpiece.
DADO – Special cutting blades that are used to cut grooves in a workpiece.
FEATHERBOARD – When ripping a workpiece on your table saw, this keeps it firmly and safely against the rip fence. It also helps prevent chatter, gouging, and dangerous kickback.
FREEHAND – Performing a cut without using a rip fence, miter gauge, hold down or other proper device to prevent the workpiece from twisting during the cutting operation.
GUM – A sticky sap from wood products. HEEL – Misalignment of the blade.
JAMB NUT – Nut used to lock another nut in place on a threaded rod or bolt.
KERF – The amount of material removed by the blade cut.
KICKBACK – Occurs when the saw blade binds in the cut and violently thrusts the workpiece back toward the operator.
MITER CUT – An angle cut made across the width of the workpiece.
MITER GAUGE – A guide used for crosscutting operations that slides in the table top channels (grooves) located on either side of the blade. It helps make accurate straight or angle crosscuts.
OVERLOAD RESET SWITCH – Protects the motor if it overloads during operation, provides a way to restart the saw.
PUSH STICK – Used to push workpieces when performing ripping operations.
PUSH BLOCK – Used for ripping operation when the workpiece is too narrow to use a push stick. Always use a push block for rip widths less than 2 in (50.8 mm).
RESAWING - flipping material to make a cut the saw is not capable of making in one pass.
!WARNING Resawing IS NOT recommended.
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM) – The number of turns completed by a spinning object in one minute.
RIP FENCE – A guide used for rip cutting which allows the workpiece to cut straight.
RIPPING – Cutting with the grain of the wood or along the length of the workpiece.
RIVING KNIFE – A metal piece of the guard assembly located behind and moves with the blade. Slightly thinner than the saw blade, it helps keep the kerf open and prevents kickback.
SAW BLADE PATH – The area of the workpiece or table top directly in line with the travel of the blade or the part of the workpiece that will be cut.
SET – The distance between two saw blade tips, bent outward in opposite directions to each other. The further apart the tips are, the greater the set.
TABLE INSERT – Insert that is removed from the table to install / remove blades. When dado cutting, a dado insert plate must be used.
THROUGH SAWING – Making a cut completely through the length or width of a workpiece.
WORKPIECE – Material to be cut.
Leading Edge | Saw Blade Path |
Kerf |
|
Surface |
|
| Trailing Edge |
Workpiece | Direction of Workpiece |
|
NOTE: Blade guard assembly is removed for purposes of illustration only.
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