re: TIPS: safety on the table saw

I’ve yet to have my first kick-back (or any scary moment) with my TS. Frankly, the first time I fired it up after getting it home, it made me a bit nervous. A couple of things I can add, because they are always on the top of my mind when I turn it on are:

1. Don’t wear anything that could come even remotely close to getting tangled in the blade.
2. Pay attention to the blade. Just because the saw is off, doesn’t mean the blade has stopped spinning.
3. If you have a contractor saw, make sure no small cut-off pieces can fall behind the saw and hang in the belt.
4. Make sure everything (work piece, cross-cut sled etc…) is clear of the blade before starting the saw.
5. Make the cut in your head before you make the cut. This is especially true if trying something for the first time. Try to imagine everything that could go wrong.
6. Just because you saw it on youtube, doesn’t make it safe.
7. Respect the TS for what it is; a powerful monster that would just love to tear pieces off of you at the first hint of complacency.