Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/01/31/table-saws-are-dangerous.html
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Presently working with a guy who is missing a thumb right now as a result of a run in with one of those… Also, came home one day right as a contractor slipped and cut herself on the table as I was coming down the drive. Just in time to drive her to the hospital covered in blood.
Yeah, they’re dangerous AF. Some future genius needs to invent a laser table to replace the blade.
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Indeed. There are better tools for sawing tables.
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Well they have the benefit of being VERY OBVIOUSLY dangerous.
Edited to add: Although the danger of kickback illustrated in the video is not as obvious as the danger of traumatic amputation. Says the guy that shot a length of 2"x4" into his upper thigh.
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This is less a demonstration of the inherent dangers of table saws and more of the dangers of using a table saw like a moron. You can clearly see him letting the piece he’s cutting glide off to the side, which is what causes really bad kickbacks like that, because he’s nonchalantly using one hand and not paying attention like a moron. I’ve been using a table saw regularly for two decades and have never had that happen.
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I met a guy once whose nickname was 9 and a half.
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My eyes!
I think it’s going to be some time before we have a device that can reliably cut wood and plastic but not human flesh.
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We could always just go back to the pit:
Yeah, that looks safe. /s
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I make picture frames as a hobby and use my table saw for damn near everything in the process. Mitre saws, while they look and are sold like they could, are damn near impossible to use for cutting exact 45s. The Rockler 45 Degree Mitre Sled is fantastic for it: https://www.amazon.com/Rockler-45-Degree-Miter-Sled/dp/B0186IPNCM.
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See, but everything I can imagine along those lines would essentially be a bandsaw rather than a table saw. A laser table saw would basically be a whirling fucking lightsaber.
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Yeah, WTF did that guy in the gif expect to happen turning the piece into the blade halfway thru and standing at such a weird angle? Perhaps he thinks it’s a scroll saw.
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Hell, I’d buy one! 
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That sounds amazing.
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Chainsaw? 
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You say this like it’s a bad thing…
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Actually, most modern table saws have a “flesh detector” that automatically stops the saw in a millisecond. Obviously I’ve never seen it tested on a person, but I have seen it tested on a hot dog, and it barely scratches the casing.
What Rob is taking about, though, would not be stopped. I once frisbeed a 4’x4’ piece of 3/4" plywood across a room because I touched it too early.
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I figure specialized and pro use is exempt from warnings like this post, but if you were starting over, would a bandsaw or scrollsaw do just as good a job? I imagine blade drift would be an issue with precise mitering unless you’re getting something fancy.
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You can tell from body angle and lack of reaction that he’s demonstrating this on purpose.
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If anyone bothers to watch the end of the video-
In the demonstration, he’s choosing not to use a blade guard with anti-kickback pawls. There are plenty of table saw operations where those aren’t usable.
But he is also not using a riving knife, which can be used with any table saw operation including very narrow rips and non-through-cuts. At the end of the video he shows how the riving knife presents that specific situation, and there’s no reason to ever not use it. Every new UL listed table saw has had a riving knife for quite some time.
As Rob points out, many table saw operations can also be performed other ways- but all of those other ways always have their own dangers. A router and/or router table is another very versatile tool- and it’s another tool that is extraordinarily dangerous without the right knowledge, care, and accessories for different operations.
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Yeah I know, thin balsa wood but, something along these lines would be great alternative. Just need to get around the fact that wood burns.
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