I was a little hesitant to write this post, not because of the content, or because it’s a rant of any kind, but because of the photo I plan on attaching. Yesterday afternoon I had a table saw accident, probably the worst woodworking accident of my career. Fortunately the injury is nothing serious and doesn’t even rank in my top fifty personal injuries list. But it could have been much worse. Before I scare any women and children with a picture of me shirtless, I want you all to reserve judgement for just this once. Please keep in mind that this photo isn’t of the 25 year-old, 180lb version of myself who lifted weights and played sports and rode a bike everyday. This photo is the nearly 40 year-old, 197lb version of me who has a bad back and hasn’t lifted weights in ten years. But in an effort to be honest and show what happened I figure the photograph is somewhat of a requirement.
I’ve written several posts about the dangers of a table saw. I’ve worked on heavy machinery and electrical equipment and have used power tools for my entire adult life, I’m no prude and I accept those dangers willingly. The table saw is no exception to that list. That, for no other reason, is why I supported Sawstop Legislation. Even though flesh-detection technology wouldn’t have helped me much yesterday, the way I look at it table saws can use all of the safety measures we can get on them. Yesterday afternoon I was doing everything correctly for the most part. The saw blade was a hair too high probably. I was sawing a piece of 1/4″ thick plywood. The blade was sticking out of the table probably around 1 1/4″. I generally follow the rule of having the blade extend above the piece being sawed so the gullets of the blade are just higher than the board. I did not have the guard on. I was using the rip fence and a push stick, more to keep the thin stock from rising rather than pushing it through the cut. The blade is razor sharp, actually brand new and just installed, I was wearing safety glasses and my body was to the right of the blade, not behind it. I fed the board through at a normal rate of feed when I hit a knot in the plywood which also must have had a void in it because the piece exploded off of the sheet and literally flung sideways into my stomach. Had it hit me in the ribs, and had it been a heavier/thicker board my injury would have been much worse. With that being said, I don’t think a heavier board would have “exploded” the way it did. My conclusion is that it was simply a junk piece of plywood. If anything that was my biggest mistake, the terrible sheet of plywood I was using.
When it happened I cursed a little, checked myself to make sure everything was still there, and got back to work. All in all I like to call it an accident. Accidents happen, all the time. It can be just as dangerous to walk down the street, or get into a car, or play a game of pickup basketball than it can be woodworking. And that is why I still take so much offense to those who feel the need to call people stupid when they’ve had serious table saw injuries. I would bet that there are woodworking injuries that are nothing more than the result of carelessness, and I would also bet that some woodworking injuries are just dumb luck. So to make a general statement that if you get hurt woodworking you must be stupid is just about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, and shows a lack of experience in any type of machinery use. The worst thing about it is that I’ve seen more than my fair share of woodworking writers make that same statement, although they managed to say it without directly saying it. Not to get pissy, but if you want to call me stupid, wait til we’re face to face before you do it. And I don’t mean anybody who subscribes to this blog, that comment has a specific audience in mind.
So last night, roughly 10 hours after the accident happened, I took a photo of it. The photo doesn’t give you the whole experience but you at least get an idea. The bruise widened and is now several different, but lovely colors. So here it is. I don’t want to hide behind my mistakes, or accidents, so I think it’s best to just show them and learn from them. If anything else, I hope it makes people aware of just how careful you need to be when operating a table saw.
cut me some slack, I’m not buff anymore.
The Slightly Confused Woodworker 
I was working in a shop several years ago, with a young man who had a heavy piece of wood thrown into his solar plexus. he ended up at the ER and lost his spleen as a result of the injury. Pay attention.
I got lucky here. Had the board been any heavier and hit me a little to the left I probably would have ended up in the hospital.
Glad you’re okay. That could have been so much worse.
Yeah you’re right. Even though I didn’t dodge the board, I probably dodged a bullet. Thanks.
Bill
Just reading the headline, I immediately scrolled down to the picture anticipating to see Kate Upton in a swimsuit..
Sorry about it, but it reallymade me laugh, a bit of humour fo a Tuesday morning.
Then I scrolled back up and read the text.
I agree that sometimes accidents happen, but if we do what we can to prevent them, well, then it is just down ot bad luck which can happen.
It is actually strange. I work under very strict safety rules, and I have absolutely no problems with them. Even at home I try to work safer than the average person. E.g. I don’t mow the lawn without earprotectors. But the strange (stupid) thing is that I never use safety glasses while´using the table saw or any other of the power equipment.
Actually I have thought about making a resolution to myself that I should start doing it, and preferably before an accident happen.
Whenever I get hurt in some way, I use the lesson learned as a bad example to my children. For some reason a dreadfull story gets a lot more attention from my boys than a sugarcoated one. And they remember the morale a lot better.
I hope that your stomach will get better.
Brgds
Jonas
Well the Kate Upton photo would have been a lot more fun and made a lot better viewing.
I work fairly cautiously. I’ve always worn safety glasses. Years ago I was drilling into a masonry wall, it was a hot day and I took off my glasses because they kept fogging and of course a stone chip flew into my eye and caused me a days worth of grief. Since then I’ve always worn the glasses no matter what. I’ve always worn ear protection as well. When I woodwork I the table saw is really the only power tool I use on a regular basis and mine isn’t very loud. But if I happen to use a jigsaw or a router I put on the hearing protection. Thankfully I don’t use those tools all that much.
I think this injury illustrated some points I’ve tried to make in the past and that is sometimes no matter how cautious you are accidents can and will happen, thus the need to make our equipment as safe as possible. I may have been woodworking for only a few years but I’ve been using a table saw for a long time. I’m fortunate that I’ve never had any serious accidents, and I’m also not going to say that I could always be more cautious. I took many precautions the other day and if I hadn’t I probably would have been hurt much worse. So if anything I hope this injury shows that no matter what you do there can still be accidents.
The real factor here is that the table saw isn’t the only variable we are dealing with. There is the board you are cutting, any distractions you may have in the shop, how tired or awake you may be. When Robert Lang was posting all of his articles about table saw safety and the Sawstop legislation a few years ago he kept coming back to the point that table saws weren’t necessarily dangerous and most of the time some other factor usually caused the injury. That may be true to an extent but you can say that about any piece of equipment, from a car to a knife to an airplane to a chisel. My point to him was that if we take the one variable that we can make safer, which would be adding flesh detecting technology to a table saw, wouldn’t that go a long way in lessening the danger of the other variables? Of course Lang became offended rather than wanting to hear somebody else’s opinion. Why he became offended is beyond me because I was nothing but nice. That, again, is why you’ve read some things by me directed at certain writers. If you can’t agree to disagree without becoming angry then what point is there is calling your writing “journalism” rather than just your opinion. Sorry to ramble on here. Thanks again.
Bill
That’s going to smart. I tend to use my full-face shield when working with power tools these days. (less fogging) I also wear a padded shirt and my chainsaw trousers – just in case.
I did have a lovely mishap when I was still on the tools though. Clipping an electrical cable to a back-board, the pin shattered and a fragment went in my eye. Missed the business parts and sliced the white, leaving a 1/4″ scar.
So far it’s just sore. Luckily I was wearing a heavy sweatshirt so I had a little padding. If I’m going to be at the table saw for a while I will usually wear an apron, but since I was only making two cuts I didn’t have it on. That would have helped as well because it is a heavier canvas apron. It’s my worst table saw injury and luckily not a bad one.
The exploding plywood is unusual. Since it was a brand new blade, could it have been at fault? ie: carbide tip breaking, etc.
I checked the blade and it seemed fine, though I admit I didn’t give it a very close look. The piece that hit me was basically hollow on the inside and I’m guessing that’s why it broke off so easily. But that is just a guess. Thanks.
Bill
Glad things are ok. Like you, I have worked around machinery all my life. I recognize that there are hazards in what we do. The key is understanding the risks and controlling the risk to an acceptable level. Would the blade guard have prevented the material from coming back at you? I have always used the guard with the exception of dados and have had one shattered in a similar experience. Fortunately it cracked into several pieces an nothing left the blade area. This experience ensures I always use the guard that is my acceptable level of risk.
I don’t think the blade guard would have helped in this case because the piece that hit me came from the cut off side and kind of swung around. At the same time I probably should have had it on. I usually do install it when I’m ripping a board. I usually don’t put it on when I’m cross cutting because I am either using the Osborne miter gauge or a cross cut sled and it interferes with both. I’m sure there are things I could have done differently, mainly lower the blade a little and also inspect the board a little better. The blade was only extended above the table around 1 1/2″. But the piece I was cutting was only 1/4″ thick. Had I kept it just 1/4″ above the cut like I normally would there may have been less kickback. Doing everything as correctly as possible is about the best you can do. I attempt to do that every time and eliminate the dangerous variables as much as possible. This time I was a little unlucky. Thanks.
Bill
Accidents happen. I am very careful when I use the table saw. A lot of cabinetmakers start to slack on the safety aspect of woodworking when they have been doing it for a while. My husband for example, cut himself on the table saw just the other day. I have had my share of accidents. Almost lost two of my fingertips on separate occasions because I was not paying attention, not on the table saw though.
Push sticks are my best friend. I will be honest, I don’t use a guard or splitter. Sometimes it’s just easier without.
They use SawStops in Trade School, I am a big fan of those. Too bad they cost so much. Glad to hear you are okay. Injury could have been way worse.
I would have to consider what happened here an accident and nothing more. It’s just something that I have to learn from and do everything I can to keep it from happening again. I like the Sawstop saws but unfortunately it wouldn’t have made any difference here. The good news is that I’m okay other than an ugly bruise. Thanks.
Bill
Sorry to hear dude, but I have I say that was a very well written post. I’m just learning how to use a router and I’m trying to respect every tool I use. If I ever get a tablesaw this story will be a constant reminder for me.
Thanks. I hope it helps. When I use a tablesaw I try to eliminate or at least lessen every dangerous variable. Sometimes accidents happen anyway. I had on a heavy shirt, but usually I wear a heavy canvas apron when I’m at the saw for a while. Because I was only making a few cuts I didn’t put it on, but that also would have helped. There is always something more you can do. At the same time you have to be prepared for the fact that sometimes there is nothing you can do. I learned from it and moved on. Hopefully it helps you out as well. Good luck in woodworking!
Bill