Popular Woodworking 2002-02 № 126, страница 39
we encourage you to take a look at some of the books available to make sure you're getting the most out of your table saw. Groan - Safety! OK, no one wants to read a long discourse on table saw safety, but is your safety worth a couple of minutes? You bet it is. Let's start with a quick list of rules you should follow whenever you use your table saw. 1. Follow the setup instructions as described here, and from the manufacturer. 2. Set the blade to the proper height for each cut. 3. Stand in the proper place at the saw to provide support and to keep you safe. 4. Keep your fingers clear of the insert plate zone when the saw is operating.In fact we like to paint our inserts red (if they aren't already) to remind us where that zone is. 5. Keep scraps, tools and loose objects off the saw during operation. 6. Unplug the saw every time you change the blade. 7. Make sure that the insert plate and any table additions are level to the saw table surface. When your blade is spinning in the middle of a cut, it's a bad time to find your piece is hung up on something. 8. If you're ripping material less than 4" wide, use a push stick. Period. 9. No loose clothing or jewelry near the saw. 10. Work with help handy. If you get into trouble, can you call for assistance? What about guards? OK, we'll admit that most guards provided with saws (a combination split-ter/pawl/shield)meet the bare minimums to be called a guard. If this photo doesn't make your stomach turn a bit, you probably need to examine the way you use a saw. The blade is too high, the hands are too close to the blade. The wrong type of blade is installed and you never make a cut freehand. Most combination guards are difficult to adjust and keep adjusted, and perhaps half of the cuts that can be made on a table saw can't be made with the factory guard in place. We know. But if you can use a guard during an operation, please do so. If you can afford to upgrade your saw to a more user-friendly aftermarket guard (see the "Getting Started" article on the next page) it's a great idea. In addition to guards, we feel strongly about using safety glasses, hearing protection, push sticks and splitters. Before making your first cut on a new saw (or if it's been a while since you tuned up your saw) do these simple checks on the saw to make sure everything is ready to run. Check the blade for square to the tabletop. We keep a fairly inexpensive metal machinist's square near the saw at all times. When you first square the blade, the set screws are adjusted to allow you to return to square easily. But with use, this adjustment can change, and it should be checked periodically. Your owner's manual will show you how to adjust this setting. You also need to check the blade and rip fence to make sure they are parallel to the miter gauge slots. Again, your owner's manual provides most of the information necessary for this step. My dad, God bless him, used to have a saying in the shop, "It's carbide, it doesn't need sharpening yet!" Well, I think we all know that a sharp blade cuts more eas- A good example of the right and wrong way to use a saw is what is known as the "the invisible arrow."When cutting rabbets, the cut can be made two ways: the correct way is to make your first cut with the piece flat on the table, then make the second cut with the piece on edge. This allows the waste to fall to the outfeed side of the blade. If done in the opposite order, the waste piece becomes trapped between the blade and the fence and is launched at some 40 miles an hour. If you're standing in the wrong position behind the fence (like me in the photo at right) you can get a nasty surprise just a little south of the breadbasket. Knowing where to stand and the proper steps to cut a piece can make all the difference. SOURCES AFTERMARKET GUARDS Excalibur/Sommerville, 800-357-4118 excalibur-tools.com Biesemeyer, 800-782-1831 biesemeyer.com ROLLER STANDS Delta, 800-438-2486 deltawoodworking.com Fisch, 724-663-9072 fisch-woodworking.com HTC, 800-624-2027 Record, 937-382-3811 recordtool.com Rousseau, 800-635-3416 rousseauco.com Shop Fox, 360-734-3482 woodstockinternational.com Triton,888-874-8661 multi-stand.com |
