Tools/tablesaw/induction

The table saw is a Record TS250C table saw. It is a 2hp saw, that can cut softwood, hardwood, and composite materials like MDF, plywood, and OSB. It should not be used to cut materials with metal in, such as some reclaimed materials. In particular, it is important to carefully check reclaimed/recycled wood for any nails or screws, which cutting through would damage the blade and be potentially hazardous. Some plastics can be cut on the table saw, but you should check before cutting plastics, as not all behave well.

The saw has up to just under 80mm cut depth (at 90 degrees). The blade can also be rotated round to 45 degrees (or any angle between), for bevelled cuts. Alongside the cast iron table, is an integrated sliding table, which allows safer cross cutting of material using the cross-cut fence. There is a combination blade installed in the saw, which means it can both rip and cross-cut. Rip and cross-cut traditionally refer to cuts that are with, or across, the grain of wood. But, because of the usual shape of planks, rip cut and cross cut are also frequently used to describe cutting along the longest axis of a material, or across the longest axis of a material – particularly for materials like plywood and MDF, which have no grain structure.

It is important to remember that a work piece should always be supported by either the rip fence, or the cross-cut fence. NEVER DO AN UNSUPPORTED CUT ON THE TABLE SAW. Doing so risks rotating the work during the cut, which can allow the blade to grab the work and throw back at the operator – called kickback. Kickback is a serious hazard, and also damages the saw blade and potentially the saw.

This saw includes a crown guard fixed onto the riving knife, which means that currently this saw is only capable of ripping and cross cutting materials. Cutting rabbets, dados, or other joinery is not possible without removing the crown guard and repositioning the riving knife. This is time consuming and needs to be done correctly, but even then the saw would need to be used without a suitable blade guard, which is contrary to the advice offered by the HSE. However, all of these tasks can be performed on either the band saw, router table, or with hand tools, and so use these alternative methods. Setup

Check the dust extractor is connected to the main extraction hose and the crown guard hose. Check that there is not too much tension on the crown guard hose, such that it is pulling on the crowd guard/riving knife assembly, which makes the saw operate poorly (this has happened once or twice when the hoses have been tweaked). With the machine unplugged… If necessary, set the blade angle. Release the angle lock, and rotate the blade with the wheel on the side. Then re-lock the blade angle. Blade angle can be set accurately with the digital angle gauge. For cuts other than 90 degrees, the saw should be re-set to an accurate 90 degrees after use. Then set the blade height so that the top of the blade protrudes a few mm above the top of the work piece – so that the cut goes all the way through, but so that there isn’t a big gap between the crown guard and the work piece. If using the sliding cross-cut table, unlock the table, and set up the cross-cut fence so that it is at the correct angle to the blade, and provides enough space between the fence and the blade to cut you work piece. Otherwise, ensure that the sliding table is locked, and instead set the rip fence to the desired width. The tape measure is accurate to within a few mm. For precise work, a test cut will be necessary. Now plug the saw and extractor in. Power on the extractor. Check the setup of the saw, and that nothing is near or touching the blade. Power on the saw. Compete your cut.

When ripping, the HSE recommends that push sticks should be used for all work pieces shorter than 300mm, or for the last 300mm of longer work pieces, especially when the width ripped is less than 150mm. There are a range of push sticks and push pads on the wall near the saw for this purpose. When cross cutting, it is often sufficient to hold the work piece against the fence with you hand. If there is not enough material to do this without getting your hand within 150mm of the blade, consider using a clamp to hold the work piece against the fence, or assembling a jig to hold the work against the fence. If you do need to clamp to the fence, do this while the saw is off, to avoid knocking a metal clamp into the running saw. Power off the saw, and when the blade has stopped spinning, remove your work and off cut. Leave the saw cleaner than you found it.

It should not take much force to pass the work through the saw. If it does, it is a sign that something is set up wrong, or the blade is dull. Similarly, if there is a lot of burning through the cut, it is possibly a sign something is set up wrong, or that the blade is dull, so take a moment to consider it.

Safeguarding.

Always use the dust extractor connected to the saw.
Always use eye protection
Ear protection is sensible for extended use
The inbuilt dust extraction is fairly effective, but for extended use, or for wood/material dust known to be an irritant or hazardous, it is a good idea to put the central dust extractor on, and wear a respirator or dust mask.
Never handle the blade while the machine is plugged in.
Never retrieve a cut work piece or offcut while the blade is still spinning (it continues to spin for several seconds after the power is turned off, and this is not always obvious as the view is obscured by the crown guard).
The HSEs advice for the safe use of saw benches can be found here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis16.pdf