Prop Agenda: There are two main types of table saws: contractor and cabinet. Contractor saws are lighter and cheaper, and often built to be portable. They are also usually less exacting and have less power. Cabinet saws have an enclosed “cabinet” base, making them quieter and easier to use dust collection on. Compared to contractor saws, they typically have a larger table size and are more precise, but can be far more expensive, and are definitely not portable. They also typically require a 220v outlet.
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The table saw is a very powerful tool and it is always good to refresh yourself on proper safety and techniques because bad habits will compound over time and make you a dangerous user of the tool. It is particularly important to remember that the tool as with all tools must be maintained. Many theatrical shops do not maintain their tools as well as they should and that causes tool life to deteriorate. Many times we as theatrical carpenters do not take the time to use featherboards and make good jigs but if we were to make sure that we had created good versatile jigs and a quick to install featherboard then it would increase accuracy and safety without a substantial effect on productivity. The table saw is quite a tool and frequently we forget the limitless potential that it has.
I wish I'd read this is high school. My school was lucky enough to have a lot of new, good tools while I was there, but for several years there was no regular TD and some of the usage and safety training for our tools got thrown out the window. We had a contractor table saw, and while there were never any accidents, I don't think I knew about most of the things this article talks about until I was in the stagecraft carpentry mini last year. For example, we were very careful about nothing obstructing the path of the cut, but I was never taught about kickback in high school. I also never knew how versatile the table saw is, which is one of the most useful things that the article mentions.
I always love a good article about table saws. While these are things I learned in stagecraft last year, it is always good to have a refresher. One of the most important things I was reminded of while working in the shop during the first few week of school this year is that if you are uncomfortable doing something or feel unsafe, you should not be doing it. EVen if you think you know the correct procedure and method, it is always better to be safe than sorry.
I was lucky enough to have a week of classes with D.R. where he told us all about how great table saws are and how to use them safely. That week was great, but the table saw is so powerful and there is so much to learn about it that that week wasn't enough time. This article is able to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge about table saws. I didn't have a clue that table saws rusted or that there were that many different types of blades. It's the sort of information that everyone who uses a table saw should really know, but that you don't actually need to make a single cut, so it often get's left out of a basic explanation of how to use the tool. I was very intrigued by the fact that there are two main type of table saw (but also some other types). I have used both types in my life but I never know that there were two type. The pros and cons of each are interesting and I can understand why tool makers are trying to combine the best parts of each. I would like to learn more about the table top style of table saw, because I have never seen one of these before.
I agree with Luke, it's good to have a reminder every now and again to keep things in perspective. The worst thing someone can do is loose respect for the tools they work with, I think it's one of the most dangerous things you can do working in a shop and aside from inexperience, it's the fastest way to get injured. Eric gives some pretty good advice and those new to the shop should heed it. Unfortunately he's a bit brief, however a single blog post could never cover all the nuances of a tool that has numerous books dedicated attempting to do the same.
I find that the articles about tools are always the most interesting. I haven't really used a table saw much but I do recognize how powerful and versatile it is and after spending almost 2 weeks of stagecraft with DR talking about it, I understand more of its potential but also how dangerous it is. I worked with a contractor saw over the summer without much safety training so I learned a lot from DR about proper use. Also after using both types of saws I can definitely see the pros and cons of each. The cabinet saw we have in our shop just feels a lot more solid and stable than the contractor saw, but the downside is portability which was key for the job I was working on so the contractor saw really came in handy. All the other information in the article is also really useful and probably stuff that too often is overlooked.
Ah another great article about table saws, and it is in list form as well! I really don’t care about table saws and I am not here to comment about table saws Seeing articles like this versus article about giant rubber duckies as well as how theatre is better than a real business degree, job opportunities, and reviews for multitudes of art performance, makes me question what the purpose of this green page is. Perhaps it is to be a resource for us to use when looking for employment, with helpful hints and possible leads. Maybe it is a center for information networking to inform us about the out side world. The great diversity of theses articles puzzles me about the existence. I know that I actually only visit this web page for one reason and one reason only, to do my homework. So when the form of this web page equals homework and nothing else to me, does this web page really equal a resource? Now to point out why I am choosing to post this comment here. do not find table saws interesting, the people above do, so is my previous comments about the form and purpose justified. If I find little meaning and reason with what is posted on this webpage does it really make the page meaningless or just simply for me. Maybe it is because I have a hard time relating to articles on this page. It seems that the green page has a great deal of variety however, variety is used in the sense of CMU school of drama. It has a spectrum of items and concepts on here however that spectrum is extremely limited still. Where as CMU drama shows change a great deal show to show, the style of our shows remain in a small communal style which is replicated over and over. I see the same for this green page. I see articles about table saws at about every week and several articles in the form of lists. This style of articles leads me to believe that this blog is still quite narrow in style and could use more diversity. Even though I make be on the fringes of the people who read this blog I don’t find table saws interesting and commenting on them, to me, is a shallow thing. Would it be out of a realm of questionability to ask for a wider range of articles for maybe people who are not as enthralled with tables saws to comment off of? The webpage is after all called New from the “Real World” maybe some actual new would keep us students out of the dark of the real world and remove us from that CMU topor.
This article made me realize how little we learn in high school about our tools. I know how to use a table saw, and I know the basic stuff about kickback, watching where the wood will go, etc., but I didn't know a lot of stuff in this article. While I knew you should always pull your hair back and not wear anything that dangles with tools, I never realized you shouldn't wear work gloves, although it seems obvious now that I know. Also, I didn't know you could use the table saw for such a range of things- I'd really like to learn how to do some of that.
"6. With the correct jigs, you can do almost anything on the table saw."
I could not agree more with this. One of the most useful tools in the shop, the table saw is often pigeonholed into only performing one type of job in the shop. In reality this tool is capable of ripping, cross cutting, dadoing (sp?), tapering, trimming, routing, and so much more. I've seen experienced carpenters cut profiles with a table saw that I would have difficulty cutting with a scroll saw or jigsaw. Personally I think that this tool is often overlooked for its usefulness. I personally believe that our shop should actually have a second table saw (existing space negligible). Usually there is such a long line to wait to use it that it makes sense to provide another.
Nate. There are 12 articles every day - 72 per week not counting the job postings.
Would it be out of a realm of questionability to ask you yo not read articles about table saws if you don't want to read articles about table saws?
This style of comment leads me to believe that your work is still quite narrow in style and could use more diversity.
I've been using saws for only the past three years, and in that time I have never used a table saw. Besides the fact that I never really had access, everything that I really needed to do could be done with a circular saw and a jig. Because of this I'm really looking forward to learning how to use a table saw this year during my carpentry stagecraft, and reading that list made me even more eager to.
Table saws scare the shit out of me. I think that they are one of the most useful tools in any shop but they just seem so scary to me for some reason. I am fine with using it on my own for the most part but when I have to ue it with other people is when it really scares me. Having DR teach us how to use the saws in the shop was both a good thing and a bad thing. DR makes using the tools so easy so its not so scary, but once you try and use them on you'r own you realize that its definitely not as easy as it looks. Also even if you do do all of the things correctly on the list things can still go wrong! I had a kick back last year in the shop and I was fine but it still scared me and I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong!
The Stagecraft class with D.R. was very helpful and taught us all the crucial safety tips for nearly all of the tools, but not everyone gets that advantage. I have seen too many people who were not confidant in what they were doing and ended up getting injured with the wood they were cutting when it kicked back. People really need proper safety instruction before they start using dangerous tools that could potentially cause fatal injuries.
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