Why Do I Need A Table Saw If I Work With Wood?

A table saw is often the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about “woodworking.” It is often considered to be one of the most important tools in a woodshop. Whether you are a professional woodworker or an amateur trying it out, a table saw is something that you can heavily rely on.

For Your Safety

A table saw can be fatal when used incorrectly or carelessly. They are considered to be one of the most dangerous machines in a workshop; that’s why you need to follow all safety precautions when using a table saw.

Here are 5 safety tips that will help prevent accidents.

Take it seriously

The table saw is something that you should not fool around with. Treat it with respect and it will treat you well in return.

Wear the appropriate clothing and gear

Wear safety glasses and the appropriate clothing when handing a table saw. Avoid wearing jewelry or anything that dangles because they may interact with the blade.

Keep the area clean before starting

This is common sense but a lot of people make this mistake; keep the table clear of anything that might obstruct you while working. Remember that using a table saw is serious business. Any distractions or interferences might mean life or death.

Check if the safety features of your table saw are working

Check the riving knife, the saw blade guard, the anti-kickback pawls and other safety features. Make sure that they are adjusted properly and that they would help you instead of impairing you.

Do not change the blades when it is connected to power source.

Do not take the risk of touching the blades while it is still connected. Someone might turn the table saw on as a practical joke.

There are a lot more safety features to be discussed but these 5 should be sufficient in preventing injuries from taking place. However, we highly recommend you do some research and learn about additional safety precautions yourself.

But what can a table saw do?

A table saw is capable of doing different kinds of woodworking jobs. A table saw is well known for the different types of cuts that it can do. These cuts are the:

Long straight cuts

There’s nothing that beats the table saw when it comes to long straight cuts. Turn it on and it will cut long pieces of wood in a perfect and in a uniform manner. And unlike the human hands, it won’t wobble or make mistakes.

Rip cuts

Rip cuts are cuts that cut parallel to the grain of the wood. These types of cuts are really hard to do even with power tools.

These cuts usually make the base of your woodworking projects, so screwing it up is often winds up being expensive. It’s a good thing that the table saw was designed to cut wood in a straight and precise manner, so you won’t have trouble doing rip cuts when you have a table saw around.

Cross cuts

Cross cuts are cuts that cut perpendicular to the grain of the wood.

Cross cuts aren’t special and they aren’t difficult to do either. If you can saw a plank in half, then you’ve basically done a cross cut; it’s something that even a young boy could do. A table saw can cut through wood at least ten times faster than the average person.

Miter cuts

Miter cuts are angled cuts on the face of the wood. They are very similar to cross cuts; you can even say that they are angled cross cuts. A miter cut is something that human hands can easily do but a table saw would be 10 to 20 times faster than that.

Bevel cuts

Bevel cuts are cuts to the edge that are not perpendicular to the top of the wood piece. Bevel cuts are very useful in creating aesthetically pleasing woodwork as well creating various shapes and sizes which can be used in creating larger structures.

Bevel cuts can be done by human hands but it is much more effective when you’re using a table saw. Some table saws allow you to tilt the blade at a certain angle. Bevel cuts are easy to do when using a table saw.

Conclusion

The table saw is able to perform a multitude of tasks such as cross cutting, ripping and boarding; these are all tasks which can easily be done by a table saw.

But you don’t really need a table saw when doing woodworking jobs but it is a must have; you can do your work a lot faster and a lot more accurate when you have a table saw to use.

A table saw is probably the first machine recommended for beginners. And if you are just starting out, then you should probably get one. Don’t forget to read Rigid R4516 review! For more table saw reviews, click here.