Be Safe Wear A Full Face Shield
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 5:05 pm
Today I am very glad that I recently got in the habit of wearing a full face shield instead of just safety glasses. That face shield saved me an injury when I did something stupid.
I was preparing to cut some tenons. Because this was a non-through cut and I would not be able to use the upper saw guard, I had the riving knife in place.
Before going to make the tenons, however, I decided to clean up the end of the board just slightly with a through cut to true up the end of my stock. But I made a fundamental mistake that I know better than to do: Normally when doing this kind of operation, I nibble these pieces so nothing but dust is made. But today I got lazy and I cut off a small piece of wood, that was just small enough to fall between the blade and table insert.
In an instant two pieces of something ricocheted off my full face shield with considerable force. The impact was low enough on the shield that I doubt the projectiles would have hit me in the eye or injured my sight but undoubtedly those ricochets would have bruised and/or lacerated my face.
After turning off the saw, I went to try to figure how it is one cut off caused two ricochets off my face shield. When I took a closer look, my lower saw guard had some pieces missing.
Those with the 510/520/Mark 7 know that on the spring loaded section of the lower saw guard there is a lip that extends at a right angle just in front of the saw blade. My lower saw guard doesn't have that little lip any more.
I found one piece of the lip under the Mark V but it is clear that some of the lip has disappeared. Possibly flung at me and off my face shield.
I bought the face shield for turning, but I have liked it so much that it recently has become what I reach for as a matter of default when doing any cutting operation on the table saw. Today, that habit paid off in spades.
Be safe. Don't make the dumb mistake I did. Do consider wearing a full face shield.
Al
I was preparing to cut some tenons. Because this was a non-through cut and I would not be able to use the upper saw guard, I had the riving knife in place.
Before going to make the tenons, however, I decided to clean up the end of the board just slightly with a through cut to true up the end of my stock. But I made a fundamental mistake that I know better than to do: Normally when doing this kind of operation, I nibble these pieces so nothing but dust is made. But today I got lazy and I cut off a small piece of wood, that was just small enough to fall between the blade and table insert.
In an instant two pieces of something ricocheted off my full face shield with considerable force. The impact was low enough on the shield that I doubt the projectiles would have hit me in the eye or injured my sight but undoubtedly those ricochets would have bruised and/or lacerated my face.
After turning off the saw, I went to try to figure how it is one cut off caused two ricochets off my face shield. When I took a closer look, my lower saw guard had some pieces missing.
Those with the 510/520/Mark 7 know that on the spring loaded section of the lower saw guard there is a lip that extends at a right angle just in front of the saw blade. My lower saw guard doesn't have that little lip any more.
I found one piece of the lip under the Mark V but it is clear that some of the lip has disappeared. Possibly flung at me and off my face shield.
I bought the face shield for turning, but I have liked it so much that it recently has become what I reach for as a matter of default when doing any cutting operation on the table saw. Today, that habit paid off in spades.
Be safe. Don't make the dumb mistake I did. Do consider wearing a full face shield.
Al
