Safety Mod for my Table Saw

My table saw has a simple pull push switch and for a long time I’ve puzzled over how to add one of those paddle switch mods to it. There have been times when I would have felt more comfortable being able to power down my saw without moving my hands. Like usual I thought about it for a while and just recently came up with this.

Above the switch itself is a sort of ledge just big enough to fasten a small hinge. I attached the hinge to a 10 inch length of 1/8 inch hardboard. I cut it to look a little cooler than a rectangle and drilled a hole convenient for reaching in to turn the switch on.

I added a few pieces of scrap to the area in front of the switch so that it would easily contact the switch and turn it off. In the on position the paddle actually stands out from the saw, making the position of the switch more evident. This is not so obtuse that it causes a problem. I haven’t yet accidentally switched the saw off during a cut. The paddle flips up so that I can still remove the key if necessary.

I painted the paddle red. All I need now is a ‘stop’ sticker to put on it.

-- Ni faru ion el ligno!