Sorry about the injury. No fun.
BTDTGTTS, I am a klutz after all.

You already answered most of your own questions? If you use either a riving knife or some type of splitter after the blade, and you never let go of the wood as it feeds; majority of kick back causes will be prevented.
Personally, If a cut even sort of looks scary, I use a different method (usually my TS cross cut sled, miter gauge, or thin rip on left side of blade).

One thing you didn't mention was your body position during cut. One key to avoiding injury is staying out of the flight path of projectiles. Had a accident without a splitter installed, where a 2×6 16" long piece kick backed so hard, it grazed my side and punctured double thick drywall directly behind me. Thanks to body position right of fence, all I found was splinters and rip in left side of my T-shirt :-0)

Can not forget about saw set up as well. Have to make sure the fence is parallel to blade front to back, or some folks even suggest having the back of fence skewed a couple thousandths away from blade to prevent trapping wood. Check your saw to be sure nothing moved after this accident.

If your push stick slips this can create problems. Some folks like Gripper style push jigs, I prefer to use a rail riding style of push stick to help me get more control on small/thin pieces. Posted a project showing example:


Knock on wood # # #, haven't had a kick back injury since started ALWAYS using splitter, better push jigs, and always keep your body out of harms way.

YMMV

PS - I am not a doctor, but pretty sure you will have a board shaped bruise in couple days.
That one looks a candidate for stitches from the pic? Go see a doctor if still bleeding or pain does not reduce in 8-12 hours. Impact trauma injuries can have hidden damage.

May you have a better day tomorrow!

 

That certainly has to hurt…and a good reminder why kickback should be mentioned more often than it is. On to the question: the dust coming off the blade only has one solution: an overblade pick up. The Shark is an excellent way to do that as well as add a very high quality splitter to the saw…I highly recommend one. But are they still available, Lee (Stryon) passed away some time back, I wasn't sure anyone was carrying on the business.

 

You are extremely fortunate that it did not hit your face.

Could we see your push sit stick. I really do not like them for most things as they give only point contact.

 

Ouch!
Do I understand from your post that your workpiece was 5.5" long? If so, I suggest that it is too short to be ripped safely. A bandsaw would have been a better choice, if you have one or by hand if you don't.

Also I would recommend using a short fence when ripping, it prevents the wood from being pushed sideways into the blade. There is an old clip of mine on YT. It's not the one I use today, but the principle is the same. I wouldn't rip without it. Sorry about the slow start…

And get that Riving Knife. RKs are not optional over here! (UK).

I have a scar on my arm from kickback 30-odd years ago. I was young, I'd had my first TS about 3 days, I knew absolutely nothing about TS safety. It was entirely avoidable. I learned.

It's never happened again and I don't think that that is coincidence.

I hope you recover quickly. Best wishes.

 

My wishes for a quick recovery Fuzzybearz. I avoid long thin single point push sticks, to awkward and capable of slipping. A face shield provides much more protection than safety glasses for dust and flying material. Short of wearing armour the body is harder to protect, the first thing that comes to mind is always to take a step to the side when ripping and provide lots of fence clearance when crosscutting or use a sled. I have had a few jams over the years when ripping, always managed to hold the work and kick the switch of with my foot or knee, but it is always a reminder to be more careful with my set-ups.

 

A sled or a band saw would have been safer. A 2×12 is wide enough that you could even make that cut with a miter saw. A riving knife may not have helped, because at 5.5" long, and depending on how high up the blade was, the leading edge of the board might not have gotten to the riving knife before the trailing edge parted. You should have one anyway, but still avoid any cut where the entire length of the piece can find itself between the blade and fence.

Backing up to the first line, it sounds like you were ripping multiple pieces. In the future, consider ripping to width first, then cross cutting. It's safer and faster.

 

But what else can I do in the future to prevent this?

It is not safe to rip short pieces on the table saw. I like to use 12" as a minimum for a 10" blade. Rip your stock first, then chop into short pieces. Does your saw have a riving knife or splitter? If so use them. If your saw doesn't have a riving knife then get some of those micro jig splitters, they work pretty well.

 

But what else can I do in the future to prevent this?

It is not safe to rip short pieces on the table saw. I like to use 12" as a minimum for a 10" blade. Rip your stock first, then chop into short pieces. Does your saw have a riving knife or splitter? If so use them. If your saw doesn t have a riving knife then get some of those micro jig splitters, they work pretty well.

- bondogaposis

+1 piece was way too short to rip! hopefully this was a lesson well learned and never repeated.

 

I use my bandsaw for ripping short boards into small parts.
Since the kerf will be small there's still room for cleaning up a rough edge.

 

first thing- is throw away ant stcks you may have you need a shoe with more control on downward sideward forward pressure like this :

second -is body position
third- if you think it unsafe dont do it
forth- riving knife

The Shark is an excellent way to do that as well as add a very high quality splitter to the saw…I highly recommend one. But are they still available, Lee (Stryon) passed away some time back, I wasn t sure anyone was carrying on the business.

- Fred Hargis

I think his son is running things now Ron I believe

 

Mr Miyagi taught me that the best defense against kickback is "no be there". I have found this simple advice to stand to the side out of the lone of fire has saved me a few times. Also on short pieces I will attach it to a longer scrap of 2×4 etc.

 

I have ripped short stuff like that with no problem. My push sticks are about a foot long, and even a gripper is long enough. Like CaptainKlutz said, never let go. And you must make sure you push all the way through the blade.

I am pretty sure you can still get a shark guard. I remember reading shortly after Lee passed that his family was keeping business going. The web site is still up, I would give them a call.

http://www.thesharkguard.com/products.html

Not staying focused is a killer. Most of our table saw accidents are just that. A momentary lose of focus/ distraction on what we are doing.
My only kickback so far was just that. I was new, and don't even remember how I did it. But it happened. Luck would have it I was standing out of the way of the projectile. And it was pure luck because I had not learned about kickbacks at that time, or to stand to the side. But I now have a permanent reminder (Dent) in my metal garage door.
On a funny side, It was a good year later that my wife first discovered the dent on the outside of the door.
Every time I walk up my driveway, I see that dam dent. A good shop safety reminder for me.

Quick edit,
Shortly after my kick back I mentioned. I found a woodworking school here in my home town.
The push stick I am using is what the school uses.
Here is a link to Jamie's Blog. Wooditis. Go back to February 2014 and there is a detailed step by step on how to make them.
Take note, she mentions that YOU CAN NOT MAKE THESE WITHOUT A RIVING KNIFE.
Simple plywood, and meant to be disposable. I make mine a little taller, about a half dozen at a time, and when doing thin rips they get chewed up by the blade. when I get to the last one I go back and repair them, till they get to short.
http://wooditis.blogspot.com/2014/02/?m=0

 

A simple push stick isn't going to protect you in this situation. The work piece is just too short to control properly. You need something to apply downward force. Here is what I use with this type of cut.

https://www.amazon.com/GRR-RIPPER-Pushblock-Router-Jointers-MICROJIG/dp/B001I9UNWC

 

Bench dog push stick. Thanks everyone. There is actually a bandsaw right next to the table saw and next time I'll use that. I didn't even think about that.

A bit more sore today, but I stayed up late putting ice on it to swell as a little as possible.

Also it did hit my face, chin and throat but luckily it was after it hit my chest. My neck hurts from the impact and I literally just got a neck massage a few hours before this incident.

I actually have that micro jig thing and looking back I could've also used that and stood out of the way.

 

Where were you standing. Directly behind the saw blade by chance?

 

I honestly cant remember but I wouldn't doubt it. I know the thought of standing off to the side wasn't a safety factor I continuously reinforced so I probably was.

Where were you standing. Directly behind the saw blade by chance?

- AlaskaGuy

 

I had the same thing happen to me. It was an eye opener. Oh, and it really hurt as well!

After I recovered I realigned the saw & fence and added a Shark Guard, and took a real hard look at how process rip cuts at the table saw..
I think that I had gotten away with working foolishly for so many years that I simply got lazy.

Not any more. I stop think about every cut. If the planned cut doesn't feel right (dangerous) I stop and rethink it. You wouldn't believe how many times I have changed my mind and moved to another tool to make my cuts. For me it's usually the band saw. I have re-thought my push stick configurations as well.

It was a wake up call for me.

Thank you for your post. It's a good reminder for us all.

 

Yup, this isnt the first time things have come flying back, but the other times ive been out of the way and kinda laughed. Ive done alot more dumb things with alot less safety gear on too in the past.

The learning lesson here isn't the pain, it's the fact that I have orders to push out and now im slightly incapacitated which has monetary and career impacts.

Luckily it's my side business and my main business is on a computer so I just have an icepack on my shoulder.

I had the same thing happen to me. It was an eye opener. Oh, and it really hurt as well!

After I recovered I realigned the saw & fence and added a Shark Guard, and took a real hard look at how process rip cuts at the table saw..
I think that I had gotten away with working foolishly for so many years that I simply got lazy.

Not any more. I stop think about every cut. If the planned cut doesn t feel right (dangerous) I stop and rethink it. You wouldn t believe how many times I have changed my mind and moved to another tool to make my cuts. For me it s usually the band saw. I have re-thought my push stick configurations as well.

It was a wake up call for me.

Thank you for your post. It s a good reminder for us all.

- fivecodys

 

Just to clear something up… It is not the short length of the board that is dangerous but the width relative to the length that made this cut dangerous. You basically tried to make a cross cut (ignoring grain orientation) using your rip fence. There is probably some rule of thumb about how much longer it needs to be than it is wide for it to be safe to rip but a ratio of 2 or 3 to 1 (length to width) might be a good starting point? At a minimum, you need to make sure that the longest edge is the one supported by the fence, miter gauge or sled. Short rip cuts are not inherently unsafe as long as the board is narrower than it is long and you use a push sticks for the cut that provides good control throughout the cut.

And if you don't already have one, the first thing I would do is make yourself a crosscut sled. It makes 90 degree cross cuts not only more accurate than most miter gauges but also much safer. William Ng on YouTube has a good video on how to make one accurately.

 

The Shark is an excellent way to do that as well as add a very high quality splitter to the saw…I highly recommend one. But are they still available, Lee (Stryon) passed away some time back, I wasn t sure anyone was carrying on the business.

- Fred Hargis

I think his son is running things now Ron I believe

- GR8HUNTER

Definitely in business. I just ordered some zero clearance throat plates the other week and they called because of an issue with the order to clear it up. He mentioned they are working on a new web site design. While talking to him he said they just shipped out 15 riving knife orders that day, so they're still there and fortunately still busy which is a good thing.

I should mention that my wife made me order the Shark Guard after an incident where some wood I was sawing released internal tension after the cut and bound the saw blade and kicked back. I have a dent in my garage door.

 

Sorry to hear about your injury. One can only be thankful it wasn't worse than what it was. I use this simple homemade sled for all kinds of cutting small/short pieces:

The box-like shape of this sled was made with this purpose in mind.

Stuff is held in down place with small scrap blocks and spring clamps:

When cutting, I stand off to one side and push the sled through. Once can safely cut some pretty small pieces with a device like this.

 

https://www.tru.ca/safety/workinglearningsafely/work/tablesaw.html

 

Cool! Two LJ printouts today! Table Saw safety and Wood Clamp (Jorgensen) uses. Nice! )

 

I don't think I have had more than one or two kick backs in my 40+ years woodworking. Any kickback I may have had served to educate me and make me aware of what I may have been doing wrong. Now when I rip any material, I'm keenly aware of the situation at hand. My saw is set up and the fence is precisely adjusted. I am very conscious of what I'm doing. Many times my fingers are very close to the blade. I don't have a riving knife or guard on my saw and never felt a need for them. I maintain positive control over the wood that goes through the saw. If at any time I feel something is wrong, I abort and rethink the situation. I am comfortable with my saw and with my most controversial procedures. I certainly would not advocate anyone following in my foot steps as everyone has a different take on things. I am not a daredevil and I take woodworking and safety very seriously. I do take chances that others would not take, but I am comfortable with that. When one encounters an accident, it should serve as a warning that you are doing something wrong and that usually is the case. Some may not learn from that and they are the ones who should probably stay away from dangerous machines. Those same people might also drive their cars in an unsafe manner.

People are always telling me I am unsafe with my tools. People view safety from different outlooks. What may seem dangerous to one may not feel dangerous to another; one size does not fit all. I repeat, I am comfortable around dangerous machines where others may not be.

One should keep in mind that guys like me who have been working with dangerous machines in the past when machines lacked safety devices, learned to work safely because the machines of that day didn't have the safety devices that are on today's machines. It was the insurance industry and OSHA that have mandated safety standards although some of them are debatable. Some of the safety devices may actually make it more unsafe. I fall on my experience to keep me safe.

 

I am pretty sure you can still get a shark guard. I remember reading shortly after Lee passed that his family was keeping business going. The web site is still up, I would give them a call.

http://www.thesharkguard.com/products.html

- bigJohninvegas

Shark Guard is still around. Just got mine a couple of weeks ago:

Ron is OUTSTANDING to deal with!!!! He always answered my emails promptly and determined the correct set up for my 30+ year old Craftsman 10" Flex Drive. In the above pic, the kickback paws are retracted, but are easily 'dropped' into place, when needed.