0:00
In this video I want to alert you to a really foolish move that anyone with any experience with a table saw will see for what it is at first
0:11
But if you're a complete beginner you might be tempted to do this
0:15
And believe it or not that's cutting on the table saw freehand
0:21
So no fence, no miter gauge, no nothing. I have seen people do this. I've seen this on professional construction sites where you've got a table saw that's plunked down on the job
0:37
and someone who really doesn't know anything about a table saw is told, you know, go and cut that plywood
0:42
And there they are wrestling with the plywood with no support at all
0:49
They actually pull it off sometimes but it's one of those things that could and will definitely create a massive kickback in time and it could end quite badly
1:00
Why? Well, without some support for the workpiece to stop it from rotating
1:07
it's very easy if you're not perfectly steady with your hands to have that workpiece in the middle of the saw cut
1:17
rotate a little bit, catch the side of the blade, especially at the back, and then get flung forward
1:24
So it's a simple thing but you really need to understand that at no time do you ever cut anything on a table saw without the workpiece being completely supported
1:38
And that support could come with a fence like this or it could come via a miter gauge or a crosscut sled or a tenoning jig or something like that
1:51
But a workpiece is always supported during a cut on a table saw
