Category: 
Table saws can produce an unhappy event called kick or kickback. Mine did, and I have the pictures to prove it.
RayGirling.com has an informative piece called Tablesaw Kickback – The Nightmare Explained which includes diagrams and information about some of the causes of kickback from table saws.
I used his article to confirm my calculations of projectile velocity and energy:
| Blade Diameter (in) | 10.0 |
| Circumference (in) | 31.4 |
| RPM | 5,000 |
| In/Min | 157,080 |
| In/Hr | 9,424,778 |
| Mph | 149 |
| ft/sec | 218 |
| Weight (Gr) | 709 |
| Energy ft lbs | 74.7 |
When I experienced the kick, a small square approximately the weight of a golf ball shot back from the saw at 149 mph, carrying about 75 foot-lbs of energy.
Although I was able to minimize the damage by blocking the projectile with my crotch (ouch) the projectile continued past me into the door of the wife’s car.
Oops. Now I’m in trouble.
The Four Rules should not only apply to firearms. Be careful out there.
There are actually 20 power tool rules, and I think that’s too few.
http://www.teched101.com/pdf/powtolsaf.pdf
My one rule is “The power tool will always be trying to kill you”. It is rarely wrong.
I do tend to try to keep valuables- like cars, motorcycles, etc- away from running power tools, two years back I lost the rear window in my Exploder just out of weedwhacking a stone in it’s general direction. Glad you’re ok. The explanation for the car divots, well, you’re on your own there.
You lucky..
Think crotch, femoral artery, guard locked back (improvised with pencil), saw kicks back, lots of blood, police officers screaming for us to hurry up…When that happens you know it is bad and it was..Room was red when we arrived, was not paint.
You lucky…
Guess we now know the answer to the question : “Got wood?”
Lucky indeed, And did its happen fast? You betcha.
og,
Your One Rule is a good one to keep in mind at all times.
Statistics show table saws are the most dangerous power tool. They also show radial arm saws are one of the safest.It must be that great big blade spinning right in front of you as a reminder to watch your appendages.
When the garage storage rack let go and stuff came tumbling down, that’s what happened to my wife’s car. So I had to re-do the whole garage with neat-o cabinets and “safety features:
https://notclauswitz.wordpress.com/2007/04/10/the-garage-mahal/
(DirtCrashr is now NotClauswitz…)