My table saw fence shifted mid-cut and damn near cost me two fingers

Was ripping a 10 foot oak slab last Tuesday on my old Delta saw and the fence moved a quarter inch after the first pass. The kickback sent the wood flying and the blade grabbed my push stick, splintered it into three pieces. Turns out the locking lever was worn down and I never checked it because it worked fine on shorter cuts. Anyone else ever had a fence slip on an older saw and what did you replace it with?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery30817d ago

Damn, that's terrifying. I used to think a solid fence was a fence no matter how old it got, you know? Like once it's clamped down tight, that's it, it's not going anywhere. But hearing this and seeing how close you came to losing fingers, it really makes me second guess that whole mindset. I've been guilty of trusting my old saws just because they've been reliable for years, but wear and tear is wear and tear, especially on locking parts. Now I'm definitely going to start checking that lever every single time before a long rip, not just when it feels loose. Hope you're okay and that slab didn't do too much damage to your shop.

wren_thomas1617d ago

Glad you're taking this seriously, cause it only takes one bad kickback to regret it. That lever check is the difference between a good day and a trip to the ER, trust me. Hope your shop survived too, but at least you walked away with all your fingers.