That's indeed sometimes the case, and it is a very good caution to heed. A
riving knife (which most if not all new table saws come equipped with, usually as part of the guard support
system) is a big help in preventing that sort of trouble. Practicing proper, safe technique with any
power tool is always essential, and for ripping stuff on a table saw that includes avoiding standing in
line with where the wood could kick back. Even a light, little
bit of wood that kicks back raises one's heart rate awfully quickly!
@DrewE and
@Cineruss If you think a table saw can kick back, you don't want to be in the
line of fire when some bozo inserts a piece of lumber less than 12" long it a decent sized, floor mounted,
thickness planer clearly labelled NOT to be used for planing any
stock shorter than 12".
This was back in my high school daze. Our carpentry shop was on the second floor over our auto shop. Our carpentry shop was approximately 100' x 60'. Our high school was erected in the early 1900's with the two shop wings ( Carps over Auto on the west side and Arts and Painting over LX and Machining on the east side, added in the 50's) [our high school was two city blocks wide with one street interrupted by our school and continuing on the the other side]
The entry door to the carps shop was centred on the 60' width with a
clear center aisle down the center and a large, butch, floor mounted
thickness planer located approximately 80' in from the door, the grades 9 and 10 equipment and benches on the south side and the grades 11 and 12 equipment and benches on the north side. The entrance door from the corridor was close to 4' wide by close to 7' tall and constructed of heavy solid wood, glued and laminated, in the ways of the 40's / 50's with a thick laminated glass window including a steel
screen between layers, about 4' AFF and continuing up to well over 6'. Basically, this was a solidly built door hung on four stout hinges and secured by multiple latches.
The
thickness planer was definitely the real deal from the 1950's with heavy cast input / output tables and accepted lumber up to at least 3' wide. (I planed a 30" wide table-top while I was a student in grade 12.)
When the aforementioned 'bozo' attempted to plane a piece of 1 x 3 or 1 x 4 pine less than 12" long, the noise was horrific and it was a good thing all students and teachers were safely within their shops on either side of the centre aisle.
What was left of the pine flew approximately 60' and embedded itself in the ~2" door having only descended approximately 3" from the height of the
thickness planer's exit table. At least it hit the door below window height. The senior shop teacher called the office and sprung a student from the photography classes who arrived with cameras in tow and took multiple photos of the
thickness planer, the inside of the shop door with the short length of chewed wood still in place post impaling the thick door AND the outside of the door where there was an obvious bulge. The chewed piece of wood was removed to permit safe
egress then further photographed before being signed by the "Bozo" and screwed to the wall inside the carp shop directly above the door.
Yep! You most assuredly don't want to be in the
line of fire when a butch, heavy, cast-iron, floor mounted
thickness planer burps and expectorates a chewed chunk of wood. Our school board invited every shop teacher in the city to come and inspect the door, the weapon and the projectile first
hand, up close and personal.
Things you learned in high school. Who'da thunk!
@Van @Amiers @egilson1 &
@What Rigger? You'll probably appreciate this as well. Maybe even
@GreyWyvern too.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard