table saw

• Riving knife - the blade that rides between the fence and the blade, preventing the wood from binding, preventing kickback.
• Cross cut - the cut made across the grain of the wood, perpendicular to the length of the wood.
• Rip cut - the cut made along the grain of the wood, parallel to the length of the wood.
• Rip Fence - the adjustable guide that holds the wood in place while cutting, used for rip cuts.
• Miter gauge - the adjustable guide that holds the wood in place while cutting, used for miter cuts.
• Arbor - the shaft that holds the blade, allowing it to rotate at high speeds.
• Kerf - the thickness of the blade

Safety

• NEVER use the rip fence and the miter gauge together at the same time.
• NEVER attempt to freehand cut a board without either the rip fence or the miter gauge.
• ALWAYS use a push stick when cutting within 150mm of the blade, to keep your fingers away from the blade
• Don’t use a board with a ragged/uneven edge against the rip fence. The rip fence will not hold the board securely and can cause kickback.

Before turning on the saw, visualize the cut you’re going to make. Visualize your hand placement and movement.

Other tips

When measuring and marking a cut before cutting, always be aware of the kerf width aka the blade’s thickness. Measure the width you want, mark the cut line. You never want to cut down the middle of that line as that doesn’t take into account the kerf width. When making a measurement, be aware of which side of the line you will cut from. Line it up to the blade before turning on the saw and validate that the cut line is on the correct side of the blade, NOT going down the center of the blade.