V W C S A F E T Y B U L L E T I N
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TABLE SAW SAFETY— LET’S KEEP EVERYONE SAFE FOLKS!
Table saws continue to be the one piece of machinery where we see more safety issues than other machinery. This bulletin highlights one issue we’ve seen several times recently.
ARBOR WASHERS
The arbor is the piece of threaded steel that the blade mounts over. The arbor has a nut and a washer. The nut holds everything tight, and the washer plays an important role in keeping the blade spinning properly without wobble, and it helps the nut tighten the blade on the arbor so it won’t slip.
IF YOU ACCIDENTLY DROP THE WASHER OR NUT INTO THE BOX BELOW THE BLADE WHEN CHANGING THE BLADE, GET HELP TO FIND WHAT YOU DROPPED SO IT CAN BE INSTALLED CORRECTLY.
WHAT’S THE CORRECT WAY TO CHANGE A BLADE?
1. Before doing anything, CLOSE THE VACUUM VENT GATE. This prevents the nut or washer from being sucked into the vacuum system. If you are unsure about this, PLEASE ASK FOR HELP.
2. Turn off the breaker box on the saw. This cuts all electricity to the saw.
3. Proceed to change the blade as usual.
4. Open the vacuum gate.
5. Proceed with your set up.
WHAT IF I DROP THE NUT OR WASHER WHEN CHANGING THE BLADE?
If you accidently drop the nut or washer when changing the blade, all you have to do is ask for help in how to retrieve it. It’s that simple, and you won’t be in any trouble. If you closed the vacuum gate before changing the blade, the dropped parts can be easily retrieved.
If you have any questions about changing blades, please ask a Yellow Badge Maintenance person, or
Safety Leaders Steve Eikenberry and John Herega.