Miter saw safety should be a top priority for woodworkers but sadly sometimes we all fall a bit short of preventing accidents. Miter saws are a helpful tool to have in your shop. You can make quick repeatable cuts, and square up wood and it's easy to cut pieces precisely and accurately. If you have your miter saw station set up correctly, you can make all of the cuts for your project in a fraction of the time it would take if you used a circular saw. But beware, they can be very dangerous. You must take miter saw safety seriously.
Dangers
A miter saw spins around 3800 rpm. That's fast. At that speed, it can throw a piece of wood in your face or cut through a finger in the blink of an eye. They are not to be taken lightly. The more you use power tools, the more comfortable you become with them. This is the downfall of every person that has had an accident with a miter saw. I am guilty of this sometimes and I take every care to not be another statistic. You have to worry about kickback, dust, flying debris, noise, contact with the blade, and many other hazards. An injury can happen in a fraction of a second so here are a few things I've learned in my years of woodworking.
Protection
What if I told you there is a tool that costs under $30 that will eliminate a lot of your possible injury risks? It's called a 10 million dollar stick. This stick saved my finger once and is worth 10 million dollars to me. This stick lets you keep your hand that holds the workpiece far away from the blade. This is because if you get a kickback or the blade grabs the wood, your fingers are far away. Using this in conjunction with safety glasses, a dust collection system, and a breathing respirator, you have eliminated a lot of your risk. Of course, accidents happen but you should always do your part to work smart and not be a statistic.
Comfort
Comfort is the downfall of every woodworker. The more reps you get working with a tool the more comfortable you get with it. As a result, you begin to relax your safety precautions. We've all seen YouTube videos of people pushing a piece of wood through a table saw using their fingers. WHY? My fingers are worth more than a $20 push stick. I always tell other woodworkers the same thing when they say "I've done it a million times." I say to them "what about the million and one times?" It only takes one time to lose a finger, hand, or eye to power tools.
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Conclusion
Respect yourself and your family enough to be careful when using power tools. I know I have to keep reminding myself that what I am about to do isn't safe. The 30 seconds I need to take to do something safely is worth me having all of my body parts at the end of the day. What are some other things that we can all do to keep ourselves safe in the shop? Don't forget to check out my site www.askalexww.com for your gift needs.