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Band Saw Woodworking Safety Tips

Learn two Band Saw Woodworking Safety Tips to make your band saw woodworking safer, more productive, and more enjoyable. Work confidently. Work with safety

Band Saw woodworking safety is often overlooked. In this article we will focus on two simple band saw woodworking safety tips for the band saw that can make a big difference for us in the long run. However, do not underestimate the importance of these safety tips. Many accidents on the band saw could easily be prevented if the following safety tips were followed.

Push sticks…use them.

Push sticks come in all shapes and sizes. They can easily be purchased online or they can be made out of scrap material in the woodworking shop. It’s always good to have a variety of push sticks available for different situations. Push sticks provide the woodworker with a greater margin of control over the workpiece as well as keeping one’s fingers and hands away from the band saw blade.
In the photos we can see a simple push stick that is made from scrap plywood. This push stick can easily be made on the band saw in just a few minutes. Yet, it can serve the woodworker for a long time. Notice how this push stick lays horizontally on the band saw table. There is a notch in the push stick that can push the material thru the band saw blade. However, the push stick has plenty of width where one’s hand can confidently control the cutting action of the workpiece. The material needs to be pressed alongside the clamped fence while being propelled forward. Obviously, it would be too risky to attempt this type of a cut without the aid of a push stick.

Roller Bearing Guides…adjust them properly.

Proper adjustment of the band saw roller bearing guide assembly is often overlooked by woodworkers. Too many times woodworkers leave the guide assembly high above the workpiece and this is an invitation for disaster. Yet, how many times do we see woodworkers making cuts on the band saw while the bearing guide assembly is high above the workpiece?  There is just too much band saw band exposed and one mistake could be quite regrettable. It’s not an error that we want to make. It only takes a few seconds to prevent an accident like this. (A major woodworking magazine recently had a photo on its front cover with the band saw bearing guide high above the workpiece. )

What is a good distance between the roller bearing guide assembly and the workpiece? As we can see in the above photos there is a space of about 1/2″.  This way the work can easily be seen and there is a minimum of band saw blade exposed. The answer to the question may vary according to the thickness or height of the material being cut. For example, if a thin veneer is being ripped, it would be a good idea to have the guide assembly even closer to the material. The important thing to remember is to use good common sense. Make these band saw woodworking safety tips a habit. Working safely allows for working with confidence. It’s a good practice.

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