Kick back question

[Cooler]

I had a kickback the other day.  Not too bad, but still 8 stitches and an emergency room visit.

I was ripping a piece of poplar.  I had moved the fence back to just even with the last teeth on the saw. I was using a piece of MDF as a pusher.

I finished the cut and then the small piece between the fence and the blade kicked back to the MDF and the MDF ripped my hand.  

I've made many similar cuts in the past with the fence moved back like that with no issues.  

Questions:

I will check the alignment of the fence in a few days.  What is the best way to check it?  How often should I be checking the alignment.

My saw did not come with a riving knife and I was not using the splitter.  I've ordered a MicroJig splitter.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B03...UTF8&psc=1

And one of their push blocks:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I9...UTF8&psc=1

I'm self-taught on woodworking.  I've been doing this for 20+ years and this is the first time I've experienced it.  

Any suggestions?

[CLETUS]

I finished the cut and then the small piece between the fence and the blade kicked back to the MDF and the MDF ripped my hand.  

I'm not exactly clear what happened by your description... Just to clarify, did you push the piece between the blade and the fence all of the way through? Did it kick back during that process?

[giradman]

I'm not exactly clear what happened by your description... Just to clarify, did you push the piece between the blade and the fence all of the way through? Did it kick back during that process?

Agree w/ Cletus - quite not sure about the description of the blade teeth & fence?  I'm assuming that you were cutting a 'thin' strip of wood which was positioned between the blade & fence?  As you likely know, never a good idea to have a thin or small piece of 'free' wood trapped in that position, just begs for kickback.  BTW, I have the splitter jig on my zero clearance throat plate and always use; also own the Gripper - just have to be careful that the blade is position in one of its openings.

Today I was cutting some 1/4" thin strips from a red oak board for face framing on my cabinet project (will cover up the shelving dados) - I used the Rockler jig below (image from web) - works well and the thin piece is free to move w/ the splitter in place.  Dave

[sawdust703]

In agreement, your description of what took place other than the mdf gotcha isn't to clear.

Your description of moving your fence "back," I'm gathering you moved it out away from the blade for your measurement. And set your fence by measuring from the "top" tooth of the blade exposed thru your throat plate? Am I figgerin' out your description?

First things first. I'm a scroll sawyer, but use my ts often to rip, cut projects to size, etc. At times though, It does sit awhile before I use it again. Point being, I check the squareness of the fence every time I use the saw. And check alignment of the blade to the fence. I use a carpenters square to check the square of the fence, & a tri square to check the blade. My saw does not have a riving knife nor a splitter. As old as my saw is, it cuts perfect just the way it is.

If your fence was not square, you could have had a "pinch" point between your smaller piece & the blade, therefore causing a kickback & catching your mdf.

Just from my own experience.

[Cooler]

My fence will slide forward and backward in addition to the lateral movement that is the width of the cut.

I slid the fence back to the point that the fence ended just as the first tooth of the blade was starting it’s cut. So the material would be past the end of the fence when the cut was complete. I always thought that pulling the fence back like that prevented kick back. The mdf was just a substitute for my regular pusher.

What is bothering me is if I don’t figure out why it happened, it might happen again.

[Scoony]

With the fence adjusted back as you mentioned, its possible the piece was able to rotate to the right causing the rear of the piece to move left and catch the rear of the blade.

With fence in the normal position (not pulled back) I don't think the piece would have rotated into the blade.

I may flip up the guards for narrow pieces, but I never rip without a splitter, and never never never cut plywood without a splitter.

[ez-duzit]

...What is bothering me is if I don’t figure out why it happened, it might happen again.

If you post a photo of your precise setup perhaps we can help.

[GEB]

I submit moving that fence is a poor practice even if you have been successful in the past. Better to have the fence positioned beyond both front and back of blade. Then push your material through keeping it pressed against the fence until it is clear of the blade. An improvement over push sticks is 9-10" of 2x6 notched on the bottom and a soft corner for pushing. Push sticks can slip and and hands can slip close to that blade. 

Bill

[tnff]

It kind of sounds like using the Unifence which can be moved forward of the blade so it can be used as a stop with the miter gauge.  But that position is intended for cross cuts, not ripping, so that a cutoff from a cross cut won't get trapped between fence and blade.  Other than that, not quite sure about the situation.

[Cooler]

I will take a photo and post.

Thanks for the replies.