Cutting round timbers with a table saw

Up Donegal

Hi,
I'm thinking about buying a table saw, possibly from Aldi or Lidl and, looking online, it is stated in the instruction manual that "All types of round timbers must not be cut with it." Can anybody tell me the reason for this?
Thanks.

riffmongous

Does the manual talk about kickback? Have a good read of that section before buying

Vote 4 Pedro

Sorry to say but if you don't know why you can't cut round timber on a table saw then you really should not buy one as these can be very dangerous things to use if you're not sure how to use them,
they are not a "learn as you go" type of tool.
I have a very good homemade one using a upsidedown circular saw routed into a good length of kitchen worktop as a base but it needs to be properly aligned and deserves respect, I use it alot and get great results with it.
The cheapo ones you can buy need improvement before you can get any sort of decent work done with them, the blade will need to be aligned and you'll need to make a fence as the one supplied will probably be junk, they also vibrate a good bit so try to screw or bolt it to something solid.

Right2Write

Up Donegal wrote: »

Hi,
I'm thinking about buying a table saw, possibly from Aldi or Lidl and, looking online, it is stated in the instruction manual that "All types of round timbers must not be cut with it." Can anybody tell me the reason for this?
Thanks.

Table saws are no more dangerous that any other cutting tool and a lot safer than handheld machines like the larger angle grinders. You just need to be careful to always use the blade guard and use a push stick when ripping timber close to the blade.

I've never tried cutting round timber on a table saw. You could cross cut it safely enough I would think. But if you wanted to rip it lengthwise, then the timber could rotate and twist as feed it through the blade i.e. you need a flat surface on the timber to slide along the table and against the fence.

Stability and a bit of weight go a long way with a table saw in terms of it's accuracy and usefulness.

colm_mcm

You'd have to take the safety guard off for a start, plus lengths of wood aren't uniform in density to they would be unpredictable.
I assume it's raw bits of tree they mean as opposed to round sections of wood, broom handles etc.

Calahonda52

Up Donegal wrote: »

Hi,
I'm thinking about buying a table saw, possibly from Aldi or Lidl and, looking online, it is stated in the instruction manual that "All types of round timbers must not be cut with it." Can anybody tell me the reason for this?
Thanks.

Because it is very dangerous as the material will not present evenly to the saw and as noted above may kickback the piece.

dathi

Up Donegal wrote: »

Hi,
I'm thinking about buying a table saw, possibly from Aldi or Lidl and, looking online, it is stated in the instruction manual that "All types of round timbers must not be cut with it." Can anybody tell me the reason for this?
Thanks.

snip:
take your pick

Right2Write

Otherwise a decent table saw is a great bit of kit. Lots of uses for making up all manner of things. I've used ours for making beds, doors, presses, bookcases, mouldings, windows for a shed and so on.

riffmongous

dathi wrote: »

snip:
take your pick

Man put a warning on that, I know it's the truth and all but still some of those are far more graphic than I want to see

gutteruu

I bought a 200 quid B&Q one a few years ago. They are pure junk if doing anything even half exact. Anything under a few hundred quid will break your heart. They are too light, flimsy, gaurds are useless, once aligned they can move randomly etc. I sold it and intend on spending a few quid for a proper one. Anything I need cutting now I use a circular saw with a homemade rip guide

Jamesgrace

Kickback from round wood is severe and very scary! How about a bandsaw?The blade pulls the timber towards the table instead of throwing it at you-still not ideal but far safer than the table saw