14
Glossary of Terms
ANTI-KICKBACK DEVICE (also known as dogs or
pawls): Spring-loaded pawls that engage the
work piece as it is being fed through the saw.
They restrict movement of the work piece back
in the direction of the operator.
ARBOR: The shaft on which a cutting tool is
mounted.
BARRIER GUARD: An assembly that consists of
the mounting fork and two side barriers. This as-
sembly is intended to provide a physical barrier
between the operator and the spinning saw
blade.
BEVEL: Blade angle relative to the table surface.
CROSSCUT: A cutting or shaping operation made
across the width of the workpiece cutting the
workpiece to length.
DADO: A non-through cut which produces a
square sided notch or trough in the workpiece.
FEATHERBOARD: A device which can help guide
workpieces during rip type operation by keeping
workpiece in contact with the rip fence. It also
helps prevent kickback.
FREEHAND: Performing a cut without a fence,
miter gauge, fixture, hold down or other proper
device to keep the workpiece from twisting dur-
ing the cut and can be a safety hazard.
GUM: A sticky, sap-based residue from wood
products. After it has hardened, it is referred to
as “RESIN”.
HEEL: Misalignment of the blade which causes
the trailing or outfeed side of the blade to con-
tact the cut surface of the work piece. Heel can
cause kickback, binding, excessive force, burning
of the workpiece or splintering. In general, heel
cre ates a poor quality cut and can be a safety haz-
ard.
KERF: The space in the workpiece where the ma-
terial was removed by the blade.
KICKBACK: An uncontrolled grabbing and throw-
ing of the workpiece back toward the front of the
saw during a rip type operation.
LEADING END: The end of the workpiece which,
during a rip type operation, is pushed into the
cutting tool first.
MOLDING: A non-through cut which produces a
special shape in the workpiece used for joining
or decoration.
NON THROUGH SAWING: Any cutting operation
where the blade does not extend through the
workpiece (e.g. Dado, Rabbet).
PARALLEL: Position of the rip fence equal in dis-
tance at every point to the side face of the saw
blade.
PERPENDICULAR: 90° (right angle) intersection
or position of the vertical and horizontal planes
such as the position of the saw blade (vertical)
to the table surface (horizontal).
PUSH BLOCK: A device used for ripping-type op-
erations too narrow to allow use of a Push Stick.
Use a Push Block for rip widths less than 2
inches.
PUSH STICK: A device used to feed the work-
piece through the saw during narrow ripping-type
operation and helps keep the operator’s hands
well away from the blade. Use the Push Stick for
rip widths less than 6 inches and more than 2
inches.
RABBET: A notch in the edge of a workpiece.
Also called an edge dado.
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (R.P.M.): The num-
ber of turns completed by a spinning object in
one minute.
RIPPING: A cutting operation along the length of
the workpiece cutting the workpiece to width.
RIVING KNIFE OR SPREADER: A device that
keeps the kerf of the work piece open as the ma-
terial is cut. This minimizes the potential of the
work piece binding against the saw blade.
SMART GUARD: A system made up of 3 compo-
nents: Riving Knife / Splitter, Anti-Kickback De-
vice, and Main Barrier Guard.
THROUGH SAWING: Any cutting operation
where the blade extends through the workpiece.
THROWBACK: Event when a small cut-off piece
is caught by the back of the blade and thrown to-
ward the operator.
WORKPIECE: The item on which the cutting op-
eration is being performed. The surfaces of a
workpiece are commonly referred to as faces,
ends and edges.
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