Portable power tools and woodworking machinery: set-up and safe operation
What the exam tests
Pre-use checks, correct set-up, guarding, feed direction, extraction and safe operating position for portable and static machines.
Core rules
- Guards, riving knives and anti-kickback devices stay fitted. The riving knife sits within 3–8 mm of the blade and no higher than the blade top.
- On a table saw, set blade height just above the work (about 3–5 mm of tooth exposure), align the fence to the blade, use a push stick and featherboard, and stand clear of the kickback line.
- Router feed: climb-cutting is only for controlled light cuts; normal feed opposes the cutter rotation. Wrong feed direction can snatch the work.
- Planer/thicknesser: set knife projection evenly, check indeed table and fence square, and never reach over the cutter block.
- Bandsaw: set blade tracking and tension, guide blocks just clear of the blade, and use a push stick near the blade.
- Dust extraction must be connected and working; check hoses and filters. Inspect leads, plugs and guards before use.
Worked example
Ripping a 2 m board on a table saw: fit the riving knife, set the fence from the blade body (not a tooth), set blade height to 3–5 mm above the board, fit the guard, use a featherboard before the blade and a push stick past it, and stand to the side. The reasoning: the riving knife prevents the kerf closing; the fence and featherboard control the board; the push stick keeps hands away.
Traps
Removing a guard for a quick cut; measuring from a set tooth; standing in line with the blade; feeding a router the wrong way; using a thicknesser without extraction; assuming a portable tool is safe because it is small.