TableThe flat top the wood is pushed across. The blade comes up through it.
BladeThe circular blade, sticking up through the table. Raising and tilting it sets the depth and angle of the cut.
Throat plateThe replaceable insert round the blade's opening in the table. A zero-clearance insert fits tight round the blade and cuts down tear-out.
Blade guardThe cover over the blade above the table. It rises and falls with the wood being cut.
Spreader (riving knife)A thin plate just behind the blade that keeps the cut open. The wood then cannot pinch the blade and be thrown back.
Anti-kickback pawlsToothed fingers that let the wood move forward. They dig in if the blade tries to throw it back.
Rip fenceA long straight guide, locked parallel to the blade. The wood slides along it for rip cuts.
Miter gaugeA guide sliding in a miter slot. It holds the wood at an angle to the blade for crosscuts.
Miter slotsThe two grooves in the table, parallel to the blade. The miter gauge slides in them.
Push stickA notched stick for pushing small pieces past the blade. Hands stay away from it.
ArborThe shaft the blade is mounted on, turned by the motor.
MotorThe electric motor that drives the arbor, here by a belt.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Woodworking eTool, Table saws, https://www.osha.gov/etools/woodworking/production/machines-tools/table-saws : a self-adjusting guard over the blade above the table; the motor's arbor; the spreader; anti-kickback fingers; the rip fence; push sticks; the operator adjusting the blade's height and angle. 29 CFR 1910.213 (Woodworking machinery requirements), https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1910.213 : the spreader, nonkickback fingers or dogs, fences secured to the table, saw gages sliding in grooves or tracks, the table throat opening, push sticks, arbors. (2) Wikipedia, Table saw, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_saw : a circular saw blade on an arbor driven by an electric motor, the table, the blade guard, splitter or riving knife and anti-kickback pawls, the rip fence, the miter gauge and its slots, the replaceable insert round the blade, push sticks. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a table saw, drawn from above with the front where you stand at the bottom, then from the side with the table cut through to show the motor.
Read the full guide
Guiding the cut
The blade comes up through the throat plate in the table. For a rip cut the wood runs along the rip fence; for a crosscut it is held against the miter gauge, which slides in a miter slot. A push stick feeds small pieces past the blade.
The safety parts
The blade guard covers the blade and rides on the wood. Behind the blade, the spreader keeps the wood from pinching it, and the anti-kickback pawls dig in if the blade tries to throw the wood back. Below, the motor turns the blade's arbor.
Kickback is more likely when ripping than when crosscutting: keep the wood tight to the rip fence and stand to one side of the blade.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between a riving knife and a spreader?
Both are thin plates behind the blade that keep the cut open so the wood cannot pinch the blade. The names are often used for the same part.
What is kickback on a table saw?
When the blade catches the wood and throws it back toward the person using the saw. The spreader and anti-kickback pawls are there to stop it.
What is a miter gauge used for?
Crosscuts: it slides in the miter slot and holds the wood square, or at an angle, to the blade.