My table saw is actually a circular saw attached to a piece of plywood. I don't have any safety features on it whatsoever. I have all my fingers and both eyes. It's main redeeming feature is the maple "t-square" fence I made for it out of really nice scraps from a job.
I use push sticks religiously. The kind I use
has a long contact surface, like a shoe with a heel, and a handle I can grip rather than some variations that just have a curved top to push down with the palm of the hand. This allows me to "grip" the work piece better, using the "toe" of the stick. The safest way to use it is to keep it closer to the blade than to the fence - that way it doesn't twist the workpiece into the blade, but away from it. I make them from furniture grade plywood (baltic birch when I have it... ) and round the edges with a 1/4" router bit. Long skinny push sticks with a little notch in the end give me too little control. Being that far from the piece freaks me out. I'd rather be closer to the blade and know where I'm going to end up, than farther away and always afraid the stick will slip off.
I tried to put a splitter blade on it once, but gave up. Splitters are great at keeping wood from pinching the blade. Anti-kickback pawls do the job they're intended to, but they get in the way of handling small pieces safely. I learned to do without them working in a shop where I had to make absurdly narrow pieces sometimes. I would love to have a chip-guard, and have one sitting in a box. I salvaged it from a crummy saw that died. I intended to attach it to the splitter, but that didn't work out. Instead I have to wear a face shield when I cut, and accept that my hands and arms get hit with chips. I dress accordingly.
I don't use it to rip hardwood. Hardwood is the worst offender for pinching the blade, in my experience. Some boards will twist, bend and curl all over the place as you rip 'em.
The best safety feature is a brain. I've never hurt myself with this saw, and I've been using it for years. Would I like something better? Yeah! But I HAVE this, so I had to learn to live with it and use it. It's outlasted a craftsman with a horrid fence, and a Ryobi BT3000.
I've used feather boards on big saws sometimes. They can be a pain to get set up for one-off cuts, but they're perfect for controlling the first quarter of 10' and longer boards when you have to be way out on the end.
Controlling your "outfeed" is an important part of safety, too. I use adjustable height rollers and I hate them - if they're not angled right they drive the stock in weird directions. I prefer a good slick outfeed table.
Great knowlege everyone, thanks! I'm, erm... asking for a table saw for xmas and the tips are highly appreciated. I have never used a table saw so I'll be really paying attention to my actions.
