How to make a power tool safety switch

A table saw is one of the most dangerous tools in the workshop, causing over 30,000 accidents worldwide each year.

Imagine needing to quickly shut off your saw during an emergency, only to fumble for the hidden switch. Scary, right?

That’s why I created a simple, hands-free safety switch that not only improves safety but also keeps your focus on the task at hand. Follow this guide to make your own safety switch and work smarter and safer in your workshop!

How to make a power tool safety switch

Your Path Through My Website

Take your time with this guide. When you’re ready to explore more, you can check out my sub-subcategory Safety and Essentials for a broader look at related topics, dive into my subcategory Setting Up a Workshop for even more context and connections, or explore my category Building a Woodworking Workshop for an overview of everything in this area. But for now, let’s get started with the topic at hand!

Table of Contents

How to make a safety switch step by step

Step 1 | Metal bracket

I started by making the bracket.

If you also have a Makita table saw, you need a 2 × 15 cm metal place for the bracket. If you have another brand of table saw, you may need to adjust these sizes.

1 cm or 0.39” from the outside, I made 2 openings on both sides, through which the screws that hold the safety switch goes.

In the middle, I made a hole through which the screw of the switch will go. That screw will hold the bracket in place by clamping the bracket between the switch of the table saw and the table saw itself.

When the holes were made, I could fold the ends at a distance of 4.5 cm or 1.77″. 
If you do this, the ends should be folded over until they make an angle of 90 degrees.

Step 2 | Making the safety switch

After finishing the bracket, it was time to make the switch itself.

With the template that you can download on this page, you can draw the dimensions on your piece of wood. That is exactly how I did this, too.

How long this safety switch will be, you can determine yourself.

All you have to do is make sure that you cut the outer edges diagonally inwards so that the top of the safety switch fits perfectly between the opening of the bracket.

In other words, the template that you can download in this blog serves as a starting point for your own tailor-made safety switch.

I made the sloping sides on this safety switch by clamping the wood with my homemade hold-down clamps on my crosscut sled and made those cuts.
That is the safest way to make these cuts.
If you don’t have a crosscut sled you can find a step-by-step guide on this blog.

If you want to build the same hold-down clamps as mine yourself, you can check out how to do that here.

Once I had made the sides of the switch, I drilled a pilot hole for the screws to connect the safety switch to the bracket.

Also, note that I made a right-angle cut on both sides of the top.
That way you get the best connection with the bracket.

At the height of the switch, I drilled a hole completely through the wood with a 26 mm Forstner drill.

The hole should be different for each brand of table saw, so keep the safety switch in place of where it will be when it’s finished and determine where the hole should be drilled.

After forming this safety switch and drilling the holes, I chamfered all edges with a 45-degree chamfer bit on my router.
This not only made the edges stronger and more resistant to impact, but they also became less sharp so that I cannot get hurt.

Step 3 | Painting

Now it was time to paint.
I gave the safety switch 3 coats of red paint from a spray can.
Between each coat, I left about 1 hour of drying time.

When you spray paint from a spray can, don’t spray too much at once. Apply thin layers and keep adding layers until you achieve a nice and uniform color.

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When the last coat of red paint was completely dry, I wrapped the safety switch completely with masking tape.
I did this so that no paint spray drift could reach the red color when I went to spray the white paint.

Once I had completely wrapped the switch in masking tape, I attached the template on top of it and could cut out all the letters and shapes.

To secure the template I taped it in place with some masking tape.

When cutting out the letters and shapes, I pressed the knife hard enough so that it cut through the painter’s tape.

After cutting, all excess painter’s tape could be removed so that all shapes and letters were visible.

To form these letters I sprayed white paint from a spray can over the safety switch.

I painted this safety switch with white paint in 2 layers, each time, with 1 hour drying time in between.

After the last coat of white paint, I removed all the painter’s tape and let the paint dry overnight.

To make the paint and the safety switch stronger, I treated it with 3 layers of varnish the next day. Again, I left 1 hour of drying time between each coat.

Step 4 | Installing the safety switch

Now it was time to install the safety switch.

When you install the bracket, Always unplug the power tool before opening the switch of your power tool!

Installing this bracket is super easy.
Loosen the two table saw switch screws and place the bracket between the table saw switch and the table saw itself.
Once it is in the right place, you can tighten the screws again.

All you can do now is attaching the safety switch to the bracket with two screws.

The safety switch is now ready for use.

This safety switch improves the safety of your table saw, but still be careful when using the table saw or any other power tool.

Safety is always your responsibility.

Don’t Stop Now! Explore This Next:

Now that you have read this article, why not take your workshop safety to the next level? Check out our comprehensive guide on how to make a workshop First Aid Kit – your go-to resource for ensuring immediate help is always at hand. Read this article and keep your workspace safe and ready!