How tools actually work, and how to choose one
Find Tool Editorial Team 
An RCD (residual current device) constantly compares the current flowing into a tool against the current flowing back out. If even a small amount goes missing — because it’s passing through a person, a damp cable, or a damaged casing — the RCD cuts the power in a fraction of a second, well before a … Read more
A push stick is a shaped piece of wood or plastic used to feed material through a table saw, router table or bandsaw so the operator’s hand never has to travel near the blade. It is not optional because the alternative — pushing narrow stock through with bare fingers — is one of the most … Read more
Loose sleeves, gloves, drawstrings and jewellery can be caught by a spinning chuck, bit, blade or wheel in less time than it takes to react. Once fabric or skin is pulled in, the machine does not stop pulling — it winds tighter, drawing the hand and arm toward the point of rotation. That is why … Read more
A dead-man switch is a trigger or paddle that only runs the tool while it is actively held or pressed. The instant a hand relaxes or lets go, power cuts and the motor stops. It exists so a tool cannot keep running, or keep cutting, if the person operating it is no longer in control. … Read more
What does an anti-kickback pawl do? An anti-kickback pawl is a small set of spring-loaded, angled teeth mounted just behind a table saw’s riving knife or splitter. It sits lightly on top of the workpiece as it feeds through the blade. It moves freely in the direction the wood is travelling, but if the wood … Read more
A riving knife is the thin, curved metal plate fitted directly behind a table saw blade, rising and falling with it. Its job is to hold the freshly cut kerf open so the timber cannot pinch the blade from behind. Without it, a saw has no protection against the most common cause of kickback. What … Read more
Silica dust is a very fine mineral dust released when materials containing crystalline silica — concrete, brick, stone, tile, mortar and some engineered worktops — are cut, drilled, ground or sanded. It is regulated because particles small enough to reach deep into the lungs can cause permanent, irreversible lung disease with repeated exposure over time. … Read more
MDF dust is treated more seriously than softwood dust because it is much finer, contains resin binders released when it’s cut, and penetrates further into the lungs. Softwood dust is coarser and mostly filtered by the nose and throat; fine MDF dust reaches deeper airways more easily. What actually makes MDF dust different? MDF is … Read more
An FFP or N95 rating tells you how well a mask filters airborne particles — dust, mist and similar solid or liquid droplets — and roughly what proportion of them it is required to stop in a standard test. It says nothing about fit on your specific face, comfort, reuse, or protection from gases, vapours … Read more
A dust mask is a loose-fitting paper or fabric shield that catches larger, visible dust and offers little protection against fine particles. A respirator is a tighter-sealing device, tested and rated to filter much finer particulates, and in some forms fitted with cartridges for fumes or vapours. The difference is the seal and the rating, … Read more
About what you read here. Everything on Find Tool is general information and our own editorial opinion. We research carefully and we say when the evidence is unclear, but we can be wrong, things change, and no article can know your particular situation. Please do your own research and make your own judgement rather than treating anything here as the final word. Prices, products and specifications around tools and workshop equipment change constantly, and what suits one person will not suit another. Check current details yourself, and where a decision involves real money, safety or something you cannot undo, it is worth confirming with the manufacturer, or a qualified electrician or tradesperson before you act.