Part of the fun of playing the saw is making music from something unexpected. And dangerous! I can’t think of any other instrument that can cut off an arm. I know a violin player who has a permanent mark under her chin, and I’ve heard of oboe players having blood vessel damage from blowing into the tiny oboe opening. There have been people who have been killed by falling pianos too, but as far as I know, no other instrument can leave a person limbless. For that reason, it’s good to be careful when playing your saw.

The best way to protect yourself and others when you aren’t playing is to keep your saw in a case. But what about when you take your saw out? Obviously, the most dangerous part of your saw is the edge with teeth. One good way to protect yourself from the teeth when you aren’t playing is to buy plastic covering for saw blades. You can buy it in long flat strips at hardware stores, and it looks like the edge of plastic essay covers. You can also use small plastic tubing. This type of protection is great if you don’t have a case or you want to leave your saw lying around the house so you can practice. You can just slide the tubing off when you practice and then slide it back on when you are finished. You can also be safer by getting some sort of stand for your saw if you are playing music with others. Inexpensive guitar stands work well. I have a friend who puts a tennis ball with a slit in it on top of his saw when it’s resting in a stand. This helps make it easy for people to see, especially if a person is playing in a crowded place, like a restaurant or a bar. You can also keep Band-Aids in your purse.

Here’s a picture of the fearless Pain Proof Pixie who is throwing all caution to the wind, playing a saw on a bed of nails.