Tablesaw safety question

I’m no TS expert but I can tell you I’d be very uncomfortable with making this cut. I would probably make this cut with a tenoning jig or some other shopmade jig.

-- Paul D, Atlanta GA

I have to say, maybe he knows what he is doing, but I wouldn’t make that cut in a million years. Not only is his hand too close to the blade for my comfort, but that chunk of wood he is about to cut free looks like a potential missile to me.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

That is way too close for me and the piece is largely unsupported. I would also use a taller fence and a tenoning jig or miter gauge. The other problem is that the waste piece is going to be trapped between the blade and fence. This is a kickback waiting to happen.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Swied, go back and check that website. I’m sure it was showing you what NOT to do. ;^)
OUCH!
Just shows you how much bad information is on the net.

-- If we learn from our mistakes, I'm getting a fantastic education.

That’s like watching a train wreck about to happen. You know it’s going to be bad. You just watch to see how bad.

-- Jack - Mission Viejo, Calif

Doesn’t look like a mental giant to me, but he does appear to have all his fingers.
The hands look quite old also.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

doesn’t look very safe to me but he has all his fingers. whats up with the blade though. its like see through?

Would that not be better performed using a dado set and miter gauge with the board laying flat, not on end?

teenage, I thought the samething, but I believe you are seeing the mirror image at an angle so it just looks see through.

runngt

-- It seem's I just make scrap wood and saw dust most of the time !

A tenoning jig if it could handle that thick of a stock, but if you had to run it through this way he should at least have a lot taller fence and somekind of back to keep the cutoff from shooting backwards and to give him safer leverage.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

No thanks. That doesn’t looks that smart on his part.

-- Tyler, Illinois

Another “Darwin Award” nominee. This could be done with a tenoning jig. This guy should at least put the waste on the other side of the blade. That piece is going to come out of there like a Japanese bullet train. Never trap the cut off between the blade and fence.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

You have to have a tall fence for an operation like this.

Isn’t it true that the cutoff should be set to fall away and not be trapped between blade and fence?

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

OUCH!!!!

-- Pat, Colorado

a bandsaw would do it much better and safer. I agree that he is a Darwin award candidate.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

Yip..that was my thought..Use the bandsaw.

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

Doing that cut, he is pushing toward the fence as well as forward. When that board kicks back, his hand will go straight into the blade. I put my hand through a tablesaw 3 years ago. It was over before I knew what happened. I still have all 10, but 2 don’t look like they used to.

-- David, Southern Indiana, http://www.freedhardwoodflooring.com

C’mon now, you know we all thought about trying this at one time or another. ;)

-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com

Pretty hokey lookin to me. Definately a “what not to do” photo.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Gotta be a few cans short of a six pack.

My fingers get so close that i tend to pray while I cut. May I also suggest a sled.

And Gary, the hand isn’t old, it’s afraid and the fear has caused it to wrinkle pre-maturely.

Also if he put the part that is NOT being removed be up against the fence. In other words turn the board the other way so there is always some material against the fence.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Here’s what a left hand looks like after a split second of indescretion:

Any questions?

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

That will make a few folks think twice in the shop today, Bob.

Glad I hadn’t had breakfast yet. <g>

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Hey Guys:

Still thinK a the Grr- ripper is too expensive?

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob,

That photo of the severed fingers bring me that much closer to deciding to save up for a Sawstop.

I watched the Charles Neil video on the Sawstop a few weeks ago. He said his accident was not the result of his doing anything incorrectly, but just happened. Never before or after. It happened in a split second. He said he ended up regaining 60% of the use of the hand after enduring months of rehab and extensive medical bills even with health insurance.

I know the Sawstop costs quite a bit more than comparably configured quality table saws. I just can’t get away from the fact that operating a table saw is inherently dangerous. Anything that would minimze the seriousness of any injury is worth strong consideration even at Sawstop prices. I am beginning to think of the added cost as added insurance.

Dalec

Sawstop is one of the most advances safety features in the woodworking field.
That combined with good shop practices would bring the accident levels down dramatically.
I don’t know if a standard IQ shop test should not be considered prior to purchase of these and other devices in the shop.
Right now a 14 year old can walk into a store and buy a table saw.
He or she may have been trained in safety but it definitely not a requirement.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob,

As you said anyone can walk into a store and buy a table saw. What if the store provided a basic one hour use and safety course at a nominal cost to the first time buyers of any power tool or as a refresher?

Dalec

Dalec, nobody ever does anything voluntarliy.

How about surcharging all saws and planers for instance with a $75.00 fee refundable when you pass the test?
How about refusing to insure folks for traumatic injuries resulting from known hazardous machinery medically if they have not passed same?

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Table saws lover finger food.

-- Dust collectors suck.

If I were to attempt that cut,

1. I would have a large Push Block behind it where clamping could be done; would also reduce tearout.

2. I would arrange the piece to where NOTHING would be Trapped between fence & blade.

First Choice: Band saw… Simple and SAFE!

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=1389"

Definitely something for the bandsaw, or at least dado blades w/ mitre fence.
THat stack of magazine waiting to fall on the blade is not the smartest thing to do either.

-- Ed

I read someplace, I think it was a woodcentral article, that you should always think through your cut, and when your doing that you need to consider what would happen if the piece of stock suddenly disappeared.

I tend to simplify it when talking to someone. My hands never go where the guard goes. Even if I took off the guard for a dado cut or something, my hands never go there.