Thread: GMC pushstick warning.

It looks like this. You can make them in different sizes and thicknesses. I make them high enough to allow me to push skinny stuff past the blade guard without my hand getting in the way. It's not the be all and end all but I prefer this type of thing to a push stick in a lot of situations.

Thanks SilentC.
Looks like it would give good downward pressure on the timber (much better than a push stick). Downside is that you are probably closer to the blade.

Well another design/style to add to the arsenal.

Originally Posted by silentC

It looks like this. You can make them in different sizes and thicknesses. I make them high enough to allow me to push skinny stuff past the blade guard without my hand getting in the way. It's not the be all and end all but I prefer this type of thing to a push stick in a lot of situations.

Thanks for the idea Silent, I like the long contact point which is a failing of my push sticks.

I have nudged the odd blade with a stick before but have never had one go to pieces - the most damage was a gouge and nick. Having seen bjp's pix and the comments of others I'm at least now aware that they could break.

The old story I guess, "Expect the unexpected" - I am aware, however, that if this is true then the "unexpected is in fact the expected"

I think that if the stick is resting on the work piece and the work piece is flat on the table as the push stick contacts the front of the blade, the blade will just cut through it like normal. It's when the stick contacts some other part of the blade that you have the potential problem. It will be something to do with the physics of the cutting action. I guess the tooth grabs the stick rather than cutting through it and the shock is what shatters it. It all happened too quick for me to see what was going on

That's a very good idea. Quick to make and you can adjust the geometry to suit the job. Very good.

As I've said before I'm a big fan of the featherboard for holding work down. They apply constant pressure and allow me to be as far from the pointy end as possible, but there are situations where I think that notched board would be really handy.