Thread: Tablesaw Feeding

Originally Posted by Andy Mac

Good thread guys,

the guard is in the bl**dy way

Cheers,

Simple way to stop the guard getting in the way.... throw it in the bin.



As far as im concerned they are one of the biggest dangers in a workshop.


How many accidents have their been with even experienced users trying to manouver pushsticks around and behind a guard to "safley" rip timber:eek:



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Originally Posted by redwood

Simple way to stop the guard getting in the way.... throw it in the bin.

...and then you get a big job that's primarily cutting panels and go scrabbling around in bins, wondering "now where the hell did I leave that?"

Been there, done that.

Originally Posted by redwood

Simple way to stop the guard getting in the way.... throw it in the bin.
.

Thats the kind of comment I find a bit irresponsible. If thats your practice, fine, dont recommend it to everyone else.

Originally Posted by LineLefty

Thats the kind of comment I find a bit irresponsible. If thats your practice, fine, dont recommend it to everyone else.

Lefty i think youl find i made my own disclamer above saying what i do is MY WAY and i dont recomend it to novices. but i still think im entitled to let people know how i do it my way, even if every one thinks its wrong, just as you are entitled to tell me how you do it even if i might think its wrong. as i said before saftey these days is occ health driven mainly for liability purposes and they still havnt looked up the word commonsence in the dictionary.

I would like someone to explain exactly why a guard is safe? An overhead that rises from the top is the ONLY safe guarde and what is included on 90% of the saws that would belong to members here would NOT meet saftey standards in a commercial shop, that is fact.

Their is no disputing that the guard on a saw is responsible for more chopped of fingers than a saw that has had it disguarded. How many pics in mags and books from all over the world do you see with the guardes off? (oh they to have their little disclaimer that its of for picture clarity...lol) No they are off because they are DANGEROUS. but that is my opinion and i dont expect anyone here to believe it anyeway

Redwood,

I hear what you are saying. I think on the forum people are about “saying the right thing” especially on tablesaw safety.

I am sure a lot of us have done something which is labelled as “unsafe”. I know I have done more than once. We just don’t say it loud here. I mean honestly, how many of you have used a TS without a blade guide or a splitter or a push stick.

C’mon guys know what I am talking about.

Originally Posted by Wongo

Redwood,

I hear what you are saying. I think on the forum people are about “saying the right thing” especially on tablesaw safety.

I am sure a lot of us have done something which is labelled as “unsafe”. I know I have done more than once. We just don’t say it loud here. I mean honestly, how many of you have used a TS without a blade guide or a splitter or a push stick.

C’mon guys know what I am talking about.

thing is wongo i believe very firmly that a guard is dangerous. How many times have forum members recomended 2 push sticks to rip small items with the guard down over the blade? now i dont care what any one says to me, but even for a novice that is far more dangerous than doing it with one good dedicated push stick (not the plastic crap that comes with a saw) and the guarde off and the gullet of the blade just clearing the timber and having a clear clean access to safley guide it through. I still dont understand why guards are so called safe. except if you trip and whack your hand or head on it i see no reason for it. Their are a multitude of unsafe practices posted here in the forum quiet often. and 2 push sticks are one of them, but no one even questions that. this forum is for the beginers to the advanced, i made the note that beginers should be aware, and so they should, but they also need to know some pitfalls, and trying to manouver pieces behind a guard with 2 push sticks is something that beginers should not attempt at all. but people recomend it to them. to me that is irresposible

Originally Posted by redwood

Simple way to stop the guard getting in the way.... throw it in the bin.

Have to agree with you there. Also, I don't really have a "red zone" but I do have a VERY healthy respect for a fast-spinning blade. I'm always aware of what I'm doing with my hands and I don't believe I become blazé. Hell, I won't even turn on a tool if I feel tired. On those occasions, that's a shed clean-up day.

The point is that there are generalisations but each one of us has to feel comfortable with the way we do things. It is unlikely that any two will be exactly the same. Wongo has a vaild point about confidence. When I got really serious 10 years ago, I guess I was a lot more tentative than I am now. I think the most reinforcing aspect at the time was that a friend of mine who's a chippy had two and a half fingers missing on one hand and one on the other!! Those sort of mental images tend to have a lasting impact.

My Dad (40 yrs around saws, woodwork teacher, handyman carpenter, built 5 houses etc) uses the 10mm red zone. I always cringed. So did he when the blade got him - now the index finger on his left hand is, well, a bit more than 10mm shorter than it should be. Any closer than 150mm for 'normal' cutting OMHO is unnecessary and dumb.

BTW have a look at Sam Maloof's saw habits. He's been doing this for 40 yrs and I don't know how he's still got hands.:eek:

Originally Posted by TassieKiwi

BTW have a look at Sam Maloof's saw habits. He's been doing this for 40 yrs and I don't know how he's still got hands.:eek:

Exactly what is was going to say. If these things bother you so much then you wouldn’t want to see how Sam Maloof, Tage Frig, Frank Klausz and other regulars from FWW use their bandsaw and tablesaw. Because you might have a heart attack.

Originally Posted by Wongo

Exactly what is was going to say. If these things bother you so much then you wouldn’t want to see how Sam Maloof, Tage Frig, Frank Klausz and other regulars from FWW use their bandsaw and tablesaw. Because you might have a heart attack.

Sam Maloof cutting freehand on a bandsaw- even im not that stupid:eek:

If I was to make a chair like his I would probably do the same. And if I cut a finger off, I won’t blame him either. Stupid or not it is my own risk. I'm big enough of a man to make that decision.

I recall in an article on Maloof that he did not recommend that people use the bandsaw the way he did - he said it was dangerous! My memory of the articale is a bit hazy, but I think Maloof also pointed out that he had broken his hand a number of times when the blade grabbed the timber and slammed it down on the table. Still he made very nice chairs - and incredibly quickly.

Chris

Everyones got their own way of using a table saw. What it comes down to is knowledge and risk. In relation to knowledge there are good books and web sites that have been mentioned (this being one). In relation to risk, it comes down to each individuals propensity to accept risk and for taking risks. On this:

• Men have a much higher propensity for risk than women;
• Propensity for risk amongst men is inversely related to age (a very interesting point);
• Overall risk propensity is directly proportional to openness and inversely proportional to neuroticism and agreeableness; &
• when looking at how 'professionals' use machinery, keep in mind that propensity for safety risk is highly influenced by financial risks...

Now, looking at peoples age and their habits.......

Eastie,

Good reply. I would like to add one more.

Men who got balls are more willing to take risk.