should have bought a saw stop

[Sean Nagle]

Tim, I'm glad it wasn't more serious.

I think a lot of woodworkers have just had to figure out how to use their tablesaw and never had any real instruction. Two key rules that I was taught are: (1) to never stand directly behind the stock situated between the blade and the fence; (2) NEVER REACH ACROSS THE BLADE... NEVER!

A friend sent me a Youtube link some time ago showing a demo of the SawStop inventor demoing the SawStop. My first impression was that his tablesaw technique was awful, no wonder he had to invent a saw that would protect him from himself.

[Tim Wagner]

not to be gross or anything, but I thought I would post a pic.

[Robert Chapman]

Tim - I'm glad that there was more learning than bleeding. Take care.

[John Thompson]

First Tim.. glad you didn't get more than the flesh wound.

Second... glad to see you step up and admit you made mistakes that would not have happened if the safety aids were in place.

I run a guard on all rip cuts and don't need to see the cut line and I occasionally rip rough for hire in thousand linear quantities. You raise the gaurd to set up the cut distance from the fence.. a feather-board left to keep it pinned to the fence.. a hold down clamped to the fence to resist the stock moviing up.. lower the guard for the cut and rip until the trailing 8" where a push-stick picks it up. There is no real to see the cut.

I do flip the plastic shield back when cross-cutting but my hands are never closer than 8" from the blade as they are firmly planted on the miter guage to hold the stock firmly to it. On a non through cut I clamp a home-made bridge guard over the blade the stock rides under.

It only takes a matter of minutes to set up safely once you get accustomed to it really.

Again.. glad you are not hurt seriously and I probably don't need to remind you to use safer methods as many already have after the fact.

Regards...

Sarge..

[Bill Keehn]

not to be gross or anything, but I thought I would post a pic.

I'm glad your injury wasn't more serious.

Depending on how fast your hand entered the blade, you might have gotten the same injury even with the Sawstop. If I recall, the specification for the Sawstop braking action is something like "the injury will be no more than 1/16 inch deep for every foot per second of motion into the blade".

Something like this definitely makes you stop and think about your safety habits. Thank's for sharing this. We all need a reminder like this now and then.

[Bill Keehn]

Tim, I'm glad it wasn't more serious.

I think a lot of woodworkers have just had to figure out how to use their tablesaw and never had any real instruction. Two key rules that I was taught are: (1) to never stand directly behind the stock situated between the blade and the fence; (2) NEVER REACH ACROSS THE BLADE... NEVER!

A friend sent me a Youtube link some time ago showing a demo of the SawStop inventor demoing the SawStop. My first impression was that his tablesaw technique was awful, no wonder he had to invent a saw that would protect him from himself.

A couple more I was taught in addition to those..

3) Never use the rip fence when cross-cutting with the the miter gage.

4) Always tilt the blade away from the rip fence when doing a bevel rip.

[Frank Hagan]

I will be more cautious in the future, even if i have to plan the cut for an hour before i do it. all safety guards have been re-installed also. nothing like closing the barn doors after the horses run away.

The injury wasn't as bad as it could have been, so maybe you'll look back on it as one of those "learning lessons". I go to the same school most of the time ("that really hurt; guess I won't do it that way again.")

[Alfred J Sevitski]

It has been my experiance that saw blades do not cut your fingers they tear them.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

good thing you weren't wearing gloves.

As I recall a surgeon was protecting his delicate skin with a pair of leather work gloves and got one caught in his contractor saw.
He lost fingers when the leather got caught and sucked him in.

Gloves on machinery~!!
Ahh well he polly had special insurance and is now living it up on his yacht on permanent retirement.

[Tim Wagner]

it was the weirdest thing to feel your finger hit the blade. imediatly i was like how bad is it? I looked to see and couldn't tell because my hand was already full of blood. i thought to my self, that didn't hurt much, i better clean it off and see if i need stiches. i cleaned it off and to my surprize it was just a minor abbrasion in comparison to what could have happend. I still can't believe how little it hurts, even now.

I went back to working with the saw today without a second thought, although i am using the gaurd, riving knife and push stick.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Good to hear you're back on the horse again. It took me a couple days to start back up after cutting my finger on my band saw. Yeah same excuses. Not using a push stick. My finger is not THAT close to the blade exit yet. We all know all of the excuses..... My band saw cut hurt quite a bit though.