TOH - free-hand cuts on TS

[Brian Tymchak]

Guess I have to vent.. I watched an episode of This Old House over the weekend where Tommy is ripping some stock on a portable TS, freehand , without use of the fence or any guards. I saw him do this on another show sometime back as well. To me this is incredibly dangerous, just inviting kickback with the slightest waver while feeding stock into the blade. I guess if TOH has no qualms about showing that, I'm worried it's a pretty well-accepted technique in the building trades. I would hope that someone at TOH would know better, and at least edit that part out, realizing that any technique demonstrated in the show can influence a novice viewer to try it. With the recent case where Ryobi got successfully sued by a clueless contractor not using their saw properly, I would think these shows would be vigilant about demonstrating proper use of tools.

Having grown up watching Norm all those years on NYW, I keep hearing in the back of my head. "..Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools."....

OK - flame off.

[Art Mann]

Freehand trimming on a table saw is indeed a common practice in the finish carpentry trade. I have done it myself many times. Having said that, I think it is a somewhat dangerous practice even for experienced carpenters and I avoid it if there is any practical alternative. I would never demonstrate such a thing on national television, for fear that someone who does not thoroughly understand table saw dynamics and the risks involved would attempt it and get hurt.

[Stephen Tashiro]

What particular table saw was it? I didn't see the crime. I agree in principle with your verdict. However, small portable table saws are very low powered and are more likely to stall than to kickback. The guard arragnements on many portable table saws are so awkward that they are useless. Using a tablesaw on wood that has been squared up is a completely different thing than using it on the lumber for carpentry. The premise of "fine" wood working techniques is that boards have been trued up. I can see that a carpenter would do better cutting a line freehand than running the edge of a crooked board against a fence.

[Todd Burch]

Agree 100% - they should not be showing it without disclaiming it. (Even as stupid as the TV disclaimers are - like someone driving a car off a cliff, and the car is now soaring like a glider, and the caption says "don't try this at home".) Freehanding on a tablesaw is just a bad idea all the way around. I used my first tablesaw at 15. And even today, 35 years later, you could not pay me to freehand.

Along a similar vein... you got all these DIY shows on HGTV doing a remodel in 30-60 minutes, and I guess, for the audience excitement factor, they have clueless homeowners swinging sledgehammers in highly salvageable kitchens and bathrooms, and people punching and kicking and jumping through walls as well. All of them completely idiotic. They film this stuff as if that's the way you are supposed to do it.

[Brian Tymchak]

What particular table saw was it?

I believe it was a Dewalt portable, although I can't say for certain.

[Alan Bienlein]

I do free hand cutting myself. It takes alot of hand eye coordination. If you want to see some more skip ahead to the 4:50 and the 8:50 marks. It is an interesting video it shows some interesting ways of dealing with cupped and bowed/twisted boards..

[Mark Bolton]

I do free hand cutting myself. It takes alot of hand eye coordination. If you want to see some more skip ahead to the 4:50 and the 8:50 marks. It is an interesting video it shows some interesting ways of dealing with cupped and bowed/twisted boards..

Alan,
I think you may succeed in multiple cranial explosions posting a video like that HAHA.. Should be funny. Clearly craftsman but lordy may there will be some ticks and twitches when people watch that Large panel glue ups with 3 clamps, or four if lucky. "Are those mitered bread board....?!?!?", Production style jointing by hand, on and on. Great video, but not one for the over-complicators. Couldnt get a good look but looked like the three clamp glue up even used HF clamps.

[Eric DeSilva]

Interesting. Anyone using the one-handed bidirectional jointing technique shown around 10:00?

[Chris Padilla]

...and people punching and kicking and jumping through walls as well. All of them completely idiotic. They film this stuff as if that's the way you are supposed to do it.

Hmmm, that is how I always do it!!! Why take all the fun out of taking a wall down or stripping drywall, Todd!!

[Todd Burch]

Interesting. Anyone using the one-handed bidirectional jointing technique shown around 10:00?

Not one handed, and not bidirectional**, but I frequently concentrate on the high spots before doing the whole edge.

** don't tell anyone, but sometimes I don't lift the board all the way up and I do hear some cutting when pulling back. No damage has ever been done.

[Chris Padilla]

V2 of what was posted above and A LOT more woodworking to see.

[Alan Bienlein]

I loved how well his mitered dove tail joint went together!

[Matt Day]

Along a similar vein... you got all these DIY shows on HGTV doing a remodel in 30-60 minutes, and I guess, for the audience excitement factor, they have clueless homeowners swinging sledgehammers in highly salvageable kitchens and bathrooms, and people punching and kicking and jumping through walls as well. All of them completely idiotic. They film this stuff as if that's the way you are supposed to do it.

I completely agree that some (most) of the DIY/HGTV shows do not stress safety like they should, especially when the expert/contractor is the one free-hand cutting on the TS or nobody is wearing the right PPE or none at all. I've seen Tom Silva do the free hand cut on a TS before as well - he knows better which is the sad thing.

I disagree that they're all idiotic. I watch them to learn about new products and to see different styles of projects. I'm glad they have these shows and I hope they inspire some people to get dirty and try it themselves. Too many people in my generation (I'm 33) don't know anything about home improvement or maintenance. I just hope they don't learn about safety from some of these shows!

[David Weaver]

Where do I get the board smasher shown at 10:00?

[Cody Colston]

I don't remember the episode but I saw Norm make a free-hand cut on the TS once. He even announced "I'll do this freehand." I never saw him do it again so I'm guessing the safety police sent droves of emails condemning the method. I think it's similar to seeing an experienced carpenter hold a two-by-four across his knee and cut it with a circular saw. There's just some things that the inexperienced need to realize they shouldn't try. Like Dirty Harry said, "a man's got to know his limitations."