TOH - free-hand cuts on TS

[Larry Frank]

I do not care how many times someone says it is safe for an "experienced person"...freehand cutting on a table saw is dangerous.

Good luck to you and I hope that you do not become a statistic.

[Sam Murdoch]

I do not care how many times someone says it is safe for an "experienced person"...freehand cutting on a table saw is dangerous.

Good luck to you and I hope that you do not become a statistic.

It's as simple as that!

[Sam Babbage]

Driving is inherently dangerous, that doesn't mean everyone should walk everywhere. (That's kinda funny coming from a professional woodworker that doesn't drive because he is afraid of hurting others but will happily use a spindle in "unsafe" manners because he is the only one at risk and can weigh the cost-benefit)

I've worked in "safety focused" workshops, I did my apprenticeship in one. I've worked in "unsafe" workshops, and you can, paradoxically, guess where the only accident I've seen happened. I know this is anecdotal, but individual skill and training trumps strict adherence to best practices.

Some things are best left to the individual's judgement, that said, purely instructional shows like Norm's should be much stricter than those like TOH.

Edit: I guess what I'm trying to say, in somewhat exaggerated terms, I think free handing a angle cut on 3mm mdf is far more comfortable than ripping 3" wild-grained timber even with a splitter/riving-knife.

[Art Mann]

Here is the deal. Telling someone that an operation they have done for 35 years without incident is too unsafe is exactly like walking up to a lineman climbing a utility pole and telling him he is eventually going to die of electrocution. It is either an insult or is laughable, depending on how you take it.

I am not advocating that anyone do any operation they feel is unsafe - for them. I agree that it is irresponsible for someone on a woodworking show to demonstrate such an operation without the strongest of warnings. I am just saying that the practice is routine in the construction and finish carpentry trades and you do not see or hear about an unusual amount of accidents as a result.