Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Lomman View Post
Steve, Andy has the right idea - it is simple and it works. There are only excuses for removing the blade guard, not reasons.

Also by the time the piece of timber is so far under the guard that you can't use your push stick at the usual angle, it is perfectly safe to drop your hand down closer to the table. The heel of the stick will remain engaged with the work piece. Do a dry run with the saw turned off and watch what happens. It will give you confidence in your technique. Cheers
Thank you Wayne, for pointing this out. Why remove a guard so you can put your hands where they should never ever go to begin with. I witnessed a terrible accident involving machinery when I was 12 years old and believe me it teaches a person to respect machinery and appreciate safety devices.