Hi John,
Someone recently emailed with a safety question about your recent stop block video. https://www.finewoodworking.com/subscription/workshop/workshoppdf.aspx?id=33241
Could you please weigh in with your thoughts? Ultimately it sounds like the question relates to how to safely crosscut on the tablesaw and how to avoid trapping the workpiece.
He writes: is it safe to leave the stop block that he is demonstrating in position during the cut with the miter fence trapping the work piece between the block and the blade? Is this not dangerous? I have set up a very small shop and am relatively new to woodworking and safety is extremely important to me.
In other news, the eagle-eyed viewer did notice that your cuff was unbuttoned as you were cutting (an accident I know). Since it’s a definite safety no-no so we’ll add a popup to the video noting that people shouldn’t emulate that mistake.
Thanks to him for pointing that out.
Gina, FineWoodworking.com
P.S. he writes, since sending this email originally to you I have seen a few people using a miter fence with some sort of stop block on it and I guess it must be safe? Also there are some companies selling these types of table saw jigs that do the same thing basically.
Replies
Be careful folks!
The cuff should have been buttoned or rolled up, be careful folks.
The stop on the miter fence is safe because the stock is being held down by hand against the table and the fence, it can't skew sideways and jam against the blade which would cause it to be thrown. The situation to avoid is having a loose piece of stock, with nothing holding it down, caught between the rip fence and the blade, that can lead to trouble.
Several companies make commercial versions of this stop set up, the basic design is probably a century old. A few brandnames to look up are Kreg, Rockler, and probably Inca.
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