I’m curious as to your reaction.
I have, of late, frequented the shop in a public school. I hesitate to give much more detail. At anyrate, everytime I’ve walked into this empty shop, the blade on the tablesaw has been left raised. There is no guard, no splitter, either. Lots of OSHA violations on this one item alone.
What would you do? Email me if you’d rather. Thanks.
Replies
I'd say something to the shop teacher. Your call if you want to take it further. I would, if my kid were in the class. I might anyway, even if not.
It sucks because so many shop programs are being shut down, you hate to see a lack of care jeopardizing both those youngsters' hands, and the entire shop program.
All three of my kids have gone through the woodshop program in our Junior High. Some of the things they've done have made me wish the teacher had a bit more care, but I've not seen or heard of any terribly dangerous situations. Mostly because only the teacher runs the table saw! At least my kids are learning more at home.
I hate to have the whistle blown on a teacher, but when I was a principal, I would have wanted to know about the situation. Removing safety equipment shouldn't be allowed in a school setting. It sets kids up for a lifetime of doing the same thing with the accidents to follow.
By the way, a whole lot of Knots readers would love to see a project going on in three of our local school systems. A local modular home company is donating all the material needed to construct modular homes for our local Habitat chapter. A construction class in each of three high schools is building the homes on the school property during the school year. Come summer, we truck the homes to prepared sites and finish them so that our clients can move in. The homes range from 3 - 4 bedroom homes to be set on a prepared crawl space to 5 - 6 bedroom homes that are built as split level ranchers with the chapter crew completing the lower level.
Well that problem is "resolved." I've been banned from the shop.
I'm sure the school board would like to know about this. The teacher apparently thinks his way is the only way, but safety is "just a good idea, not mandatory".
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Well, the latest is that, I've been tossed out of the shop. He ain't happy that I lower the "carfully adjusted" blade.
I'm still in the "inquiry" mode, so I've not yet done anything official. OldFred, I appreciate your comment, but I'm reticent to provide much detail.
Thank you all for your thoughts. Ed
How carefully does the blade need to be adjusted for depth? Assuming there will be some scrap of the same wood, they can make a test cut to see if it needs to be higher or lower. It's also good practice for the kids in determining the correct depth.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
"Oh so carefully" ROTFLMHO Totally nuts.
Ed,
Safety First! Your voice may save a kid's finger, eye or hearing. I have sub'd at our local High School. I was asked to teach the wood working class. At the beginning of the class, I quickly noted to the students , both eye and hearing protection would be worn. No one challenged me. You need to talk to the Vice Prin. or Principle.
Good habits are taught early.
Joe
Is it really saw dust or wood dust?
Really not enough information to make a judgement.
Ed
I think it galant of you to raise the issue here, and if my kids were being taught in that classroom, I'd want to know about that. Unfortunately, with so many school shops being closed around the country, making too much noise might have an adverse effect on an already dying program.
If it were me, I'd quietly get in contact with the shop teacher FIRST. If I didn't get the kind of response I expected, I'd certainly move up the chain of command QUICKLY. Shop teachers can be replaced, fingers and hands cannot! Show him or her this thread if they need convincing on how important having all 10 really is. My guess is that just raising the topic would get proper results.
Merry Christmas,
Jeff
Wow!!! I posted the upper portion before reading the further comments! I'd make it my personal mission to get the word out with the school board. Where my kids go to high school, I know it wouldn't take long to get results with regards to such a huge safety issue. They'd be afraid that one phone call to the local paper would make a front page story. A local high school "godlike" football coach got canned for far less.
Edited 12/18/2005 12:14 pm ET by JeffHeath
Ed,
Hard to make any kind of judgement from here... but...
The first thing that comes to mind are the many processes on a table saw in which the blade guard and the splitter need to be removed. Like making a tenon for example.
1) Was the shop teacher doing that right before you arrived? or was it the last thing he did that day? Sure the blade should be brought down if he left for the day.
2) Was he adjusting the blade height for some other process.
3) Should you go above his head or make any changes without talking with him first? The simple answer is no. I wouldn't want a client or co-worker going above my head. Extend the guy the courtesy and ask him about it first. If he laughs you off or spits at your feet then there is lots of chain of command at any school in which to pursue the matter.
Nothing I hate worse then a client going to my boss to ask him to make changes on a proposal without talking to me first. That smooth move got one guy special pricing after that. LIST + 10%
Muleboy.
Muleboy, I hear you. I did, the first day I had a program in his room, leave him a note to please tell me if he had issues with the way I left things, etc. I'm well aware that there are processes which require guard removal, like using a sliding table on the saw. Honestly, I don't have the guard on mine as I use the sliding table on it so often. Certainly no indication of him doing any activities that would require guard removal, and certainly not leaving the blade up when he'd left for the day.
Anyway, I never heard from him, until it came down from on high that I'd been using (I can check for the exact wording in the email that came from the building principal) the table saw and/or changing the settings.
So, this is what (after reading all the above comments, and chatting with a few others, including one who was, in the not too distant past, chair of the school committee) I think I'm going to do. After the new year I'm going to send an email to the involved parties (teacher, principal, and building and grounds guy, all of whom were included in that email) and ask for a meeting.
Thank you (all of you) for your thoughts.
Ed...
is "tact" that little light of reason or sensibility that goes on just as yer about to plane against the grain? After all, it is a well known fact that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
You never mentioned any review of safety contracts with students (which might be typically posted on the wall) , or whether their was an electrical lock out which would make all them machines just useless chunks of metal in the absence of a qualified instructor/supervisor who could allow them to be turned on.
From what I understand, most shop teachers are paranoid about lapses in safety which might cause injury to our children, as are their fellow teachers, their principals, their school trustees and school board, as well as their state and federal regulators and lawmakers....
but I could be wrong.
Eric
Hi Eric,
There may well be a master disconnect, and it may well have been off. I readily admit having a Pavlovian response to a raised table saw blade on an unused saw. It was beaten (just kidding) into me by several people who made it to ripe old ages with all their digits and eyeballs intact. As the saying goes, "safety is no accident". I also don't think an unpowered table saw blade is harmless ;-) .
No evidence of "safety contracts", and, in any case, "my" kids were not even students in that particular school.
IMHO leaving the blade up is bad practice, very bad practice, and sets a really bad example to impressionable folks. If the saw had the OSHA required guard in place I might have been able to overlook it.
I've not yet had my chat, but they are, at least, letting me into the school, LOL.
I suppose the honey thing works two ways; I did leave contact info for the teacher in the event he had any complaints. He chose not to use them.
Thank you for your thoughts.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled