Terrible body/arm position in the taper jig video
I’m probably going to get in hot water with Taunton/Woodworking Mag for this, but if anyone watches this video and DOESN’T see a terrible technique error, it could cost them a hand. The tapering jog demo shows the person using his left hand to push the sled along the fence, with his left arm at an angle across the line of the saw blade, which doesn’t have a guard on it. I don’t care if the guard may have been “removed for the video”, it’s really not safe and should NEVER be done that way. If someone is left-handed, they should place th e fence to the left of the blade, so they can giude the sled with their dominant hand. He should have at least moved so no part of his body was able to cross the blade. If his footing changed and he stumbled, his hand would be gone and it’s this kind of screw-up that causes lawsuits WRT table saw “accidents”. In this case, it would be less of an “accident” and more of an eventual incident.
I’ll be posting this in more than one forum- not to be annoying, but because I’d rather tell more people about it so they can be safe.
Here’s the video- if someone from Taunton feels the need to comment, feel free.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=34987&lookup=auto&V18=&V19=&V20=&V21=&V22=&V23=&V24=&V25=&V26=&V53=&V54=&Taun_Per_Flag=true&utm_source=email&utm_medium=eletter&utm_content=20121020-top-jig&utm_campaign=fine-woodworking-eletter
Replies
Sled
Hadn't seen this before you posted the link. He seemed to be very careful and under control. Although the sled was clamped to the fence - he should not pull back until the saw stops. Any use of power tools is dangerous, and maybe if he's doing a video for the public extra care in technique can go a long way but I don't think Terrible is fair to describe the operator.
SA
I would say the technique he used was safe. As far as the left arm, he was standing in the proper position to the right of the blade and the only thing I would fault would be that when he went to turn the saw off he passed his hand over the blade, at least it seemed that way from the angle we were given.
Regarding moving a piece backwards with the blade still moving, I wouldn't fault that. The "L" shaped board would prevent any kickbacks and the sled itself was away from the blade.
The sled is away from the blade but the leg isn't. That, and the fact that it's higher than the sled makes it pretty easy to have a problem under the right/wrong circumstances.
I'll stick with what I was taught- "never move the work back toward you when the blade is still spinning", NEVER move your hand in the direction of a spinning blade or cutter" and "never lean over a spinning blade or cutter", among others. Nobody WANTS a problem, but it happens awfully quickly and when it does, there's just about nothing that can be done to stop it. Someone here at Knots was wearing gloves while cutting with his dado set and his hand slipped. Fortunately, it didn't do as much damage as it cound have but it still wasn't good- caught him in the palm of his hand.
Sled safety
I agree with you except the sled wasn't held to the fence. Only held down and the riving knife was the only device to prevent the sled from moving to the left. I probably would have installed with a very light, just kissing, touch two feather boards. One just before the blade and one after the riving knife.
The only other option to cover the blade would have been an over arm guard.
If I was using a narrow sled like that, I would use a feather board to hold it against the fence. With the blade so high, the chance of upward force at the rear of the blade could potentially cause the sled to rise and kick back. This is why I'm in the process of adding an outfeed table to my saw- roolers that are skewed tend to make the stock wander to that side and that's just not safe. Riving knife, or not- an exposed blade set that high isn't a good idea without extra precautions and if the blade is that high, there's never a good reason to pass any part of the body directly toward the spinning blade. Theoretically, he was doing it safely but it only takes a fraction of a second to be distracted before something goes wrong. Having narfed my left index finger on my brand new T&G bit because I screwed up, I now take more care when I'm working. I was lucky.
Also, the Saw Stop video that runs constantly at the local WoodCraft store shows someone who lost a bunch of fingers in a way that makes me think he was doing something wrong. The index finger was almost untouched and the angle went toward the base of his little finger, which tells me that his palm was facing up. The only way my hand would go through that way is if I was off to the side of the saw and trying to do something that doesn't make sense, like leaning too far forward.
First line of defense- we need to constantly think about safety. Second line is to make sure the blades/cutters are as sharp as possible & the machines are set up/adjusted correctly and third is to not use machines in ways they weren't intended.
No, the "L" shaped board kept
No, the "L" shaped board kept the sled down and to the right, no kickback possible, and he moved the sled 1/32 to the right to allow for sanding.
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