I would say the table saw. I started in this business in June of 1973 as a Cabinetmaker Apprentice @$2.89 an hour. I was at the table saw cutting 3/8″ plywood into 10″ squares and the next thing I knew I got the wind knocked out of me and my knees were shackin and I had a 3/8″ red mark across my stomach from the plywood. The only think I could think what happened was I lifted the plywood up before I was clear of the blade, I never let that happen again.KNOCK on wood I have all my fingers after 33 years.I have seen people get cut on the TS # 1 reason for not knowing what they are doing, some was making picture frames,they cut the rips,then cut the miters,then decided to cut the back out,his THIRD TIME getting CUT he didn’t learn after the first two,and he was told the first two times that was dangerous.
I also worked with a guy who had a depression in his calf from a SHAPER cutter breaking and flying out,he was only walking by.
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One guy I know has a furniture business in Vimercate. About 15 years ago one of his workers was using a joiner and the power went off so he sat on it to wait for the power to come back on. You might say it was a half-a$$ed move ,which is exactly what happened when the power came back on.
Now CE safety features make that impossible.
Anyway to me the shaper is the most dangerous.
Philip
Getting back to the shaper accident,that happened at a high end custom shop in Phila.PA. I was just starting my 2nd. year as an apprentice, I was asking the jounrymen I was helping that I wanted to learn how to use the Shaper, then they told me the story and that person was still working there and I saw the dent in his leg,so I never worked on the shaper, I never asked again either. Most of the machine men had finger tips missing. At that time in the contract machine men got $.50 cents a hour more,that was June of 1974. That put the rate around $7.00 hour.
Any machine that is improperly or unsafely used is dangerous. I once saw a guy cut his thumb off with a hand saw. And I'm sure you have heard countles stories of people tripping and falling on screwdrivers or chisles or having a hammer glance off and hit themselves or someone else.
Jack
I agree with Jack whatever tool cuts your finger off is the most dangerous. It's kinda like the saying "guns don't kill, people do". If you respect the tool and know how to use it you should be fine. Remember " Let's take a moment to talk about shop safety read and understand your shop manuals and most important are these wear saftey glasses".
Guy at work years ago using a chop saw: Holds the piece down with his left hand which was positioned on the right side of the blade, chops down with his right hand through about half the board and half of his left forearm. I think he needed some 30 stiches. Think man Think!!
Last night I had just trimmed a piece to length on the TS with the miter gauge, and was bringing the piece back from the left with my left hand, but looking to the right (for a clear place to put it). The end of the board whacked into the blade guard, which banged against the spinning blade.
Helluva racket, but without the guard I'd probably have had the spinning blade throw the board at me. As it was, that crappy, cheap, inconvenient guard got only a little internal scratch, and I got another reminder to keep using it. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
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