Ultimate Table Saw

[Ron Nossaman]

> Oh, how true.  I am recovering nicely from a deep cut on the face of my left thumb from my table saw.  After finishing cutting 150 small pieces of maple for a shank cutting jig I'll be giving away in KC, the last one did it.  The piece after cutting stayed between the blade and the fence.  I shut the saw off, and before the blade stopped I reached in to get the wood, and BINGO!  12 stitches later I analyzed what happened:  Tiredness, inattention, in a hurry, late in the day, and just not thinking.  I'm still learning that power tools do not forgive.....
> Mike Kurta

Hi Mike,
This isn't directed at you, but your post was a handy segue 
into some of what has been discussed in this thread. I hope 
you don't mind me borrowing it.

I've always said that, eventually, a power tool will hurt you. 
You just hope and try to insure that your number comes up on 
the wheel fifty years, or even fifteen minutes, after you've 
died from something else. Whatever you think is necessary and 
reasonable to achieve that is what you do. It works until it 
doesn't. If that includes a $3000 dollar saw that won't let 
you cut yourself however hard you try, then do that, but 
without the "how much are your fingers worth?" stuff to 
someone who doesn't. How many of you who made similar comments 
own this saw yourself? Anyone at all? Do auto accident 
statistics mean you should invest in a tank so you're 
untouchable in an accident? Who drives a tank? Hands? 
Thousands of injuries occur annually from people slipping in 
the bathtub. How many wear overhead rigged safety harnesses in 
the bath? Hands? The list of potential hazards is near 
infinite, unlike the time and resources we have to deal with 
eliminating them. We have to decide on our own personal 
realities and play our own hands out as we are able.

My table saw is run without guards. I don't want them in my 
way, and I sure don't want them giving me a sense of security 
and safety around the thing. I use push sticks and such, but 
that's it. I try to stay impressed with the danger and 
destructive power of these electric pit bulls, and stay alert 
as a consequence. Stupidity does strike on it's own schedule 
though, and I've had a reminder or two. So far, the only 
damage other than adrenalin shock and a tendency to babble 
under some circumstances, has been a tremendous hand hammering 
from a kickback, and being speared in the fingers a couple of 
times when diagonal splits were cut off (other side of the 
blade from the fence) and launched into me by the blade. 
Luckily, the bone stopped them, but a guard wouldn't have 
prevented this.

There are a half dozen ways to do something right and safely, 
and thousands of ways to that same thing wrong and 
dangerously, whatever the tool. I would have a very hard time 
getting along without my table saw, but the same goes for my 
band saws, for different reasons. They are all over 30 years 
old, and not the top of the line, and I'll eventually upgrade 
when I need capabilities they can't produce - possibly with 
$3000 saws, but likely not.

Ron N