My Push Block

[Edward Weber]

Not all tool guards are made the same.
Many guards are too big or poorly designed, they can obstruct access and view of the work. When you see older machines with the guard removed, this is usually why.

[Mark Hennebury]

Using machinery without understanding the nature of the material, tools and process is what is stupid and irresponsible in my opinion!
The sad fact is that most of what you "need" to learn in woodworking you could learn in a day or two, and many people that have been woodworking for decades simple don't have that basic level of knowledge and in effect are working blind.
If you spent a single day in the workshop with a chisel, a handplane and some assorted chunks of wood and a jewelers loupe you could learn to understand the basic principles that you incorporate in every woodworking project and every tool and machine that you will ever use. Wood is not that complicated, neither are cutting tools and process principles.

My Stupidity and irresponsibility has kept me safe from harm in a very dangerous environment and sometimes under considerable stress and pressure for 50 years, so excuse me if I don't take your advise.

Of course, but removing guards on any machine is just plain stupid and irresponsibe. FWIW, I'm pretty sure tablesaws account for more severe injuries per year than any of the others you mentioned.

[Mark Hennebury]

Thirty years ago, a man named Bob walked into my shop and and introduced himself, he told me that he was taking a course on Heritage carpentry at the local college and for the month long summer break he wanted to volunteer at a furniture makers shop to see what it was like in a real work environment, so he asked if he could work for me. I told him that he could if he was willing to do homework, he said sure, so I gave him a block of wood and told him to take it home and read it, I told him that he had to come back Monday and tell me everything about the block of wood.
He never went back to college, he stayed at my shop for a couple of years, said that he learnt more in the month with me than the year at the college.

[Mel Fulks]

Mark, did he have teeth ? I think that’s what they call an “indentured servant”.

[Mark Hennebury]

Haha. Mel, We became good friends and remained so, he passed away three or four years ago. The point is learning woodworking is not difficult, you have to learn to look at stuff, and analyze it. my guess is that a lot of woodworkers have never really looked at wood, not really, not enough to describe every detail about it. How many have spent a day, cutting, slicing, splitting, crushing, bending, breaking, twisting wood, to get an understanding of the properties and behavior. You can learn a lot by experiment and observation. You can learn a lot about cutting tools with a chisel, add in chipbreakers, and rotating blades and your all set for a safe and productive journey of applying what you have learnt to a wide variety of situations, machines and applications. Knowledge is the best safety devise! Following generic rules made by someone else that don't apply to your situation is a recipe for disaster. knowledge gives you the power, to analyze and adapt to the situation. We are all at risk while we are alive, so there is no hundred percent safety, only degrees, margins of safety, and that requires judgement, based on many factors. The more you know the better your judgement will be, but you are always at risk.

Mark, did he have teeth ? I think that’s what they call an “indentured servant”.

[John TenEyck]

Using machinery without understanding the nature of the material, tools and process is what is stupid and irresponsible in my opinion!
The sad fact is that most of what you "need" to learn in woodworking you could learn in a day or two, and many people that have been woodworking for decades simple don't have that basic level of knowledge and in effect are working blind.
If you spent a single day in the workshop with a chisel, a handplane and some assorted chunks of wood and a jewelers loupe you could learn to understand the basic principles that you incorporate in every woodworking project and every tool and machine that you will ever use. Wood is not that complicated, neither are cutting tools and process principles.

My Stupidity and irresponsibility has kept me safe from harm in a very dangerous environment and sometimes under considerable stress and pressure for 50 years, so excuse me if I don't take your advise.

I could care less if you prefer to remove safety devices. But to argue that it's OK because knowledge and experience make them unnecessary truly is irresponsible.

Nothing more to say.

John

[Cameron Wood]

Here's my push stick. I've made a number of them for other woodworkers.
Attachment 504272

I've never liked this style because it puts your hand over the blade, pushing down directly into the blade zone.

I use a second push stick, if needed to hold the stock down. (or an ice pick, but don't tell or some will flip out)

[Mel Fulks]

Mark, I appreciate your ability to enjoy uninformed levity. Sorry he his gone. We have to balance the ever sneaking up bad stuff with
the puns , jokes , and craziness. The Devil hates laughter.

[Mark Hennebury]

I find it quite interesting how you can imagine so much and attribute it to me. I have only ever told you what I have done and how it has worked for me. My opinion is based on my experience. You decide what's right for you. You would be a fool to copy me, or anyone else for that matter.

I could care less if you prefer to remove safety devices. But to argue that it's OK because knowledge and experience make them unnecessary truly is irresponsible.

Nothing more to say.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I've never liked this style because it puts your hand over the blade, pushing down directly into the blade zone.

I use a second push stick, if needed to hold the stock down. (or an ice pick, but don't tell or some will flip out)

The long front piece of this style simultaneously holds the work piece down as it is pushed through the cut. It keeps your hand well above the blade.

[Edward Weber]

Haha. Mel, We became good friends and remained so, he passed away three or four years ago. The point is learning woodworking is not difficult, you have to learn to look at stuff, and analyze it. my guess is that a lot of woodworkers have never really looked at wood, not really, not enough to describe every detail about it. How many have spent a day, cutting, slicing, splitting, crushing, bending, breaking, twisting wood, to get an understanding of the properties and behavior. You can learn a lot by experiment and observation. You can learn a lot about cutting tools with a chisel, add in chipbreakers, and rotating blades and your all set for a safe and productive journey of applying what you have learnt to a wide variety of situations, machines and applications. Knowledge is the best safety devise! Following generic rules made by someone else that don't apply to your situation is a recipe for disaster. knowledge gives you the power, to analyze and adapt to the situation. We are all at risk while we are alive, so there is no hundred percent safety, only degrees, margins of safety, and that requires judgement, based on many factors. The more you know the better your judgement will be, but you are always at risk.

While overall I agree with the major theme of your statement/s, woodworking is not easy to learn for everyone. Some struggle with very basic concepts regardless of how it's presented or taught to them. Some can learn a lot by experiment and observation, not all. Everyone learns at their own speed, in their own way.

[Mark Hennebury]

You are right about that, not everyone learns at the same pace or in the same way. Back in the 80's I used to teach night-classes in my shop, eight students per class. Probably had over 400 students over the years. I quite enjoyed teaching.

While overall I agree with the major theme of your statement/s, woodworking is not easy to learn for everyone. Some struggle with very basic concepts regardless of how it's presented or taught to them. Some can learn a lot by experiment and observation, not all. Everyone learns at their own speed, in their own way.

[Jim Becker]

Jay Bates just released a video on this very subject...

[Mark Hennebury]

You realize that this world is very strange to many of us who have been around before the internet; most of this revolutionary stuff that is showcased in videos is just ordinary everyday stuff that we did without thought ....like breathing. When did people start buying pushsticks? When did people need a video tutorial to make a pushstick? It all seems so bizarre! If you can't figure out how to make a pushstick how are you going to figure out how to make anything more complicated?

[Cameron Wood]

Jay Bates just released a video on this very subject...

It looks like the hand hole in his push block is an inch or less up from the bottom, so if the blade was 1/2" above the stock, you could be running your fingers 1/2" above the blade without even thinking about it. He shows using it to poke the stock through the end of the cut, but that means repositioning it from the starting position, when it wasn't even needed.
Thanks, but I won't be downloading the PDF.