Dumb things you can do to hurt yourself on a TS

[Victor Robinson]

As many of you know from my other thread regarding the purchase of my first TS, I'm a rookie to this dangerous power tool.

I have watched countless videos and read countless websites and magazines about how to safely use a table saw. I started off respectful but confident, but recently, having come across numerous harrowing tales of injury and carnage resulting from table saws (sometimes the internet can be a bad thing!), started getting a bit more nervous.

My question is this - does a riving knife and proper feed method (that keeps your hands away from the blade, e.g. GRR-ripper) basically guarantee you won't experience an injury? Are there any types of kickback that can happen DESPITE having a riving knife or splitter installed? Are there other dumb things you should make sure never to do, like never letting go of the wood you're feeding through the blade? What about boards that aren't very flat, or properly dried - does a riving knife keep things safe in those circumstances? Is it as simple as "keep the kerf open, no kickback."

I'm sort of embarrassed to ask this, but figured you good folks wouldn't be TOO hard on me. :)

[Dave Tesch]

i cant say for certainty but logic would dictate that if a riving knife were flawless in its ability to prevent any type of kickback then there would be no market for splitters with anti kickback prawls.

i can tell for for certainty that the tool i have been most injured by is.....a flat blade screwdriver. laugh all you want but i have managed to slice my hand open with one of those more times than i care to remember; so much so that i generally choose other screw/driver types.

the safest thing you can do with a TS is not to touch the blade when it is running, and dont stand in a place where a kickback will hit you.

a good respect for any tool is a good thing, fear might not be so good. truth be told i am pretty scared of tablesaws, i use them often and have never had an injury (but i have had disasterous kickbacks on cheap, crummy direct drive saws - never on my delta).

[Dennis McGarry]

I've been using a TS for far to long. There is nothing that will be 100% safe, if you want that, buy a sawstop.

But they are also only as dangerous as the operator will allow them to be.

Follow the safety instructions you already have and most importantly, Be respectful of the tool and understand what it can do if you allow it to.

If you are to nervous or afraid of it, it will bit you, they are like animals and sense fear. Dont over think it.

I too have been injured more with a screwdriver then a power tool.

[Mitchell Andrus]

It's mostly about control. If you control the saw and the board you won't get hurt. Nothing however is 100%. Even a SawStop can send a board flying.

Practice with some 1" thick foam insulation board. You'll get a feel for the movement, your stance, where the blade is, clearing cut-offs, etc., without the need to worry too much about binding the blade on you first day.


Never ever be too embarrassed to ask first.

[Sean Hughto]

A splitter isn't going to stop you from running your finger through the blade.

There are plenty of ways to hurt yourself with nearly any tool.

The list of safety dos and don't is long and depends somewhat on your equipment too. As a general matter - control the stock (use a well adjusted fence, feather boards, sled, splitter etc. to make sure the stock is doing what you want and not what it wants) and if it feels dangerous, it probably is, so don't do it.

[Myk Rian]

Fear of a tool can be healthy, but too much can hurt you. Just be careful, and if you're doing something that you think is wrong, stop right there and correct it.

The one thing I always make sure of is to keep the floor clean in front of the TS. A foot slipping on that saw dust could put you in a world of hurt.

Second safety practice I use is a push stick, handle, or anything that keeps your hand away from the blade, and also gives you control. The Gripper is a nice tool to have.

[John Coloccia]

No matter what tool you're using, you have to be on your toes. A gnarly grain that closes up can most certainly flex that puny little riving knife out of the way and let it catch. All these safety devices are merely additional layers of protection, and all of them can fail. The first layer of protection is your brain. Theoretically, if that's always 100%, you can remove all these safety devices and never have a problem.

I make mistakes sometimes, so I use other layers such as riving knives, push shoes where appropriate, featherboards, a SawStop, etc. All of these combine to give me multiple layers of protection such that multiple things have to fail before I run into trouble, or they can minimize injury (in the case of the SawStop). Sometimes it just buys you a little time to wakeup and figure out what's going on so your brain can take over and fix things before they get out of hand.

When I'm working, I pretend as best I can that there is NO protection other than what I have between my ears, and if I feel as though to safely complete my cut that I have to depend on one of the other layers, I shut it down if I can. Others will chime in and say "You'll never make a living woodworking if you act like a little girly man." To that I say "I don't make a living woodworking so I can be as girly as I want".

But to answer the basic question, it's true that if you keep the back of the cut out of the blade, you won't ever get a kickback. That means keeping the kerf open and keeping the piece on the fence. You MAY still get material rejection where the piece comes straight back along the table, without actually getting a full fledged kickback. This is less of a big deal than a piece of wood launching off the back of the blade and flying into your chest...or stomach....or head....or anywhere else, actually. Feather boards really help fight the temptation to push against the fence on the cutoff side of the blade, thereby closing the kerf on the blade and causing it to grab. With the feather board generally keeping the work against the fence, you can really concentrate on keeping the work between the blade and the fence going as it should.

All just my opinion.

[glenn bradley]

I'm with Myk. An excess of fear can be dangerous. If you have ever tried to teach someone to drive a car, who is in a constant near state of panic, every second they are behind the wheel, you know what I mean. I applaud your desire to understand and be sure of the proper operation of your tools. I see people driving automobiles, which can be extremely dangerous, who have obviously not bothered to gain any understanding of the machine's operation beyond getting their license.

All that being said, some folks do have an inordinant fear of certain things. I could never sky-dive but I scuba at 100 feet down whenever possible. I don't think you should push yourself into something that will have you stressd out when this hobby can provide such joy and relaxation.

Maybe a guided circular saw or a large bandsaw would be more comfortable for you to get started with. Each of these is also dangerous as can be when mishandled but, the purpose would be to raise your confidence level so that you can enjoy yourself. Mitchell's suggestion about starting with foam boards sounds like a good idea.

My table saw practices have kept me accident free but, there are no guarantees. I make sure the saw is well aligned so that it will behave predictably. I use a good fence, zero clearance throat plates, splitters, blade guards, Grr-Rippers ( prefer these over push sticks that offer me no real control, just distance) , good infeed and outfeed support (having control of your material is way up there on the list of safety practices) and so on.

[Rich Switzer]

Placing your table saw on an ice chest would probably qualify as a dumb thing:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2009/11/13/20091113abrk-amputation.html

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Placing your table saw on an ice chest would probably qualify as a dumb thing:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2009/11/13/20091113abrk-amputation.html



What a brave man!

Eeesh.. People commenting on that article are crackers... I find nothing of that brave... Foolish, reckless and stupid, yes... Brave? Naaa...

Respect the tool and it will respect you.. In all the years my grandfather was building cabinets he was never bit by the table saw... Jointer? Yeah.. Nipped the tip.. Table saw? Naaa... Not once.. ;)

Don't do this either..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrvwo9HMBBs

And yes, it's fake. :)

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Getting in your automobile and driving down the street along side of other drivers who may have:
a)had too much to drink
b) are reading the morning newspaper
c) applying make up while twiting their friend
are all more dangerous than your saw. You take extraordinary precautions when you drive. You make sure your auto is in good running and stopping condition. You hone your own driving skills. Hopefully, you make sure you are awake and alert. You wear your seat belt.
Even so, bad things happen to good people. It is a risk you manage and have to take to get where you are going. The table saw is no different, you just haven't practiced it yet. Begin by working with flat stable stock like plywood. Cut pieces that are relatively large, say 8" between the fence and the blade. Take all precautions. Build a cross cut sled as a project. Then use it. Familiarity will breed confidence. Use your common sense. It, along with a but of reading about the tool will guide your path to experience.

fmr

[Steven DeMars]

Getting in your automobile and driving down the street along side of other drivers who may have:
a)had too much to drink
b) are reading the morning newspaper
c) applying make up while twiting their friend
are all more dangerous than your saw. You take extraordinary precautions when you drive. You make sure your auto is in good running and stopping condition. You hone your own driving skills. Hopefully, you make sure you are awake and alert. You wear your seat belt.
Even so, bad things happen to good people. It is a risk you manage and have to take to get where you are going. The table saw is no different, you just haven't practiced it yet. Begin by working with flat stable stock like plywood. Cut pieces that are relatively large, say 8" between the fence and the blade. Take all precautions. Build a cross cut sled as a project. Then use it. Familiarity will breed confidence. Use your common sense. It, along with a but of reading about the tool will guide your path to experience.

fmr

NEVER ALLOW ANYONE TO SPEAK TO YOU WHILE RUNNING YOUR SAW ! ! !

NO ONE SHOULD EVER ENTER THE AREA WHILE RUNNING YOUR SAW ! ! !

Pretend that ever piece you are cutting could magically disappear, zap, gone . . . what would happen to your hand . . . Think PATH ! ! !

[Dan Karachio]

I'm also a relative newbie, but while I have respect for the TS, I do not fear it, but am always aware of it. The Woodwhisper has a few video podcasts on this subject. You should check it out - just google it or use iTunes. Read and listen to everything you can. The one thing he says made sense to me. Use common sense. If something doesn't feel right, don't push it through, STOP. Don't back out the wood, just turn off the saw and wait for it to stop.

Always use a push stick. Buy and make your own and have a variety for different situations. If your hands are never near the blade, you are much safer. Always stand so you are not behind the wood that is between the fence and the blade. That way if there is kick back, you won't be hit. Use a miter gauge or cross cut sled. I know someone who was pushing a piece of wood that was wide (essentially he was crosscutting on the fence), had a kick back and it put two of his fingers into the blade - they were cut off.

When I was new at this I was often nervous around the saw. Now I am more confident, but never care free.

[gary Zimmel]

Great rules to live by Steven.

For me I have a healthy respect for my table saw.
I know things can go wrong quickly and am very aware of it.

I don't believe there is any guarantee that something will not go wrong.
But in saying that I can sure minimize potential trouble.

For me if I think it's a dangerous cut, it is...

Respect the saw don't be afraid of it.

[doug faist]

Victor - you've gotten some great suggestions here, but a word of caution; don't overthink your cut. That can be dangerous if you are more concerned with the theory and not concentrating on the practice.

A very good shop teacher of mine taught me a tip that I still practice every time I'm in the shop. Do a mock cut using the actual piece you'll be cutting; but do it with the saw OFF! Here's where you can concentrate on the theory. Is the piece too heavy to handle by yourself (a sheet of 3/4 MDF is beyond my capabilities); will your fingers be getting anywhere near the blade; can you control the piece AFTER it is cut; etc., etc. Make sure you feel comfortable with the cut; if you don't, find another way to do it. I've found that I will turn to the band saw or a circular saw when the table saw cut feels a little hinky.

Most important of all, have fun in the shop. If you don't feel comfortable with the table saw, use something else. There was a lot of very nice furniture built with a handsaw, hand planes and chisels long before all those tools grew tails.

Good luck with your future projects.

Doug

[Dan Friedrichs]

Pretend that ever piece you are cutting could magically disappear, zap, gone . . . what would happen to your hand . . . Think PATH ! ! !

+1. I think the sometimes overlooked safety aspect is what happens if something goes wrong. Consider where your hand(s) will go if something goes wrong with the cut.

One thing that I've seen Norm do on occasion is have his hand directly over the blade when doing a non-through cut. I would never do that, because the piece could get thrown backwards, and your hand would land directly on the blade. Likewise, I have a wide piece of red tape on top of my jointer fence indicating an area +/- 6" to the cutterhead. If the jointer were to kick the board back out, I don't want my hand to fall and land in that area.

[Neal Clayton]

there's no reason to look at the blade, you know it's cutting, look at your hands and the fence. if you can see your hands and the blade at the same time very close to each other, something is wrong.

there's no need to stand directly behind the blade either. stand to the right preferably, or stand to the left if that's not possible.

feel is about 90% of it to be honest, you learn feel by...

a) using the tool

b) having something go wrong

if you want to see what happens when something goes wrong, stand in front of the saw and wedge a piece of scrap into the blade, and watch it fly the other way, you'll feel the blade grab, you'll see how fast it is, and you'll hear the blade pinch as it bogs a bit right before it happens.

then cut something properly, and notice how much resistance there is, how the blade sounds, etc.

should you ever let go? if something is going badly wrong, yeah, i have let go a couple times. all the more reason not to stand directly behind. if you're standing past the fence on the right, you won't get hit, if you're standing on the left assuming that's not possible, you won't get hit. so if something goes horribly awry and you're not standing in the way, you can let go. how do you know something is going wrong? variances in resistance, odd noise from the blade, etc. see above.

fwiw i've used stationary large saws for about 16 years. the only time i've cut myself on one has been on a bandsaw. why? because a bandsaw is "safer" and you have a tendency to not appreciate "safer" tools. i've never even felt the wind from the blade on my hands and fingers in that 16 years from a table saw blade.

[glenn bradley]

Placing your table saw on an ice chest would probably qualify as a dumb thing:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2009/11/13/20091113abrk-amputation.html

Well there you have it; table saws are dangerous. I wonder if that guy owns any firearms?

[Myk Rian]

Well there you have it; table saws are dangerous. I wonder if that guy owns any firearms?
I wonder if it's the same guy that started his TS with his foot, while a bucket held the belt loose.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

I wonder if it's the same guy that started his TS with his foot, while a bucket held the belt loose.

That one was beyond disturbing.

[Mark Beall]

I'll say a couple of really obvious things here that I'm sure you've probably picked up on:

- use the safety equipment that came with your saw, if you don't like your blade guard, buy a replacement one that you do like (the most important thing here is that it's quick and easy to replace after you do operations that you can't use it for - that way you'll actually put it back on)

- remember that the blade doesn't stop spinning immediately when you hit the off switch. Wait until it stops before you do anything near it. The first time I ever had a TS throw a piece of wood at me I had reached over to flick a small offcut out of the way and it caught on the blade (I didn't have the blade guard on - I don't do that anymore). A 2x2 piece of oak hitting you in the nipple really, really hurts.

- when I'm doing cuts up close to the saw, I stand such that I can turn off the saw with my thigh and I always turn it off that way. It's now such a habit that, if things seem like they might be going badly, it's just a reflex to hit the switch with my thigh. I don't have to move my hands at all.

- never, use a TS or any other tool when you're in a hurry. I'd guess that being hurried and not thinking about what you're doing is a major contributor to accidents.

mark

[Dave Tesch]

That one was beyond disturbing.

OMFG. i had to look at what you were talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp-bQQl3FWY&feature=player_embedded

[Steve Walls]

Listen to that voice inside when it says what you are about to do might not be safe. Think it through and anticipate where things can go wrong. Make sure the fence and blade are properly aligned to the miter slot. Focus on your task at hand and you'll do fine.

[John Coloccia]

OMFG. i had to look at what you were talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp-bQQl3FWY&feature=player_embedded

Good Heavens! Starts off talking about dust masks and safety. Follows it up with a bucket lifting the motor, pliers holding the belt off the spindle, and winding it up with his foot (because the starter cap is dead), and then engaging the belt on a moving spindle. Grand finale is making a crosscut with the miter gauge and rip fence, then pushing the cutoff (the piece between the fence and blade) through the rest of the way with a satisfying GRRRSHHHHH as the wood gets shaved by the back of the blade.

Wow. I've never seen anything like that.

edit: until I saw this. He's got other videos. Check out 1:30. If I ever run into this guy at a craps table, I'm putting it all on him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsEGTzKnlbs

[Dean Karavite]

Just a FYI, I read this last night and today while at Woodcraft picked up a GRR-Ripper. It's great! Not only do I feel safer, I am getting nicer cuts. I also put in one of their MJ splitters last week. On another thread I mentioned I also bought a Incra 1000SE. It sure was a big day for the table saw, but it's all good stuff. Safer and the right way to do things.

Victor, I'm betting there are wood working classes in your area. See if anyone has a class on basic shop tools and safety. I have learned from a friend who is a professional furniture maker, but even with that, I learned mostly by doing. Another post mentioned podcasts. There are a ton of online articles and videos. Fine Woodworking magazine costs $14 a year for their online service. I think I have downloaded 25% of every pdf they have and watched countless hours of video.

I would also suggest this (I have done this). Take a bunch of scrap wood and practice different cuts and get really comfortable with each type. Ripping, cross cutting with the miter gauge then maybe try ripping sheets (that aren't too big for your saw). Make a simple cross cut sled too.

[harry strasil]

Read the instruction manual, USE COMMON SENSE, and you have to be smarter than the tool you are using, everything can be made dangerous. Ever get a paper cut, but no one ever complains about paper being dangerous.

Power tools are only as dangerous as the person operating them.

The power tool won't chop off your fingers, BUT YOU CAN.

[Nissim Avrahami]

Personally, I would not like to learn about TS safety from the Internet.

As you could see on the links above, there are many "Satans"...

I would recommend to buy a book like Jim Tolpin's "Table saw magic" or Ian Kirby's "The accurate table saw" and learn from them the best safety procedures on TS.

As for your questions;

The riving knife will reduce or minimize (better than a splitter) the chances for a kickback but will not prevent it totally.

Blade guard is a must...maybe you've read on the internet those "Who is using the blade guard" posts and you've seen many replies like "I don't use it for 30 years and have all my digits" but remember, that not everybody is made the same or, in other words, not everybody can be an Astronaut or F-16 pilot and here is an example of a guy that was probably influenced by one of those Machos and....read all this post and click to open the pics on post #17... http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=76081&highlight=bosch+4100 (and that happen at the FIRST "fire-up" of the TS.

Use featherboard to keep the workpiece tight to the fence before entering the blade front teeth.

I have an "Iron rule" - no hands or fingers around or above the blade...when the workpiece edge reaches the table top, I revert to push stick/shoe and try not to pass my hand parallel to the blade...

There are many more safety rules that you can wright a book...

work safe
niki

[Cody Colston]

"My question is this - does a riving knife and proper feed method (that keeps your hands away from the blade, e.g. GRR-ripper) basically guarantee you won't experience an injury?"

There is no tool or that will guarantee that you won't incur an injury while using the tablesaw. It spins a razor sharp blade at a high speed and if any part of your body contacts the blade, you will get injured. You can even be severly injured if the blade launches a piece of wood at ~100 mph and you are in the line of fire (kickback).

A properly tuned saw, good technique and use of safety gear will reduce the liklihood of injury but will not eliminate it. That's because the human factor is always present and is unpredictable.

Toasters come with guarantees. Table Saws come with an operator's manual.

[Neal Clayton]

Blade guard is a must...maybe you've read on the internet those "Who is using the blade guard" posts and you've seen many replies like "I don't use it for 30 years and have all my digits" but remember, that not everybody is made the same or, in other words, not everybody can be an Astronaut or F-16 pilot and here is an example of a guy that was probably influenced by one of those Machos and....read all this post and click to open the pics on post #17... http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=76081&highlight=bosch+4100 (and that happen at the FIRST "fire-up" of the TS.


yea, i'm one of those people. learned in high school shop class on a massive old oliver saw with no safety devices, first saw i owned was a ~60s unisaw with no safety devices, and upgraded that to an 80s PM66 with no safety devices, which i still use now.

the flip side of that argument is "safety devices give a false sense of security, and thus people don't learn the finer points of operating the machine".

i think either argument is valid. which one a person decides on depends mostly on whether he gets a new or old saw, and personal preference.

even if i had a TS with a blade guard and riving knife, i build things that require constant switching between the regular blade and the dado. would i remove and put back all of those guards 3 or 4 times a day even if i had them? probably not.

not to say they're superfluent things, especially for a new user. but required for safe use for an experienced user, imo, no.

[Myk Rian]

Just a FYI, I read this last night and today while at Woodcraft picked up a GRR-Ripper. It's great! Not only do I feel safer, I am getting nicer cuts.
I use mine a lot. It's nice to have.

[Dean Karavite]

Personally, I would not like to learn about TS safety from the Internet.

Good point Niki. I should have stated what I was thinking more clearly - advice and tutorials from more qualified sources such as Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, Norm, Wood Whisperer..., not just searching on YouTube!

[Peter Luch]

One of the things I have learned is that when my shop had limited tools I tried to do things on my TS that I should have done on another tool.

The best safety on a TS is to buy some more tools when possible to keep you from making cuts that should best be done on a bandsaw or miter saw.

I placed myself in more dangous situations when my tool choice was limited and tried to force the TS to do things on the edge of common sense.

Aloha, Peter

[Mark Beall]

even if i had a TS with a blade guard and riving knife, i build things that require constant switching between the regular blade and the dado. would i remove and put back all of those guards 3 or 4 times a day even if i had them? probably not.

I think that's a major reason that the safety equipment tends to get left off once it's removed. That was so true on my previous TS and generally I did leave them off. It was also a major consideration when I bought a new TS.

A TS can be designed so that it's not a major job to remove the blade guard etc. and put them back on. I now have a PM2000 and it literally takes 10 to 15 seconds to remove or replace the blade guard and riving knife (about 3 seconds to just remove or replace just the guard). If I was switching blades at the same time, it would just add a few seconds to that operation. So, for me, I now have those on for any cut they can be.

I'm sure there are other saws out there where their designers took this into consideration. I suspect it's still the exception rather than the rule.

mark

[Nissim Avrahami]

the flip side of that argument is "safety devices give a false sense of security, and thus people don't learn the finer points of operating the machine".
Hi Neal

Well, woodworking, is something that you can accomplish in a few ways...

For every question or action, you'll get at list 2 answers or methods....just ask for the "correct blade height" and you'll get "High" and "Low"....or, ripping solid wood, again, short fence and long fence....or, "to see or not to see the blade cutting" ----"must see the cut" (and that's why they clam that the guard is dangerous to use), and "I don't care what happens under the blade guard"...

We are human and every one of us is made a little bit different with different characteristics and ability to do things...
In simple words we are NOT all "Windows XP" that will do and react the same way on all the PC's in the world.

I mean - not everybody can be a good woodworker, pilot, poem, painter etc. Every one of us has this "small different gene" that makes him good in one field and less good in the other.

So, you are blessed with good thinking, commonsense, reactions and thinking ahead but, maybe others are not...are you going to tell them "If you cannot work safely without the guard and splitter - don't do woodworking" ?

But the poor guy wants to do woodworking so, the safety devices are just protecting him....of course you cannot prevent an idiot to push his hand under the guard...

There are 60,000 TS accidents in a year (as per Steve Gass), I'm sure that many, many of them could be prevented just by using the safety devices and operating according to the safety instruction.

On the pics below, you can see my blade guard that I touched in a split of second of un-concentration (after I finished the cut)...if it wasn't there....the pictures would be very RED....

Please remember that even if the blade it set to 2¼" height (to cut 2" thick board, before and after the cut you have a 2¼" of "Naked blade" that is just waiting.....

The dangerous times - of contact with the blade - are usually before you start the cut and at the end of the cut...usually, during the cut itself, the hands are "Out of the danger zone".

Regards
niki
132814132815

[Vince Shriver]

Eeesh.. People commenting on that article are crackers... I find nothing of that brave... Foolish, reckless and stupid, yes... Brave? Naaa...

Respect the tool and it will respect you.. In all the years my grandfather was building cabinets he was never bit by the table saw... Jointer? Yeah.. Nipped the tip.. Table saw? Naaa... Not once.. ;)

Don't do this either..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrvwo9HMBBs

And yes, it's fake. :)

Damn, I'm glad to hear that's a fake. I sort of figured it was when the guy didn't pull back as soon as the blade hit his thumb, instead of continuing to push his digit through the spinning teeth. Very creepy to watch - I can't get the visual out of my head.

[Rod Sheridan]

One of the things I have learned is that when my shop had limited tools I tried to do things on my TS that I should have done on another tool.


Aloha, Peter

Exactly.

Most table saws are not capable of performing non through cuts safely, because they don't have an overarm or bridge guard.

Yet grooving and dado cuts are some of the more frequent operations people make by removing the guard from the machine.

The same for tenon jigs, no blade guards.

My Father in Law is a retired cabinet maker who apprenticed in England.

The table saw wasn't used for operations that it wasn't designed for, there were shapers, tenoners etc which were designed to perform the work safely, with all the appropriate guards.

When he moved here, he was shocked to find a few people who claimed to be professionals, performing unsafe operations on machines. It simply wasn't done in his training and work experience, safety and cabinet making skills went hand in hand in making you a professional.

Safety is a system, it requires engineering for guards, processes and safety devices, training for operators, and proper supervision and instruction from qualified people.

At the home shop level, if you can't perform an operation with the guard in place, don't perform that operation.

In industry if you don't use the safety devices, you lose your employment.

At home you need the same thought process, if it's not safe don't do it.

You wouldn't saw your finger off at work for money, why would you do it for free at home instead?

Regards, Rod.