Kickback on HGTV how to show...

[brian c miller]

THis looks really dangerous espically for a How to show to help homeowners: some where at about 16:20


http://www.hulu.com/watch/120916/10-grand-in-your-hand-new-bathroom-and-closets#s-p1-so-i0


The wife is 'ripping' about 2 or so inches of a panel that's clearly much wider than it is long. You can even seen the board kick back slightly before the cut is finished.

[Mike Reinholtz]

Wow, talk about irresponsible on the part of the show! You would think with the litigation-nation we live in they would know better.

[Will Overton]

And then she said, I don't like the table saw. :D

[Van Huskey]

That is indeed scary and poor and potentially dangerous "information". It is bad enough that they just show untrained people using a table saw much less using it incorrectly.

I am even more amazed and scared by some people who have been in the trades all their life, I helped my wife's uncle and grandfather finish up a laundry room build for her grandmother this weekend. The things they did with a CSMS and light weight portable TS scared me to death, but these are people who although I love and are very close to you don't correct. I knew it was bad when my wife would see them do something and look at me like "what the heck???", she has helped me in the shop to know better. It hit me that tracksaws need to be intorduced to more contractors, they could and SHOULD replace just about every portable site TS.

[Prashun Patel]

At least they used a rip fence. HA! I've seen umpteen of these where they cut without a guard and a fence.

[Barry Lyndon]

To be fair, that show is 10 Grand in Your Hand so there probably wasn't a professional there while she was using that table saw. The premise is basically, the professional, John DeSilvia, gives the home owners some guidance at the beginning of the show on how to save money on a project and not pay out a bunch to a GC. For the majority of the show, however, there is no professional there and it's just the home owners doing things and getting some stuff wrong. The host (John DeSilvia) will watch on a monitor and point out mistakes by the home owners to the home viewers. It doesn't look like John says anything about the improper use of the table saw in this case but he often does comment on those kinds of things.

[glenn bradley]

I imagine if she got hurt, the right lawyer could get her some free money. Filming amateurs in dangerous situations is not my idea of a good premise for a show. How about I grab a guy off the street who doesn't ride a motorcycle, put him on a rice-rocket and film how well he does in heavy traffic. ;-) Glad she was OK.

[Barry Lyndon]

I imagine if she got hurt, the right lawyer could get her some free money. Filming amateurs in dangerous situations is not my idea of a good premise for a show. How about I grab a guy off the street who doesn't ride a motorcycle, put him on a rice-rocket and film how well he does in heavy traffic. ;-) Glad she was OK.

I got news for ya...this kind of stuff happens all day every day. Inexperienced/ignorant/careless people operate dangerous machinery all the time. Whether they just ran out and bought a new table saw cause they were told they need one to remodel their basement or they have been woodworking for 30 years now and either don't think they need a guard or are just too lazy to put one back on. Heck, I have seen very experienced professionals who are very good at what they do use a table saw like a scroll saw and cut a half circle into trim to go around the riser of a bottom rounded stair. This was done without the guard or a riving knife (obviously). My point is, this happens all the time, HGTV just happens to be there to film it and MOST of the time they actually take the time to comment on it and educate people about it as well. I see nothing wrong with this. I'm sure their legal department knows what they are doing and have their butts covered. Also, I, along with many others on this very site, am an amateur wood worker (meaning I am not a professional). Are you suggesting that I should not use a table saw? Or just not when a camera is around? It's dangerous every single time, don't kid yourself.

By the way, if you think this is "too crazy for tv" then I would suggest that you all stay away from Renovation Realities. Your heads may explode with some of the stuff that one shows.

[Jeff Monson]

By the way, if you think this is "too crazy for tv" then I would suggest that you all stay away from Renovation Realities. Your heads may explode with some of the stuff that one shows


I love to watch that show, I wonder how long it will be till someone gets seriously injured and puts an end to the show? My favorite is the 2 gals cutting concrete with a gas powered concrete saw, its too heavy for them to lift so they fabricate a pulley system, to lift the saw. Or there is also the guy who takes a saws all to the gas pipe and is too lazy to see if there is gas present, he figured nothing blew up so it must not be used anymore!

[Steve Milito]

Actually, she's really not 'ripping' the panel. The cut would be a crosscut if it were a true plank. What she's cutting is actually a composite with a veneer. A cross cut sled would be an option if she had a wider table, but the board is too long for her saw. She should have used a straight edge and a circular saw.

[Barry Lyndon]

I love to watch that show, I wonder how long it will be till someone gets seriously injured and puts an end to the show? My favorite is the 2 gals cutting concrete with a gas powered concrete saw, its too heavy for them to lift so they fabricate a pulley system, to lift the saw. Or there is also the guy who takes a saws all to the gas pipe and is too lazy to see if there is gas present, he figured nothing blew up so it must not be used anymore!

Lol, yeah I love that show too. I don't think I've seen the two girls cutting with the concrete saw, I'll have to keep an eye out for that one. I did see one where a guy was adding a hallway to his house and he was on up on a ladder with one of those giant concrete saws trying to cut into his house with the saw above his head. The just touched the concrete and kicked him back and almost knocked the ladder over. People just don't think sometimes. I don't mean to sound sexist (and I'm not) but the ones with just women working on projects are always entertaining. I'm sure when looking for show subjects they filter out experienced people and just look for the most clueless people when it comes to tools to make things more entertaining. One show there were two teachers (both ladies) renovating their kitchen and I swear one of them spend a good 2 hours trying to cut one 45 on a piece of trim. They, like the guy you mentioned, had an issue with a gas line as well.

[glenn bradley]

Are you suggesting that I should not use a table saw? Or just not when a camera is around? It's dangerous every single time, don't kid yourself.

Sorry all, I knew I should have edited that post . . . :(. I guess I should've qualified the "amateur" descriptor. I too am an amateur and probably should have said 'inexperienced amateur' or something like that. I do agree that this sort of thing happens every day and am not on a personal campaign to stop it; none of us has the time or inclination. I do think televising it is a poor idea but it is good to hear that the show normally stops and says something about the misbehavior. :) There are certainly enough "experts" demonstrating on You Tube who actually advise unsafe practices who are more irresponsible. ;)

[Mike Cruz]

It is only 10 grand in your hand IF YOU HAVE A HAND LEFT TO PUT 10 GRAND IN!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike Cruz]

The only reason she didn't end up WEARING that board is because it is a low hp saw. I had, on occasion (not intentionally), stopped the blade of my old TS when the curf closed. I don't think I'd be able to do that with my 3 hp Uni. I had a piece of plywood about 9x12 (or so) catch the blade after passing through and come back and hit me in the gut a month or so ago. The memory is still fresh in my mind. The bruising and scabs are gone, but as I lay in bed at night, if the incident crosses my mind, I get instantly drenched in sweat. She's awefully lucky...

[John Coloccia]

How many times have you heard this:

A: I dunno. Do you think it's safe to do it like that?
B: Oh, come on. Do you know how many people use these things?? Do you think they'd let them sell it if they were dangerous?

[Joe Shinall]

How many times have you heard this:

A: I dunno. Do you think it's safe to do it like that?
B: Oh, come on. Do you know how many people use these things?? Do you think they'd let them sell it if they were dangerous?


Or this one:

A: Is that gonna work?
B: We're about to find out!

[Curt Harms]

I imagine if she got hurt, the right lawyer could get her some free money. Filming amateurs in dangerous situations is not my idea of a good premise for a show. How about I grab a guy off the street who doesn't ride a motorcycle, put him on a rice-rocket and film how well he does in heavy traffic. ;-) Glad she was OK.

Sounds like a pilot for a top rated show. Make sure the "stars" are attractive and scantily clad females. You'll be the next Aaron Spelling :cool:.

[Ben Franz]

Much of the discussion above focuses on inexperienced amateurs and the unsafe ways they use tools. The "pros" are just as bad sometimes. In 20+ years as a contractor and foreman, I've seen tradespeople do some pretty stupid things. I had one carpenter that either removed or pinned back the guards on all his saws, including hand held Skilsaws, etc. I banned the tools from my site and told him the next time I saw anything like that, he was done. A few days later he clipped a finger using a miter saw (with the guard taped up!) and my last sight of him was after I took him to a clinic for treatment. Luckily, he worked for a labor service that was responsible for his Worker's Comp claim. My first mentor taught me that if you can't make the cut with the guard in place, you need to secure the workpiece better - this advise has never failed me. I won't even start to talk about the stuff I've seen wood floor installers try with their tablesaws.

[Joe Chritz]

Or this one:

A: Is that gonna work?
B: We're about to find out!

C: Hold my beer and watch this!

I have helped on building sites a few times and without fail see something stupid every time. My favorite is still cutting 2x material braced on your leg free hand.

Joe

[Greg Portland]

I don't mean to sound sexist (and I'm not) but the ones with just women working on projects are always entertaining. I'm sure when looking for show subjects they filter out experienced people and just look for the most clueless people when it comes to tools to make things more entertaining. One show there were two teachers (both ladies) renovating their kitchen and I swear one of them spend a good 2 hours trying to cut one 45 on a piece of trim. They, like the guy you mentioned, had an issue with a gas line as well.In fairness, the ladies at least know when to call in help. The gas powered concrete saw + pulley is my favorite too (they actually got it to work for awhile).

[Brian Peters]

This isn't the first time I've seen these inexperienced people on these DIY tv shows do exactly what she did. I always get a kick out of the "carpenters" that are on these shows that look like they haven't gotten dirty a day in their lives. Their techniques all around are a huge joke. I think one show in particular is Hammer Heads? I think I saw a clip from design star that someone posted awhile back where the man/woman was doing the same thing she did in this video cross cutting a piece of MDF and she held onto the cut off piece and watched the other piece between the fence and blade bind up and rocket back.

:o There should be at least a basic prerequisite to buying tools.

[Brian Peters]

And good point from above. If she had done that on a 3-5hp cabinet saw and not a cheap ryobi contractor saw the results would have been drastically different. (she's lucky)