Which saw is the most dangerous? [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

Fred Ray

11-16-2005, 2:23 PM

I think the RAS has the most potential for the machine itself to be dangerous because of the way it works - cutting toward the user.

As several have already said or implied - the most dangerous to use is the one that the user becomes too complacent about. The Greenville, SC Woodworkers Guild has a very well equipped shop available for use by any of its over 350 members. It has operated for over 2 years now with only two accidents that required more than a bandaid. Both were on the 14" bandsaw. Why? We believe it's because users feel too comfortable with it while they fear the 12 inch jointer, the 36inch bandsaw and other large equipment. Both cut fingers or thumbs when the blade cut through the wood at the end of the cut and you get that little surge effect in your push. They were not paying attention to where the blade was going when it came through. Fortunately, both required only stitches, no digits were lost.

Andy Hoyt

11-16-2005, 2:41 PM

What Jeff said.

Whatever you are using when you are bored or tired is dangerous.

...Perhaps ripping on a RAS was not as dangerous as I once thought, I was certainly never bored when "in the act".
I'd like to add complacent the list. And for me that's the CMS.

Greg Heppeard

11-16-2005, 2:43 PM

I kinda think a see saw is the safest...hehe

RAS I think is the most dangerous, followed by table saw

Keel McDonald

11-16-2005, 2:45 PM

IMHO, the Router/Router Table is the worst. I constantly have to remind myself to keep fingers out of the way. Maybe it's because that sharp spinny thing is going so fast, maybe it's just me.

Steve Clardy

11-16-2005, 2:55 PM

I don't believe I've ever cut myself with wood working tool. TS, BS, RAS, etc. Sharp knife, yes.

Nor a chainsaw. I have a LOT of respect for a chainsaw. I've seen some pretty nasty results of chainsaw accidents.
I did take the top layer of leather off of one of my boots one time with a chainsaw. Very stupid trick there. I was lucky. I'll remember that every time I pick up a chainsaw.

John Bailey

11-16-2005, 3:14 PM

I've use the radial arm saw extensively and I've always been afraid of it. It just looks like its got the most potential for problems. That being said, I've never had an accident. There's a sailing couple that have written many books, Larry and Lynn Pardey. They don't use safety harnesses because they think it makes you complacent - relying on the harness instead of your good sense. Without the harness, they are always thinking ahead and hanging on. I think the same thing could be said in the shop. When we get complacent we are at the most risk. Me, I take the Pardey's advice and hold on tight. But, just in case, I wear the harness also.

John

Don Dean

11-16-2005, 3:21 PM

As a new woodworker I agree with Jim Hager. Over the past 6 weeks I have read, watched, studied, and talked to woodworkers about the table saw. When I get back from vacation next week I will uncrate, set up and use my first table saw with respect, care, and upmost saftey. I plan to enjoy my new hobby and start and end with all my body parts. I plan to follow Norm's advice (read the instructions) and learn much more from others; like from Creekers.

Thanks to all Creekers for your input, opinions, support and help. It means alot for a beginner to have such great people at all skill levels helping and supporting each other.

Chris Barton

11-16-2005, 3:37 PM

The tool that probably causes the greatest frequency of injury is the hammer. Years ago, Fine Woodworking magazine ran an article that said the power tool that produced the most injuries in the typical woodworking shop was the band saw. I would agree with most here that the radial arm is an inherently less safe method of sawing and that largely explains why they have dropped in popularity over the past 20 years. The RAS used to be the single most popular stationary power tool in the home shop. Now, it has all but been replaced by the compound miter saw.

Bart Leetch

11-16-2005, 4:00 PM

There is not one dangerous tool out there!!!

Until a man or woman take it in hand or flips the switch to turn on the electric motor. The human element makes the tool dangerous.

Remember.

"Before using any power tools let's take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember, there is no more important rule than to wear these, safety glasses." Norm Abram
Learn to respect your tools & pay very close attention to all the safety rules & cautions each & every time you use your tools.:D :D :D

Bob Johnson2

11-16-2005, 4:20 PM

Worst experience I've had with a table saw is kick back.
Worst on the RAS (which I've used a lot) is when it grabs from being dull or cutting too quick, both are really my errors as opposed to the saw.
I've nicked myself on the bandsaw, but it was uncoiling a brand new timberwolf, nicked my face and put a good scratch in my glasses.

By far the scariest is the RAS with the shaper head, anyone want it?

John Hart

11-16-2005, 4:23 PM

The RAS is the only saw that I nearly died using. If it were not for the stop at the end of the arm, and the position I was standing, it would have cut my chest open. But...like everyone says....It was because I was inattentive at that moment. Had I died...it would have been my own fault.

Rob Russell

11-16-2005, 4:26 PM

The radial arm saw has a reputation as being dangerous for 2 reasons:

The natural action of the blade will tend to pull the saw head out towards the operator
It's my understanding that when the head is rotated 90 degrees and used for ripping stock, there's a greater chance of a piece of stock being caught and thrown by the RAS as compared to a table saw.

I'll never forgot when I sold my old Craftsman table saw to a guy. He wanted to see how it cut. Fine. Gave him a set of safety glasses and a scrap of wood. He turns the saw on. I had to turn away for a second to look at something and when I turned around my heart skipped a beat and I just about wet my pants. He was freehand crosscutting the stock despite the miter gauge that was on the saw. I didn't dare say anything because I didn't want to startle him and cause him to jerk the board into the blade causing a kickback. I just started prayin' that nothing happened. As soon as the board was past the blade, I killed the saw. We had a little chat about how to use the saw. He did buy the saw and I breathed a real sigh of relief as he drove away.

All that little story proves is that the stuff between our ears (or not, as the case may be) is the most dangerous tool in the shop.

Rob

Mike Cutler

11-16-2005, 4:57 PM

I guess, if we confine the question to the "shop" the most dangerous would be the tablesaw. or the sliding compound mitersaw, when set to cut compound angles, and I know I have a lot more repect for my 18" bandsaw, with a 2-3tpi,1" blade, than I ever had with my 14" Jet.
I think the saw with the most emergency room trips associated with it, is the lowly circular saw, only because of sheer numbers.

Regardless of all this. It is the one being used improperly, out of ignorance, or plain bad habits.

Ian Barley

11-16-2005, 5:00 PM

The one that you are using. Concentrate on that one and don't worry abou the others until you start using them.

John Bailey

11-16-2005, 5:15 PM

Good one Ian, and the correct answer.

John

Richard Wolf

11-16-2005, 5:34 PM

What make the RAS even more dangerous is that most people at some point will change the blade. A RAS should use a blade with a negitive hook. They but a table saw blade on and it runs across the wood before you can think about stoping it.
Use the right blade and at least you have a chance.

Richard

Doug Jones from Oregon

11-16-2005, 5:45 PM

OK...I've read all of these and no one has mentioned the one tool that has caused me two incidents in my shop....the dang drill press!!

Doug

Ellen Benkin

11-16-2005, 6:05 PM

Dennis Peacock

11-16-2005, 6:27 PM

No real power tool cuts....but plenty of screwdriver gouges and cuts from wood chisels.:rolleyes:

Steve Cox

11-16-2005, 6:43 PM

According to the ER nurse I'm married to, the tablesaw accounts for the most trips to the emergency room by far.

Bert Johansen

11-16-2005, 7:19 PM

The used Grizzly cabinet saw I purchased several years ago came with the worst fence known to man. The only reason I haven't purchased an aftermarket version is because I am upgrading to a combo machine. Anyway, the fence NEVER aligns parallel to the blade unless I measure and adjust for each cut. Royal PAIN youknowwhere! And yup, I got sloppy once and have a nasty scar on my belly from the kickback, which I estimated hit me at about 100 mph. Ouch! This is a very dangerous machine!

Bert

Doug Shepard

11-16-2005, 8:01 PM

According to the ER nurse I'm married to, the tablesaw accounts for the most trips to the emergency room by far.
I wonder if this would still be true if the number of RAS or BS users was equal to the number of TS users? Your statement doesn't surprise me, but I think it's got a lot to do with the disproportionately higher number of TS users vs, RAS or bandsaw users. The TS is often the first major power tool purchase for beginners and they're the most likely to do something unsafe anyway. I don't disagree with you. I just think there's more going on with the accident numbers than the inherent safety of a TS as compared to the other two.

The radial arm saw has a reputation as being dangerous for 2 reasons:
The natural action of the blade will tend to pull the saw head out towards the operator
It's my understanding that when the head is rotated 90 degrees and used for ripping stock, there's a greater chance of a piece of stock being caught and thrown by the RAS as compared to a table saw.
...
Rob
During my Jr. & Sr. year in high school I had a part time job at a local lumber yard. I can't tell you how many times I saw long (10-16') 2x10's or 2x12's kick back during ripping on a 12" RAS and go sailing out the door of the milling room. The few times the door was closed on one of these occasions, very large holes were actually made through the door. The old timers that worked there wouldn't let us kids near the thing for ripping, and after seeing a few of these incidents, I was happy to leave it to them.

I've only "drawn blood" with my Japanese saws 'fore I figgered out how to work them, PS, these weren't powered either!! >8) Bruce

Those have gotten me a few times too and I wasn't even using them at the time. I accidently backhanded them a couple of times. Once laying on the work surface near what I was working on, and the other hanging from it's spot on the wall. Those things are SHARP and will cut you open just looking at them.

David Mueller

11-16-2005, 8:10 PM

saws don't hurt people if they don't turn them on,now I will admit ,I have done some dumb stuff in my life,but for the most part,if what you are about to do doesn't seem save to do,(i.e. not enought room for your fingers to clear the saw blade) it probably ain't!!

be safe out there:) :) :)
Not quite, the only time I had to get stiches was when I was doing some adjustments to the lower guides of my LT18 and ran the back of my hand and fore arm into the mounted blade. Saw was unplugged. I guess I'll have to modify my mantra.

"The amount of knowledge gained is directly proportional to the amount of equipment (or body parts) destroyed"

John Shuk

11-16-2005, 8:17 PM

I was at a demo at my turning club and the demonstrator said that the bandsaw is the epicenter of 75% of shop accidents. I always thought the table saw was the leader there.

JP McKee

11-16-2005, 8:45 PM

The only saw I've gotten injured (lots of blood) with was a band saw. I tended to push the wood into the blade with my hand, I could stop pushing and the wood didn't move, and I didn't see the blade moving. I now use a push stick and have great respect for the blade that doesn't seem to move! Remember, butchers use a band saw for good reason.

I know three butchers and all three are missing fingers.

Ive been slightly injured twice by hand saws. Once trimming the trunk on a Christmas tree and once doing the same exact thing the very next year.:D

I look at dangerous tools like I look at guns and motorcycles. Dont EVER allow yourself to think that you have become so good/familiar that you dont have to think about safty as much. If you do, you are putting yourself and others on a collision course with disaster. I am scared of dangerous tools, especially ones with blades. Sometimes I break out in a cold sweat when I operate my old table saw and I see that as a good thing.:)

Bob Yarbrough

11-16-2005, 8:49 PM

Me thinks that the DULL saw is the most dangerous.

Allen Bookout

11-16-2005, 9:04 PM

I had the same radial arm saw for twenty seven years and never got hurt REAL bad from it. Why-----because I found out early on that if you used if for anything other than some form of cross cutting sooner or later something bad was going to happen. I really learned to hate that thing. Got rid of it last year and now I sleep a lot better.

Like someone else suggested, I think that if as many people had radial arm saws as have band saws or table saws there would be no contest. The radial arm saw accidents would far outpace the others and the injurys would be more serious.

James Ayars

11-16-2005, 9:10 PM

My worst injuries have come from hand saws. I'm truly nervous using my power saws and so am much more careful with them. I had a CMS blow up on me but my safety glasses and face shield protected me.

3 years ago, a friend of mine cut his left hand off with a chain saw. He was helicoptered to Chapel Hill and the doctors were able to reattach his hand. He was doing something he knew was careless and paid the price. Amazingly, he has almost full use of his hand now and is back working.
James

Mark Singer

11-16-2005, 9:19 PM

I have been around construction my whole life and have seen and heard about many accidents. I know a plumberthat was roughing in using a chain saw overhead...the saw hit a piece of metal and was forced back directly at the center of his forehead....he lived , but it wasn't pretty.

Another was a framer cutting blocks on a large Comet Radial saw on a jobsite. The blade pulled forward through the wood and also grazed his forehead.

My Friend and teacher at Palomar woodworking school Chris Feddersen does expert testimony mostly on tablesaw accidents...there are many of them and usually form inexperienced guys trying something...

Just use common sense and if it seems dangerous to you ...don't do it! Find another way...

Dale Thompson

11-16-2005, 9:46 PM

Contrary to a number of posts, I think that the radial arm saw is among the safest. :) You have control of the blade. Most folks, however, use a "white-knuckle" grip on the handle. That is not only dangerous but also causes inaccuracies and a bad name for the most versatile saw in your shop. :eek: A "light" touch is all that is necessary.

By far, the most dangerous saw in your shop is the one that has a dull blade, is under-powered and not properly adjusted. Just a thought! :cool:

Dale T.

Jim Hager

11-16-2005, 10:11 PM

. That is not only dangerous but also causes inaccuracies and a bad name for the most versatile saw in your shop. :eek: A "light" touch is all that is necessary.

Dale T.

Got to agree with that one Dale. A RAS is the most versitle power tool in the shop. May have been the first combo machine but just didn't get that name. If I were to only get to have one I would want the RAS to be the one I had. Crosscut, rip, dado, rabbet, rout, plane, shape, and the list goes on with assessories of course.

The light touch is all you need. RAS dangerous, not in the hands of someone who is properly trained in it's use.

Rusty Ballard

11-16-2005, 10:40 PM

New to the WW business I find it most dangerous using the TS. Making a 15* (ex) cut without a jig can make you a little nervous.

I take the same philosophy with everything I do. If your not scared of it-get away from it.

--this also works great with motorcycles.

RB

Dee Dee Martin

11-16-2005, 10:45 PM

I haven't used a RAS much at all.

But, are you actually saying, that you shouldn't have a firm grip on the head, as you pull it through your stock? Instead....just a light touch? Seriously?

Allen Bookout

11-16-2005, 11:06 PM

What do you give a light touch to or a light grip on when you are ripping or planning and so on????? Nearly thirty years was enough for me!!!! How many years of training do you need? Allen

Roger Los

11-17-2005, 12:37 AM

The saw that I've never used but that freaks me out the most is one of those giant power take off operated field sawmills, like that will work with my old Ferguson. Nothing like staring at a 24" blade spinning out in the open to give me the willies.

Frankly, I'm a bit afraid of all power saws, and hope that never goes away.

Ian Abraham

11-17-2005, 1:17 AM

Nothing like staring at a 24" blade spinning out in the open to give me the willies.

Yeah... Table saws and RAS can maim you, but a sawmill or a chainsaw can KILL you. A local guy in NZ was killed after he modified his swingblade mill (drilled out holes and used non-standard bolts). Any way, the 24" blade came loose at 2,000 rpm. Was very messy.

Anything that involves sharp fast moving pieces of metal near body parts need to be treated with respect.

Take care out there

Ian

Dev Emch

11-17-2005, 2:54 AM

The most dangerous saw is your saw when you take short cuts and dont follow the instructions....

Every accident has a Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda story behind it. As for the radial arm saw, the perception that its the most dangerous is false. The rash of accidents with this saw is no accident and you all should read the book by Mr. Kunkel, aka Mr. Sawdust.

Learn your tools rules of the road and obey them. Following a rule a day keeps the trauma surgen away.

Bart Leetch

11-17-2005, 10:30 AM

Claiming 1 saw or tool is more dangerous than another is like claiming guns shoot people. Guns don't shoot people people shoot people. A gun unloaded or loaded in a gun cabinet or gun safe has never shot anyone. A tool or saw setting in a shop has never hurt anyone. Its the human element that causes the damage. If you took every dangerous thing out of the world & just let us play in the garden somone would stick the finger on a thorn. Which thorn is the most dangerous?

Ed Blough

11-17-2005, 12:29 PM

As someone else mentioned the only real injury I ever saw from a saw was from a bandsaw. I think a lot of people thought as I once did , that you really couldn't get hurt from a bandsaw. I watched a guy shove the web between his thumb and fingers into one pushing the wood through. Lots of blood and a many stitches later he was fine. Now that I know different I treat bandsaws as have always treated table and radial arm saws.

Tablesaws have the hidden blade danger where you some times because you don't see the blade forget about it. Plus kickback.
RAS have moving blade that changes position in relation to you and your hands plus the climb cut if pushed too hard.

Saws are very dangerous but usually there is something to sew back on. However shapers, jointers and planers if you have an accident there isn't much to sew back.

Scott Coffelt

11-17-2005, 1:19 PM

The one your using at the time. I find all tools to be dangerous if used improperly or not in the right frame of mind.

Dev Emch

11-17-2005, 1:31 PM

Two simple but obvious tips for any power tool usage.

1). Never use your tools when you emotionally upset. Had an argument with the wife. Your kid got picked up for posession at Rave. You just found out your mother in law... aka monster in law is comming for the holidays. If your emotionally upset, dont throw that power switch. Also if your excessivly tired and have not slept enough either.

2). If you find yourself taking short cuts to get finished in hurry. Avoiding sled jigs for small parts. Not checking and double checking a machine set up. Installing blades back wards. Using the wrong types of blades because its a pain to change blades over to the right one. You guys know it when your taking the venerable short cut. The shortest cut with a short cut is the one right through one of your fingers!

Dale Thompson

11-17-2005, 8:33 PM

I haven't used a RAS much at all.

But, are you actually saying, that you shouldn't have a firm grip on the head, as you pull it through your stock? Instead....just a light touch? Seriously?

Dee Dee,
That's EXACTLY what I'm saying. :) The orientation of the teeth, with many cuts, will actually draw the blade TOWARD you. In that case, you may have to hold the blade back - LIGHTLY! :) That's assuming that you use the RAS as it was intended. The blade should be pulled through the cut not pushed BACK through the cut.

This technique differs from the way many folks use a SCMS. They push the blade from the front back through the wood. I don't do that but it is a discussion that can go either way. Both sides will win because their cuts, if they know what they are doing, will be fine. ;)

A "death grip" on a RAS will ASSURE an inaccurate cut, burning and possible kickback. Treat the handle in the same way that you would treat a sleeping Cobra! :eek: In both cases, "tenderness" will keep you, or your wood, from getting bitten. ;)

Dale T.

Dale Thompson

11-17-2005, 8:54 PM

What do you give a light touch to or a light grip on when you are ripping or planning and so on????? Allen

Allen,
I've got a sentimental attachment to the RAS because back in the mid 60s, it was the only stationary power tool that I could afford. It was a $99 Sears 9" unit. I HAD to do EVERYTHING on that saw. Not only did I use it for cross-cutting, I also had to use it for ripping, mitering, beveling, ploughing, dadoing, routing, molding, sanding, planing, a short-stroke drill press, and even cutting the inside of a bowl. ;) There were other things but I'm too old to remember them. :(

Ripping requires the the anti-kickback device be set just right and the blade guard lowered to the right level. The feed rate was slow. Just remember the torque that the arm can create if you push too hard. :eek: WHAM!!!

With my present "stuff", I'm not much of a "Guard" person. :o The blades are sharp. The fences are aligned. I've got plenty of power and I'd rather "see" the cut and "listen" to the wood than mess with a bunch of awkward guards. I know that that may sound stupid but that's the way I do it. I'm too old and multi-fingered to change. "Just Shoot Me!" :) ;)

Dale T.

ras

Byron Trantham

11-17-2005, 9:29 PM

After nine years of no incidences, I was been nailed twice by my TS - six weeks apart! Both times I was thinking about the next cut instead of the cut I was working on.:mad: Both cuts happened in an instant. Both cuts were the result of cutting parts too small for a TS - too close to the blade. Changes in approach to cutting - use safety devices such a feather boards, push sticks or a different tool t do the job. I am now a little more paranoid and think about WHAT COULD HAPPEN before I cut.

Richard Keller

01-05-2007, 8:37 PM

I recall reading a long time ago, that the table saw accounts for the most shop injuries, and that the radial arm accounts for the most severe. And also, that the bandsaw is the safest (tho I must say a scroll saw seems pretty darn safe, but then perhaps they were speaking of larger equip.).

Anyone have any comments on this? I don't see emense danger in the radial arm.....

As many others have said, the most dangerous tool is the operator. I recall reading somewhere that 9 out of 10 people had a "bad feeling" about what they were doing before the accident happened.

So if you have a "bad feeling" (we all do, admit it.) then STOP and take a break and re-think. (I do this all the time even if I'm not having a bad feeling:) )

Stephen Tashiro

01-05-2007, 11:28 PM

I recall using a radial arm saw and cutting wheels from a dowel for a toy making project at a school. As I was sawing I heard several loud noises, Whack ! Whack ! I thought some of the kids were fooling around and throwing toy parts at each other. Then I noticed it was the saw catching some of the cut wheels and throwing them past my head.

A good thread would be what are the most common accidents with given tools. Most table saw accidents I hear about involve the user doing an operation where he thinks his fingers will pass over the blade and having them unexpectedly fall onto it. A common jointer accident is when the user is using a foam push pad and the blade catches it and pulls it and his hand back on the blade. The mitre saw that does not pull forward seems a very safe tool except, like my radial arm saw experience, that it can throw small bits of wood at you. I've never used the kind that pulls toward you on rails as well as pulls down. It seems to me that if you got used to the pull-down-only kind, it might be dangerous when you first started using the other kind.

Travis Lavallee

01-06-2007, 1:41 AM

I was just recently in visiting my old shop teacher from Jr. High. He was showing me some of the new gadgets he had just gotten. One was a magnetic feather board for the table saw. One thing he told me about it is that when the kids use the saw, he makes sure they always keep one hand on that, and one on the board (or pushstick if needed). In his ~23 years of teaching he has only ever had to make one trip to the hospital, and that was due to a metalworking related accident. I agree with him, especially for kids at that age, but also for everyone who uses tools, that if you keep your hands busy is should eliminate almost all chance of contacting the blade. And I also agree with the fact of the sheer number of hours spent on the table saw is what makes it the number one for accidents.

Robert Mahon

01-06-2007, 8:09 AM

I've been operating machines all my life and have come to a conclusion, it being: All running machines are dangerous.
They are:
1. Faster than we are.
2. More powerful than we are.
3. Unthinking.
4. Have no conscience.
5. Able to make us leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Fortunately, although I've had many "close-calls", I still have all 10.
And, all my "accidents", save 1, have been the result of not concentrating, complacency, carelessness and/or just plain stupidity.

Be careful out there. They bite!

Phil Pritchard

01-06-2007, 8:30 AM

I've been operating machines all my life and have come to a conclusion, it being: All running machines are dangerous.
Hear! Hear! Like you I've still got the full set, albeit with some fancy repair work to both thumbs. All the accidents I've had over 30-odd years in the shop were avoidable - they were down to tiredness, working in too much of a hurry, inattention (which is why the cellphone gets switched off in the shop these days) and in one case by someone playing the fool (I gave hime the bum's rush for that). Other than an occasional kickback on the table saw I've not experienced a TS accident, but then I don't go doing fool things like removing guards, working without a riving knife, attempting to rip with anything other than a short rip fence, attempting to push through without a push stick, etc. And I use a radial saw for it's original intended purpose - to make crosscuts and mitre cuts - I got out of the habit of trying to rip on them 25 years back after a near miss.

Oddly enough the machine I hold in deepest "respect" is the spindle moulder (shaper), especially when doing ring fence work (like router template copying but on a much larger scale), whilst my two thumb accidents were the result of using the overhead pin router with less than the required amount of attention.

Despite those who say your primary safety mechanism is your brain, I'd say NO, it isn't - your primary safety mechanism is the guard on the machine. Fundamentally anything you can't guard adequately and especially anything you don't fully understand the dynamics of is a danger - one reason I especially don't like the use of stacked-saw dado sets in table saws.

A gun unloaded or loaded in a gun cabinet or gun safe has never shot anyone.
I think there's a slight difference here. You're hardly going to break into a shop, steal a table saw and hold a bank up with it, are you? Saws are designed to cut wood. Guns are designed to kill living beings. On those grounds why shouldn't North Korea and Iran have nuclear weapons? After all if they don't use them that's safe isn't it? :rolleyes:

Phil

Mike Cutler

01-06-2007, 9:03 AM

The most dangerous saw is the one with dull teeth that should have been replaced.
I used to think of bandsaw's as something just slightly more dangerous than a sewing machine. My 18" bandsaw with a 1" carbide resaw blade has given me a renewed respect for the lowly bandsaw.

Any saw, including a handsaw, that is not maintained, or operated properly is a hazard. My two most serious incidents occured with just the blade.

I was uncoiling a new bandsaw blade and it got away from me. It sprung up, teeth first and got me right across the eyes. It ruined a pair of new glasses, and left me with teeth marks across my cheek, nose and forhead.

The other was a pruning bowsaw that I tried to cut my leg off with. I was lopping limbs,and one limb was too heavy. The saw and the limb came down and the blade went across my thigh backward.

I have the three strikes rule in the shop. Three mistakes, of any kind, and I'm done for the day. The Karma just ain't flowing.

Carroll Courtney

01-06-2007, 9:50 AM

Any w/a dull blade!

Billy Chambless

01-06-2007, 10:31 AM

saws don't cut people, people do.

You can take my RAS when you pry it from my cold, dead stumps.

Bob Nieman

01-06-2007, 12:15 PM

So far the tool that has taken me to the emergency room is a chisel. The same chisel, two weeks apart. I thought I was being very careful the second time, but the chisel zeroed in on my left hand like it had a target painted on it . I just about took the tip of my thumb off the first time (still feels weird). Operator error is of course responsible. I have kept away from them for the most part until I could get them good and sharp. Started that project yesterday and it hasn't gone so well. This will take practice. Takes forever to get the back flat. Or at least it has for me.

One of the problems I find safety-wise with the big scary tools is that I am doing all this woodworking without a mentor. Book (magazine) learning will get you there, but seeing someone do it sure would help.