Tool Terminology Confusion?????

[Norman Hitt]

I'm beginning to wonder if it's an Old Timer/New Timer or maybe a regional thing as to some of the Tool Terminology.

While reading a new issue of a ww mag today, about a new sliding table attachment, they showed a picture of it mounted on a tablesaw and labled the Front and Back, and it was exactly backwards to what I was taught, :confused: (along with everyone I've ever known that has worked wood in my part of the world).

I was always taught that when you walked up to a table saw, or a planer or any other tool, the end you feed the work into, (the closest one to you), is the front and anything on the other side of the blade, cutter, etc, was the rear of the tool. This always made sense to me, because you wouldn't normally think of feeding something into a machine from the rear. There doesn't seem to be this disparity when referring to the front and rear of a circular saw, (front is the side that you push into the work), and in both cases the blade turns toward the work, not away from it.

How were all of the rest of you taught, Am I The ONLY one that's different???
I'm really Confused on this.:( Maybe I justgo TOO Far Back, and they just didn't know any better back then,:o or Maybe........this is some form of Politically Correct Tool Terminology that I'm not familiar with, (and Lord only knows, I'm definitely not the Politically Correct Type).:D

Maybe we'll have to do a Tool Terminology Poll one of these days.:D

[George Summers]

I agree that the "working" side is the front to me. But there are other things that are different, a desk comes to mind real quick. I sit behind the desk and my company is in front of the desk. And then the bandsaw comes to mind, to me, the front is as I face the machine, the blade being sideways and the feed direction being from left side to right side. But, I have heard others say that you feed from the front (my left side) to the rear (my right side). I guess that I am saying that there is no real answer, its how you look at it from your perspective.

George

[Mark Singer]

It depends if you operate the saw from the outfeed side then the front would be the back and you would greatly reduce the risk of kickback if you could turn the saw on......I tried it and with a large boomerang shaped switch pusher I was able to turn the saw on ...only to find my featherboards were feathering toward the operator....I get out the instructions a micrometer...some duct tape, a straight edge and wouldn't you know it ....my trunion was on the wrong side of the blade....so, I walked around the saw.....and low and be hold the whole enchilada was actually a burrito:cool:

[Norman Hitt]

It depends if you operate the saw from the outfeed side then the front would be the back and you would greatly reduce the risk of kickback if you could turn the saw on......I tried it and with a large boomerang shaped switch pusher I was able to turn the saw on ...only to find my featherboards were feathering toward the operator....I get out the instructions a micrometer...some duct tape, a straight edge and wouldn't you know it ....my trunion was on the wrong side of the blade....so, I walked around the saw.....and low and be hold the whole enchilada was actually a burrito:cool:

Makes sense to me, Mark.:D

[Tony Falotico]

It depends if you operate the saw from the outfeed side then the front would be the back and you would greatly reduce the risk of kickback i

Mark brings up an interesting point I never thought of ... Why do they call it kickback when it really kicks towards the front ?? Maybe they should call it kickfront ? OR, maybe thats why they call the front the back because there really is no such thing as kickfront!

Doggone it, now I'm confused?? :confused:

[Jim Dunn]

Just be glad we're not in England:p They drive on the wrong side of the road and prolly operate a lathe from the "back" as well:D (To those of you from Europe you know I'm just kidding:))

[Mark Singer]

Mark brings up an interesting point I never thought of ... Why do they call it kickback when it really kicks towards the front ?? Maybe they should call it kickfront ? OR, maybe thats why they call the front the back because there really is no such thing as kickfront!

Doggone it, now I'm confused?? :confused:

Tony,
Excellent point! I agree the front of the saw is really the back....and the side is actually the oposite side:confused:

[Jim Becker]

Mark brings up an interesting point I never thought of ... Why do they call it kickback when it really kicks towards the front ?? Maybe they should call it kickfront ? OR, maybe thats why they call the front the back because there really is no such thing as kickfront!

'Could be because the blade is "kicking [it] back" from the intended feed direction...

[James Biddle]

I'm beginning to wonder if it's an Old Timer/New Timer or maybe a regional thing as to some of the Tool Terminology.

While reading a new issue of a ww mag today, about a new sliding table attachment, they showed a picture of it mounted on a tablesaw and labled the Front and Back, and it was exactly backwards to what I was taught, :confused: (along with everyone I've ever known that has worked wood in my part of the world).

I was always taught that when you walked up to a table saw, or a planer or any other tool, the end you feed the work into, (the closest one to you), is the front and anything on the other side of the blade, cutter, etc, was the rear of the tool. This always made sense to me, because you wouldn't normally think of feeding something into a machine from the rear. There doesn't seem to be this disparity when referring to the front and rear of a circular saw, (front is the side that you push into the work), and in both cases the blade turns toward the work, not away from it.

How were all of the rest of you taught, Am I The ONLY one that's different???
I'm really Confused on this.:( Maybe I justgo TOO Far Back, and they just didn't know any better back then,:o or Maybe........this is some form of Politically Correct Tool Terminology that I'm not familiar with, (and Lord only knows, I'm definitely not the Politically Correct Type).:D

Maybe we'll have to do a Tool Terminology Poll one of these days.:D

You're right in thinking about the front and rear of the saw. But when you put a sled or slider on the saw, the part that hits the blade first is the front of that device. So, the front of the slider or sled is the part that's closest to the rear of the saw. The article was probably referring to the slider, not the saw. Either that, or I'm wrong and apologize in advance. :)

[Mark Singer]

James you are not apoligizing in "advance" I beleive you arte appoligizing after the fact.......the terminology of the saw is already stated....it is also backwards....as I said "the whole enchilada is actually a burrito" ....which needs to be held catefully rather than cut on the table from either side:cool:

[Frank Hagan]

I think Mark has it right ... the Burrito Philosophy. I would put it another way, the controls are always on the front side of a power tool. So if you walk up to a table saw, and get your push stick caught in the link-belt, you are on the wrong side. As you're stuggling to get free, you'll notice the controls are not on that side. Good thing, too, because you wouldn't want to turn it on with your push stick caught in the belt.

Motors have always confused me, because I've been told the shaft end is actually the "back", even though the mounting configuration of that end of the motor determines what kind of "face" it has ... C-Face, etc. So the back side is the face, which I'm glad is only true of motors, and not people.

[Tony Falotico]

'Could be because the blade is "kicking [it] back" from the intended feed direction...

But it's still kicking it back to the front, isn't it ?? :D :D