Member
As I started the second paragraph of your post beginning "As I lowered..." I thought "Oh God... I know what is coming." I've had a few scares in my time but have been fortunate enough not to have a serious accident. After having a few "close calls", I find myself stopping to think before each operation, "what could happen here if I'm not careful?" I'm sorry you lost part of your finger. I hope you are back in business soon.
Friend of the Creek
+1. Mike beat me to this. I was watching the series this week on doing a pins first dovetail method, one which I was taught at Homestead in Waco, where Paul Sellers taught. Episodes 3-4 are quite interesting and provide some good ideas like using story sticks instead of dividers for layout of the pins and using a pencil, not a marking knife for marking the tails, which I was not taught, but makes sense. In addition, such clever sayings as "wide on the inside" (to describe the orientation of the dovetail) and "chasing the smudge" (to describe using the pencil method for paring the tails). I had not made to the linked episode yet, because I was not interested in dados. Well until yesterday and the OP's unfortunate injury, which provides and excellent backdrop of shop safety.Originally Posted by Mike King
The undescribed link is a great video series of making a toolbox, and the episode linked by Mike discusses making the dados for the drawer dividers. The author Matt Wajada at 13:07 uses a stop block at the rear of the table saw which spans the whole width of the table and is clamped down in two places, so when he lowers the work onto the spinning dado blade the rear of the tool box side is supported and cannot kick back, nor can it climb cut. I remain unsure whether the OP's board was small enough to fit on the table saw, or the attempted dado was short enough to allow such a stop block to be used.
I must admit that I have not seen this technique before and learned something today from Mike, Matt and Mark. To all others, a picture is worth a thousand words, and check out the linked video at 13:07.
Regards,
Tom
Contributor
Thanks so much for sharing. I know that’s not easy to do but it’s super helpful for all of us. It will just remind me to really think through this operation.
No new advice but the big issues were
- hand behind the blade
- nothing to keep the wood from projecting forward (kickback) - that’s where the stop on the front would really help
It didn’t help that Ash is a dense/hard wood
Bob C
Contributor
Maurice,
Sawstop assumes an 8” stacked dado set and sells a special brake.
Moderator
It's not just an assumption...they require an 8" stack for their brake system which has to be very closely matched to blade diameter. That's why there have been a few reports in the past where certain regular "ten inch" blades were causing non-function because they were outside of the allowed variance in diameter that Sawstops system can support.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
All of this unnessary cause most people were never taught on a saw, elephant in the room, elephant in the room, i find mind boggling after 40 years of accidents people telling me and most had no training or instruction
You have a car you need a drivers license
You have a saw, you needed a visa card ? both them can hurt you yet you go in blind with one of them, Its just a matter of time
There are many reasons for accidents some others,
you have tight deadlines and already doing 80 hour week, its your best customer, you are tired and then have to push more
suppliers let you down, sometimes the material is not what it should be, you have to get the job done,
a cat jumps on a running machine, you save it and get cut, you realize why people like dogs better
the person you asked about an operation on your saw told you wrong, that happened to me in the beginning but led to me finding the best, actually a 35 year gift
Fluke stuff that happens as it does internal stress causes something to break off or suddenly release, '
some off cut shifts on the saw top and fires deep into your hand, red wine and a fresh number 10 exacto knife blade still will not make it for home surgery,
phone call distractions, its Elizabeth Hurley again asking you out but you have to work,
you slip, for the most part I dont run guards so slipping has to not happen
You learned from the internet, there are some really bad examples on there, there you can find some people showing you how to do what they dont know
The designer you are working for does a totally dishonerable thing and the customer cancels the job that you have finished, this happened to a friend and so your mind is on what you just lost,
There are many more things that happen. Ive seen them myself. ive seen them happen to others
The basic thing is the elephant in the room and people dont know what they are doing. Blunt answer I know but after reading and knowing 40 years of injuries I don't care to be polite. Its all upsetting to me and even more so to the people hurt of course. Even knowing it is no guarantee but not knowing it its only a matter of time. Ive screwed up several times or had fluke stuff.
People that sold you the saw dont give a damn, they got your money. They also made market for Sawstop as well cause of the elephant. Almost makes me like sawstop.
Get taught by a real live person if you can find one. After that is up to you to follow that or not. Its no guarantee but you will be 50 times safer.
Last edited by Warren Lake; 07-18-2022 at 3:29 PM.
Contributor
+1
I've been cutting wood for a very long time and yes, fluke stuff does happen. but knowing as much as possible about your tools and your craft, puts you in a much better position when eventually something does go wrong.
As far as watching YT videos, there are too many bad examples, even many of the "experts" perform some tasks I wouldn't recommend for safety reasons. Complacency and lack of respect for tools is are bad habits to fall into, they breed mistakes and often injuries.
Just because you don't get hurt, doesn't mean it's safe. The only thing you can do is to learn as much as you can until you're comfortable but not complacent with performing tasks safely.
I will add that since wood is a natural product, no two cuts are ever the same, ever.
Moderator
Honestly, the bottom line here is that honestly, it doesn't matter how experienced one might be or how good their equipment might be...accidents still happen because a human being loses focus on something in "that moment" where the risk is there for physical damage to their body. We are ALL at risk and "stuff happens". The goal needs to be to try to be methodical, careful and cautious as much as possible to help mitigate that risk as best as we can.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
its not the bottom line, if there is one its the lack of knowing.
I dont read these sites and see endless people who know having accidents. They all may at some point, they are in the real world, dont have a six figure day job and subject to tons of dynamics more than hobby.
There are only two choices in this case not knowing what can happen or knowing and doing it anyway. Ive done enough of that. Its different story. Mark calls it calculated risk. Stuff we have done in order to get the work done.
If I had not been taught not to go behind the blade then shown what happened when he didnt listen then it would have happened to me by now, learning after it happened blazing fast.
Contributor
Haha, good one Warren, yet I still like cats and dogs.
Goodwin, sorry to hear about your accident, hope you heal well.
I do insertion moulding on a shaper using stops bolted to the table, and an Aigner work holder for short pieces.
Best wishes for your recovery…..Regards, Rod
Contributor
A Low Fi safety arrangement for Goodwins cut. The wobble dado blade was raised unto the ash by counting the turns and position of the hand wheel.
IMG_0621.jpg IMG_0624.jpg
Last edited by Maurice Mcmurry; 07-19-2022 at 11:04 AM.
Best Regards, Maurice
Contributor
+1, Again
The only way to minimize the potential risk is to become more knowledgeable about what you doing.
Everyone has their own "risk factor", that's true but it's directly dependent on how much you know.
Many get injured simply because they had no idea they could get hurt and therefore didn't perceive any risk.
Sorry to hear that, hope you heal up fast and don't let it get you down too much. Happy to hear it wasn't worse.
A big part of risk taking and risky activities is not always knowing if you "got away with something" or "made a good decision" when the outcome works in your favor.
While your decision on how to make that cut wouldn't have seriously entered my mind, I have certainly done stupid things that wouldn't have crossed your mind : )
Contributor
So sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you recover quickly. I feel scared just reading your story.
A year or so back I was cutting a small piece of wood on miter saw. Length of wood piece was small and I was using a wood stick to hold it down instead of clamps. The saw threw the wood piece, stop block, and wood stick violently. Luckily I was not hurt but was horrified. I was skeptical of the way I was cutting to begin with and should have stopped. Never did it again.
Dropping wood on spinning blade or router bit scares me. This along with climb cut on router, vertical panel bits, cutting metal on table saw, using router in horizontal position, using table saw without riving knife etc are some things that are in my "not trying that" list. I know people do these safely but I never got comfortable.
Contributor
A plunge router and guide would be my choice. A dado blade in a table saw is faster though and sometimes time is money. But then how expensive is an injury like Goodwin suffered? Hard to assign a $$$$ value to some things.
Last edited by Curt Harms; 07-20-2022 at 10:43 AM.
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