A big splinter

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Begs as to how it happened... was it a big chipper? Can't see how a chainsaw could throw something that big with that much force into the face.
 
Looks suspiciously like a bit of theatre to me. There are a number of pointers, not least of which is how does a chainsaw shift a piece of wood like that without marking it.
 
So it's not so much face protection that's needed, more machine guards that should be fitted. Guys in the US have tens of thousands of table saw accidents each year, and still they run unguarded blades. They also use straight through fences, which is asking for trouble.
 
So it's not so much face protection that's needed, more machine guards that should be fitted. Guys in the US have tens of thousands of table saw accidents each year, and still they run unguarded blades. They also use straight through fences, which is asking for trouble.

The problem is, a huge amount of the cuts made on a tablesaw can't even be made with the guards on. I've owned tablesaws since the 70's and had my own cabinet shop for many years and still have all of my fingers and no pierceings. In fact i have 3 tablesaws right now, all without guards.

How about just not standing in front of the blade???????????????????????

Sooo, i guess no one ever gets hurt in the UK on a tablesaw? I wonder how many people even own a tablesaw over there "compared to here"???

DM
 
The problem is, a huge amount of the cuts made on a tablesaw can't even be made with the guards on.

What cut that can't be made by a guarded saw can't be made by some other means?

How about just not standing in front of the blade???????????????????????

Finger mincing is still available where ever you stand.

Sooo, i guess no one ever gets hurt in the UK on a tablesaw? I wonder how many people even own a tablesaw over there "compared to here"???

You had better guess again then, BUT Europe has MUCH stricter requirements for guarding and use of circular saws while the US has virtually none. With a cavalier attitude like that to safety, what hope is there? Still as is written in the good book, how can you remove the splinter from your brother's eye when you have a plank in your own? or in this case, up your nose.
 
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What cut that can't be made by a guarded saw can't be made by some other means?

Roy, never said it couldn't be made by other means... there are many ways to make many different cuts in wood with many types of machinery in my woodshop. However, some cuts, like putting a dead strait dado in a piece of wood, although CAN be made by other means than a dado blade on the table saw, usually can't be done as precise or as quickly with less setup than when done on a table saw. Sorry but I'm with Sawyer Rob on this one. I'm all for safety. I do have a splitter right behind the blade on my table saw that keeps the wood from catching the back of the blade and shooting it 80 mph at my face, but it is easily removed when doing a dado cut for example, where the blade is unseen below the wood. But that's all I have... no guard to get in the way and keep me from seeing what I'm doing. Common sense and constant respect for the saw does the rest. Curious what you mean by a "strait through fence". Can you explain that for me?
 
European government regulation is the main reason many of our American ancestors left Europe. Most people who are milling their own wood are independent souls and do not need a government "official" telling them the safest way to do it. I will intelligently run my power equipment the safest and most productive way I can. When something does happen I do not blame the government ( They should have a law about that) or the manufacture ( They should have a label for that or that guard should have been "better"). This site is to spread ideas and answer questions about milling. If any one has any ideas on ways to increase safety I am all ears. Thanks.
 
My point for posting this

My point for posting the video was you can get hurt very easily with power tools or chainsaws. It pays to wear and use whatever safety equipment is available. You usually get hurt when you have used a piece of equipment for a long time and get too complacent using it.

I cut the end of my right index finger off on a jointer about twenty years ago. I had turned the machine off and turned my head for just a second and the blades pulled the work piece and my hand into the cutter head. I had used this tool for years and most always used push sticks but on this one occasion didnt.


Take care, take time and be safe. Its up to you.
__________________
Mike
 
What cut that can't be made by a guarded saw can't be made by some other means?

Can't be made by some other means?????? Hell, what cut made on a tablesaw "can't" be made by some other means???

Maybe we should ban those terrible people maiming tablesaws???
orig.gif


Rob
 
sawyer rob said:
The problem is, a huge amount of the cuts made on a tablesaw can't even be made with the guards on.

sawyer rob said:
Can't be made by some other means?????? Hell, what cut made on a tablesaw "can't" be made by some other means???

:clap:
 
.............. However, some cuts, like putting a dead strait dado in a piece of wood, although CAN be made by other means than a dado blade on the table saw, usually can't be done as precise or as quickly with less setup than when done on a table saw.

I don't disagree. It does do a better job.

Sorry but I'm with Sawyer Rob on this one. I'm all for safety. I do have a splitter right behind the blade on my table saw that keeps the wood from catching the back of the blade and shooting it 80 mph at my face,.........

Is is just a short splitter, or is it a riving knife that comes almost to the top of the blade?

Curious what you mean by a "strait through fence". Can you explain that for me?

A fence that stretches in one continuous piece from the input side of the bench to the output side of the bench.

The fence only needs to go just to the front of the saw blade, as anything behind that shouldn't have any effect on the cut. If it goes the width of the bench, it can cause wood to bind against the back of the blade if the wood has the wrong tensions in it when ripping.
 
European government regulation is the main reason many of our American ancestors left Europe.

Religeous persecution, and economic conditions inflicted by landowners and politicians were the main reason. Not Eoropean government regulation.

Most people who are milling their own wood are independent souls and do not need a government "official" telling them the safest way to do it. I will intelligently run my power equipment the safest and most productive way I can.

They may not WANT to be told what to do, but safest and most productive are often conflicting requirements while the job goes well. When it goes badly, "safest" would have been better than the apparently "most productive", but it doesn't seem so at the time.

When something does happen I do not blame the government ( They should have a law about that) or the manufacture ( They should have a label for that or that guard should have been "better"). This site is to spread ideas and answer questions about milling. If any one has any ideas on ways to increase safety I am all ears. Thanks.

Unfortunately manufacturers produce things as cheaply as possible whilst avoiding prosecution. The car makers did this until Ralph Nader stirred things up until the US now has some of the strictest safety requirements for safety in vehicles anywhere in the world.

While you may not blame the government or the manufacturer, there are MANY lawyers in the US who get rich taking on cases on behalf of those who DO.
 
My point for posting the video was you can get hurt very easily with power tools or chainsaws. It pays to wear and use whatever safety equipment is available. You usually get hurt when you have used a piece of equipment for a long time and get too complacent using it.

I cut the end of my right index finger off on a jointer about twenty years ago. I had turned the machine off and turned my head for just a second and the blades pulled the work piece and my hand into the cutter head. I had used this tool for years and most always used push sticks but on this one occasion didnt.


Take care, take time and be safe. Its up to you.
__________________
Mike

It's a good point Mike, and fortunately chainsaws must have inertia operated chain brakes by law (dreadful for all those independant souls who wanted to make their own decisions) since it was easy to do something that seemed ok at the time, but 8 milliseconds later, smashed it's way into their face. Who would use a saw nowadays without a chain brake that they tested every day to ensure it was working?
 
Is is just a short splitter, or is it a riving knife that comes almost to the top of the blade? .... The fence only needs to go just to the front of the saw blade, as anything behind that shouldn't have any effect on the cut. If it goes the width of the bench, it can cause wood to bind against the back of the blade if the wood has the wrong tensions in it when ripping.

It's not a riving knife, but a splitter higher than the blade, with a pawl on it to prevent the wood from coming forward towards the operator (me). I can remove and replace it in seconds. Here is a pic...
DSCN1154.jpg


fence.jpg


As for my fence not having to go all the way across the whole table... I can see your point, I suppose technically the fence does not HAVE to go the full length of my table. However, I think I would miss the stability and rigidness of a fence that locks both front and rear as most good ones do. For small thin stuff I guess I COULD live without a full fence, but when I'm pushing a big chunk of 8/4 maple through that saw I'm pressing good and solid against that fence the whole way down the fence which is supporting the WHOLE piece, not just the front that has yet to meet the blade as a "half" of a fence would only seem to do. With a full fence, pressing hard and firm the whole way, the piece doesn't wander even a slight bit and my rip is strait and burn free. Yes occasionally I get a piece of wood that wants to bind a bit, but never had anything I couldn't muscle through the cut without much trouble. Worst case scenario, just stop and reach for the kill button, then rough the rip on the bandsaw to within a quarter inch of your original rip and THEN go back and finish on your tablesaw.

Hey, thought this was a milling forum... well I guess we were on the subject of safety. Sawmills, tablesaws... they both cut wood :cheers:
 
Nice looking table saw

What make is the saw and is the fence aftermarket.?? Isnt a table saw pretty much a small sawmill? Your on message here as far as I can tell
 
What make is the saw and is the fence aftermarket.?? Isnt a table saw pretty much a small sawmill? Your on message here as far as I can tell

It's a standard Taiwan 3HP cabinet saw... aka Grizzly or Jet or many others, but yes it's an after market fence, a Shopfox. I needed something more accurate and solid than the original that came with it. I got this fence 10 years ago, attached the quartersawn birch to it and never looked back. Only once did I have to readjust it slightly in all those years. When you toggle that handle in front, it locks both ends of the fence to the rails, so you get a pretty solid accurate fence.

I do mill small logs in my shop, 8 inches dia and under, and less than 5-6ft long. I start on the resaw bandsaw (with outfeed table to support log) to slab off the sides and then mill into planks. Often I stop there... but occasionaly depending on the wood I will run them through the planer, jointer and then tablesaw to get them semi-cleaned up and THEN sticker them.
 
Bandsaw resaw

What kind of bandsaw do you have and what width blade are you using to resaw.

Ive used my Delta tablesaw to rip all sorts of green wood but ive not used my bandsaw because I havent had a blade wide enougth to make smooth accurate cuts.
 
When you look at what a Woodmizer does, I don't think that "wide" is the most significant attribute of a blade.
 

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