I was cross-cutting about an inch or so from the end of several pieces of oak for my current project. After about four cut-offs were laying on the waste side of the blade I decided to carefully remove them with a push stick.
I wasn't quite careful enough because the first one touched the blade and I have a rectangular welt on my stomach. I'm sure it will be black and blue tomorrow.
That sure happened quick! Be careful while you're making sawdust.
G.S.
2 summers ago, I caught a 3"x2"x2/3" piece of oak in the stomach. Thank god it hit with the 3/4 x 3 flt side. It didn't break skin, but left a bloody outline... it took about a month to heal
Built a crosscut sled right afterwards lets be careful !
good luck shelly
Maybe you should borrow some lessons from history on this task. Make yourself a shield and lance for this. You probably won't need the horse though. :)
Rectangular welt, eh? That must look bizzare. Remember, that spinning blade must be respected. Be very observant and reverant around spinning blades. Keep flesh away from spinning blades. Learn from this. And most importantly, NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!!
Glad to hear you made it through. Please work safely.
Never get close to the blade when it's running, it can throw things at you with little or no notice, as you found out. Next time, turn the saw off first!
Sat, Nov 3, 2007, 1:38pm (EDT-2) snipped-for-privacy@Planet.Melmac (Gordon=A0Shumway) doth sayeth: I wasn't quite careful enough
I always stay out of line with the blade. I also tend to shut the saw off when doing things like that.
JOAT Viet Nam. Divorce. Cancer. Been there, done that, got over it. Now where the Hell are my T-shirts?
- JOAT
Look at the bright side. You don't have a finger shaped welt on your belly.
LdB
Did Gordon have a splitter in place? Though they offer no absolute guarantee in this situation, they can help to prevent offcuts like these from catching the up-running teeth.
There's some stuff about circular sawbench safety on my web site, by the way.
Jeff
Lesson learned huh Gordon? ;~) Apparently you trapped the scrap between the blade and the push stick. Better to leave the scraps and let the next scrap push through the pile or turn the saw off. "Unless trapped" between a fixed object, push stick, fence, jig, and the blade, the scraps will simply push away from the blade.
It sounded to me like he knocked the offcuts back into the blade when he was trying to move them.
Waste pieces simply knocked back against the blade typically will only be knocked back away from the blade a few inches again. You just about have to push and hold the waste with a push stick or stationary object before the waste will lift off and fly back at you. I'd say he pushed and momentarily held the waste against the blade.
'Pends on where it hit/caught -- push a small offcut into the rear of the blade w/ rising teeth and it can easily be thrown quite nicely...
--
Absolutely correct. If the piece is pushed it can be propelled in any direction. If "knocked" and not held in place very unlikely.
"Knock", "Push", phsssh... :(
Propel a cutoff into the rear of the blade however, and it flies...
--
Well If you are throwing a fast ball into the blade, yeah you will get a kick back, the faster you propel the scrap the more opposing force the piece has against the blade and therefore increasing the chance of it deflecting with more force. If simply bumping a scrap piece so that it freely slides in to the blade with no additional force to hold it against the blade the piece will maybe bounce a couple of inches away. There is no resistance, the scrap will simply be pushed a couple of inches away. If this was not true, most wood workers would receive injuries with each cut. Whether there is a pile of scraps or a single scrap, the cut off piece is always in contact with the blade through out the cut. The moment just before the scrap is cut free of the keeper side of the board it is held by a piece of wood that in only thousandths of an inch thick. When the cut is completed that sliver of wood disappears and the blade pushes the waste piece/scrap away. Only when the travel of that piece of waste/scrap is limited, by a stationary fence or a push stick, will there be a serious kick back. With no opposing force against the blade, the scrap simply gets pushed away from the blade.
That said, take all precautions necessary to protect yourself. Knowing how and why kick back happens is part of knowing how to protect yourself.
Depends on the blade height. I always work (for through cuts) with my blade as high as possible. If an offcut hits it, it lifts a little but doesn't fly forwards. Working with the blade lowered "for safety" will put offcuts in contact with a portion of blade that's travelling forwards instead, thus throwing them at you.
That's a nice fairy tale, but sorry description of what happened w/ what started this thread...
W/ that I can agree...
--
Sorry, did I miss the OP follow up post where he mentioned more details on how this accident happened? You know the accident only happened after the OP caused the scrap to recontact the blade using his push stick. Until there was an opposing force provided by the push stick did the accident happen.
I have never witnessed any pieces being thrown anywhere unless it was trapped, in many years of wood working.
I've had it happen when simply leaving the saw on and the offcut wandered over into contact on its own -- which is all I was driving at
-- it doesn't take much for a rising tooth to catch a corner of a piece and hurl...certainly it doesn't take throwing it or pushing it hard and holding it...
--
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.