Re: safety help please -- short cut-offs

[ChairMan]

In news: [e-mail], Silvan spewed forth and said: .

Use it as a boat anchor?

[CW]

[Swingman]

Sounds like you know the answer ... you need a new saw. A good circular saw and an edge guide will make a better cut than what you describe, and the time you spend futzing with it could be better spent woodworking.

Bite the bullet and crowbar the wallet for something that will give you better cuts and much less frustration ... life is too short.

[Silvan]

I don't have a boat.

[Bob Bowles]

[ChairMan]

Well hell then, now you have an excuse to by both

[Ramsey]

Let me explain a llittle more. Birdhouses are 1/2" - 3/4" thick lumber

12" l>Sounds like you know the answer ... you need a new saw. A good circular saw

[Silvan]

Yeah, I figured everyone would say that. At least now when I whine about what a piece of crap my tablesaw is, everyone will believe me. :)

Well, I had never really sat down and cataloged just what was wrong with it before either. It was sort of useful taking a look at all of its problems at once, to put it in perspective. It's not good for anything at all, is it?

There's no crowbar to it though. I spent what I could afford on a new drill press, and that's going to have to tide me over for possibly the next several years. My DP sees more use than anything, and I'm not the least bit sorry I made the choice I did, but if there's anything I could do in the meantime to get some use out of the saw I'm stuck with, my time and frustration are less valuable to me than money right now. Money is hard to come by.

I guess though I should just dump the stupid thing and spend that time and frustration figuring out how to get the most out of my circular saw.

[Igor]

Thanks for the comments. It is good to always go back and make sure that the real problem is being solved rather than just trying to perfect the first idea that came up. On my good days, I remember this.

In this instance, I do think we are on the right track. There is another situation in which I will be making hundreds and hundreds of cutoffs and in a much earlier thread I got some help with that. I have an evolving plan for a sled for that to do cuts in gangs -- i.e., 10 24" strips at once.

For more limited numbers, I suppose a miter saw would be a good choice. But, the one I have -- a $100 Craftsman that I bought in 1985 which has served me very well doing trim (that was painted) -- is not up to the task and now with my new DW746 TS I want to learn by doing (and I don't have the bucks for a new CMS). The problem with the Craftsman is that there is so much play in the arbor (and the entire CMS body) that after each cut, as I raise the blade, the cutoff piece is jammed against the stop, gets recut a bit, and gets sort of a slight bevel which I definitely do not want.

While you are right about the short pieces at the end, overall I want a setup so that whenever I have more than a couple of short cutoffs to do I can do them w/o stopping the saw in between each. For this my guess is that I will eventually end up with a zero-clearance insert that has an attached wedge -- so I can just drop it in and go.

Finally, you wrote, "I don't want to lay myself open to abuse here ..." Two things. First, I feel the same way. Second, if you post here it's open season -- the nature of the beast. I just hope that if I get abuse for my posts that I also get some solid help, and fortunately I have many times. Though I only use two fingers to type, I hope that I keep all 10. Knock _wood_.

[Igor]

True, but there goes the slow process problem. BTW, I think current CMSs have brakes but mine just rolls along.

[Igor]

Is that _under_ tablesaw or under "tablesaw". But seriously. Thanks. Quite clear. I think it is similar/a variation of a description Frank K posted in this thread -- yours has that end bevel - but same concept of the cutoff piece pivoting away on its own. On yours and his they have the added bonus that for the last cut or so I can clamp the short piece to the extended fence.

[CW]

[Smokey]

For about ten years I made a lot of gifts (boxes, clocks, footstools, sconces, trivets, gameboards, etc.) and the only power saw I had was a master mechanic table top saw that cost less than a hundred dollars new. The gifts are still in use and neither I nor the owners are ashamed of them. I had to learn to use planes and scrapers and work carefully and slowly but it all paid off when I expanded the shop and started making larger projects and using more hardwoods.

If none of us went into woodworking without a zillion dollar rec.approved table saw this would be a lot smaller group.

/// Smokey

[Sweet Sawdust]

[Steve Garcia]

A friendly counterpoint...

As I slowly type I am recovering from a tablesaw kickback accident that darn near removed the outmost flange of my ring finger. (I've learned that the part of fingers between or beyond knuckles are called flanges.) No part of my hand ever touched the blade. The piece of wood, with simple 90 degree edges, can move fast enough and with enough force, to remove parts of our bodies.

The last flange on my ring finger was nearly detached. The last knuckle was shattered beyond repair, and has been "fusing", or growing over as if it were not a joint, for the last 6 weeks. I still have two pins protruding from the tip of the finger. They form an internal splint that will hopefully be removed this week.

I fully realize that I pulled the above quote entirely out of context. I don't intend to dispute prior statements, but rather to just make sure folks know that kickbacked workpieces can be just as vicious as a blade.

Happy cutting!

Steve

[Brett A. Thomas]

If you haven't already, you might want to think about checking out Mehler's _The Table Saw Book_. Your local library might have a copy. It has a lot about how to tune up a less than useful table saw.

I agree with the other posters that getting a better one to begin with is probably optimal. But, if the money situation is "futz with this tablesaw or don't woodwork," then you might want to check out Mehler's suggestions.

-BAT

[Steve Garcia]

Well, the staff at the emergency room that treated me calls circular saws "un-skil'd saws" due to the large numbers of injuries seen. :-) One doc claimed circ saw injuries were the most common "shop-type" injury they treated.

For what it is worth, I caused my own kickback. It was just a stupid thing I did, plain and simple. I think over the years I've gotten complacent regarding tool safety.

Steve

[CW]

[McQualude]

gandalf spaketh...

According to Kelly Mehler there are 30,000 tablesaw accidents per year involving fingers. He claims kickback causes even more accidents.

All machines are dangerous if you don't pay attention to what you're doing.

[Sweet Sawdust]

"> If your tablesaw broke down would it be the end of your world? Would all

No I have a RAS, But it would slow down quite a bit