Where's Norm's TS spliter

[GregP]

... in some cases more visceral than (just) visual :-)

[Mike Marlow]

He didn't suggest that the goal was to save the board, he was saying that he uses a different technique to mitigate the risk of kickback - he chucks the bad wood.

[Tom Watson]

enough to convince me that he is operating at a diminished capacity.

OK Swing, you've made me change my mind.

For those who present the sort of cognitive deficit evidenced by your poor reading comprehension skills, I would suggest the following as appropriate safety gear for any work in the shop.

's/crackjac.jpgRegards, Tom.

"People funny. Life a funny thing." Sonny Liston

Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.) tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

[Mark Jerde]

[Swingman]

A perfect damned ad hominen example ... of the pot calling the kettle black!

[TWS]

Tom, great post! The point about keeping the wood ON the saw and AGAINST the fence is one of the main reasons I remove the splitter most of the time. I get much more leverage by having the blade just above the workpiece so I can have a push block that rides over the blade if necessary for narrow cuts rather than struggling with how to push through that last little bit of projectile that got hung up between the blade and the fence. For wider cuts I use roller hold downs that are anti-kickback devices and these work well if the blade isn't lifting the workpiece and twisting it out of the grip of the roller, again, the long push block helps this situation. Both of these situations are worsened by the commercial splitter/blade guard.

If wood is going to close down it will start closing down immediately after it leaves the blade and is going to pinch the blade anyway even with a splitter. The worse case scenario is if the wood closes down enough to hit the leading edge of the splitter that is several inches behind the blade. It seems to me that a splitter, to be useful on the gnarly wood that tends to close down quickly, is only useful if the splitter is slightly less than the thickness of the cut AND is positioned immediately behind the blade. A splitter that meets this requirement would need to be repositioned based on the blade height - a very complicated mechanism and one that is either unreliable or very expensive.

I do use the splitter/guard for some cuts. When I am cutting wood that is splintery (like plywood) or lots of dust, like MDF, then I use the guard to keep the little 'bits' from flying all over the place. I also use it when I am ripping long boards (where I am positioned relatively far from the saw) simply because I am not comfortable to have the blade running 'free' when I am not near enough to prevent something from striking it - I'll admit that this might be less logical but it reduces my fear, which, as you aptly point out, is debilitating. But, again, I am using it as a guard, not a splitter in this case.

For me, the best safety devices, besides the brain, are the anti-kickback rollers, the push block, and featherboard.

No matter how you slice it (no excuse for the pun) a TS is a dangerous piece of equipment that requires careful and knowledgeable practices to use it safely. Reliance on safety devices that don't improve safety but provide over confidence is more risky IMO.

TWS

[Tom Watson]

Thank You!

Regards, Tom.

"People funny. Life a funny thing." Sonny Liston

Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.) tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

[Swingman]

Hell, as long as we're completely ignoring context, I am glad you finally agree.

[TWS]

I'm glad that you two finally agree on this matter. TWS

[Ken Muldrew]

Also, it's a good idea to learn to use the tablesaw drunk. That way, when you're sober, it feels no more dangerous than watching television.

Ken Muldrew [e-mail] (remove all letters after y in the alphabet)

[Swingman]

LOL!

[Mike Marlow]

Hey Swingman

For some reas>> In short - when I allowed my kids to use the power tools it was only after

To which I say...

Correct - without safety devices like splitters and blade guards. Like I said early >> devise, the safety devise on your tools are more reliable than depending on

Well, nothing protects you from harm all of the time. I do advocate knowledge and practiced awareness over blind reliance on "safety" devices though. As I've said repeatedly, I'd never suggest someone should not use a splitter, or a guard, or any other device. In fact, I've never said I would never use one. I'm interested in something that will actually work on a saw and I look into these frequently. Most of what I've seen though is more gadgety than useful. What I do think is outright foolish is exactly what I referenced before - blind reliance on these things. A reliance that breeds statements like "not using a splitter is just stupid". Statements like that only reflect that the speaker does not understand much at all about the way table saws have been used for decades, but is suddenly an expert because of what he reads in a newsgroup. That type of person is more dangerous than my 10" saw with no guard. You've got to admit - those comments are frequent here.

Our positions are not so very far apart. Mine is that one should invest in understanding one's environment. Yours does not deny this. We both question the general availability of common sense.

[Bob]

One of the things that I haven't seen mentioned is acknowledgement of the fact that brains and nervous systems and muscle reactions are subject to deterioration with age. The last people to acknowledge it and recognize it are those that are in their 50's or later (I'm there). I ran naked without a guard and splitter for a while. I liked the freedom and total view it gave me of what was happening. I liked having the crappy factory guard/splitter out of the way. I also noted that my number of "near misses" was going up. One day, my right hand involuntarily flinched while holding a push stick and tossed the push stick onto the top of the running table saw blade, while my son-in-law was watching. I felt like an idiot. It was time to acknowledge I needed some help, but quitting woodworking was not my answer. I may have gone overboard but I have not had any near misses since doing a few things - GripTite magnetic featherboards with steel fence, GRRrippers, and small splitter installed on every zero-tolerance insert. Funny thing - quality and consistency of my cuts went up - probably because I was working much more confidently and able to raise my skill level.

I'm not a seasoned pro. In fact I think being a pro is not a testament to a person's particular woodworking skill and knowledge, but more a testament to their ability to run a business and make a living with it. I'll leave it to the pros to argue this issue further.

Bob

[Leon]

Exactly, no one is perfect and exempt from making a tragic mistake. NO ONE.

Snip

GripTite magnetic featherboards with steel fence,

I tried that system about 4 years ago, I did not like the set up and especially did not like the steel fence. I do use the Bench Dog feather boards on occasion when ripping narrow pieces.

I use the green splitter in the zero clearance insert.

That and IMHO the splitter keeps the wood away from the blade if it bows at all during the cut resulting in a cleaner cut. If I purchase s4s I see little difference but it makes a great difference when using s3s.

[Swingman]

I can't understand why? ... must be the manifestation of that paranoia of mine from getting old(er). ;)

I am glad that you recognize that, Mike ... and I respect both your actions with regard to the splitters and the reasons for that action. You've obviously given the issue some thought.

I never once advocated that any answer to my question would necessarily be correct, just that honestly answering it would get at the underlying reason of why folks either use, or do not use, a device like a splitter.

Some folks obviously don't like to look that deep into the reasons for what they do, or worse, advocate what other's do.

[Ba r r y]

[Lew Hodgett]

RE: Splitter

IMHO, it is task specific.

Certain ripping jobs I do would be very difficult without it.

OTOH, it is kept out of the way most of the time because it can be a real PITA.

YMMV

Lew

[Leon]

Anybody can be a pro, not every one can be an expert.

[Mike Marlow]

Hey - you made it through Earthlink this time! Something has really been boogering up usenet for the past couple of days.

[Mike Girouard]

But do you or don't you use the spliiet on your TS?

FoggyTown