Final last word on the mirror above the fire place.

[Keith Nuttle]

I put the mirror above the fireplace and it is almost done. I glued the mirror to MDF, and placed 1X2's around the hole. I am using 1" cove molding to hold and trim the mirror.

That is the good news. As I said it is almost done, except for a piece of 1X2 that will fill the gap between the mantle and the trim on the mirror. I set the table saw up carefully as this was an important cut. I planned to make two runs through the saw to get the exact dimension. I set every thing up with feather boards, the whole nine yards. Then I did something stupid. I set the out feed feather board to the width of the piece I wanted, not the width of the piece I was ripping. The bottom line is the wood hit the outboard feather board and I had to adjust it. After a series of attempts to get things back on the right track, I ended up getting my fingers in the saw blade. While there could have been considerably more damage, the blade abraded my pointing finger and cut into the end of my third finger from the thumb. Basically partially pealed the flesh off of the end of the finger. Fortunately I make these cuts with minimum blade above the wood, otherwise there would have been more damage.

To make matters worse after I had washed of the hand and was getting ready to go out to the car to go to the hospital, I passed out. I have not done that in ages.. It was kind of neat, in that I thought I was driving the car, and then realized no one was, I became concerned that is when I came to. My wife was not happy at that point in time. As we were getting in the car she asked if I had my billfold, and I said "yes". However when we made a bathroom stop, I realized that it was not there, so my wife called my older daughter and ask her to get my billfold and bring it to the hospital. My younger daughter was there when we got there and my other daughter and the billfold arrived about

20 minutes later. The doctor sewed the hanging skin back in place.

That was 10 days ago. We went in and they removed the stitches. It is healing nicely, but I will still need a bandage on the one finger. The pointing finger is nearly healed but I will still put something on it when I am out side for protection.

This weekend I am going to do something else I have not done since since the 8th grade. I am going to be part of a live nativity at the church of Friday night. After last weeks events my wife said I should be a Wiserman, but I don't know what I will be assigned.

[Swingman]

Feel your pain ... stuck the ring finger of my left hand in the impeller of a leafblower two weeks ago to the point you could see the bone through the gash on the tip of the finger.

While it now looks almost healed on on the surface, it is definitely not on the inside ... and, as you are no doubt painfully familiar, nothing sticks out like a sore digit ... hit it on everything. :(

Here's to your quick healing and full recovery.

[Han]

Keith Nuttle wrote in news:k95e7d$v17$ [e-mail]:

I feel your pain. I've had a couple of accidents with the table saw too, including a kickback from a piece of 1/4" lauan (sp) plywood that hit my left index and middle finger. Had to have plastic surgery on the injured tendon. All is well now ...

Hope you heal well and soon. Merry Christmas ...

[SonomaProducts.com]

... It is healing nicely, but I will still need a bandage on the one finger= . The pointing finger is nearly healed but I will still put something on it= when I am out side for protection. This weekend I am going to do something= else I have not done since since the 8th grade. I am going to be part of a= live nativity at the church of Friday night. After last weeks events my wi= fe said I should be a Wiserman, but I don't know what I will be assigned.

Sorry to hear about the damage and glad to hear it wasn't worse. I had a so= mewhat similar bite when making a mid cut adjustment on a bandsaw (details = witheld) helping me learn one more safety tip "just make cuts on a moving b= lade and make adjustments to stopped machinery."

Not sure about your exact setup but it should be pretty rare that you need = feathers on a TS in the first place and you should NEVER have them anywhere= past the front cutting edge (in my opinion). It just makes for too much of= a pinch possibility on the backside which equals kick-back, which can remo= ve fingers without them ever touching the blade.

[Han]

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I was under the impression it is better to have featherboards near the fron end of the saw blade, not on the back. But there should be some anti- kickback device on the back. Luckily my Craftsman has those on the bladeguard assembly.

[Keith Nuttle]

My past practice is to put the infeed feather board so it puts pressure to keep the board against the fence and the out feed feather board lightly pushing so the board does not move away from the fence. Basically to provide some control and stability during the final part of the rip. The same idea as using an infeed and an out feed feather board on a router table.

[Han]

Keith Nuttle wrote in news:k95j7v$cso$ [e-mail]:

For the latter, the mounting of my sawblade guard has a splitter-like portion, to which the antikickback pawls are attached. It's the splitter that would prevent board movement after it passed through the sawblade. But I will keep this in mind for some of the weirder cuts I have been doing recently, and for dado-type cuts. Thanks!

[SonomaProducts.com]

On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 9:56:18 AM UTC-8, keith [e-mail] w= rote:

em anywhere past the front cutting edge (in my opinion). It just >> makes f= or too much of a pinch possibility on the backside which equals >> kick-bac= k, which can remove fingers without them ever touching the >> blade. > > I = was under the impression it is better to have featherboards near the fron >= end of the saw blade, not on the back. But there should be some anti- > ki= ckback device on the back. Luckily my Craftsman has those on the > bladegua= rd assembly. > My past practice is to put the infeed feather board so it pu= ts pressure to keep the board against the fence and the out feed feather bo= ard lightly pushing so the board does not move away from the fence. Basical= ly to provide some control and stability during the final part of the rip. = The same idea as using an infeed and an out feed feather board on a router = table.

Yeah, I was taught that having a feather anywhere past the front edge of th= e blade is a big no no. If you cut some stressed wood that wants to move on= ce it is split you could force a pinch situation.

[Swingman]

I guess it's whatever works for your particular situation, but I can say with 100% certainty that you will never see a featherboard on my table saw, on a through cut, anywhere else but the front of, and not past, any tooth where the the blade exits the insert.

[Zz Yzx]

But how can you put pressure on the cut-off past the blade without closing the kerf and causing binding and/or kickback?

[Swingman]

To add clarity: "enters" the insert at the front of the blade".

[Swingman]

To add clarity: "enters" the insert at the front of the blade".

[dadiOH]

Keep doing that and you'll get chopped up again. And the only place I use a feather board on a router table is right at the leading edge of the bit to hold the wood into it.

[dadiOH]

You can't. Which is why he shouldn't do it (as you know).

If he feels the need for pressure there he should buy a set of Board Buddies...those shaped wheel gizmos that attach to the fence and hold the work down and in. I don't use them, too cheap, but I do use a piece of shaped polycarbonate that accomplishes the same thing.

[Gramp's shop]

I bought the Board Buddies a few weeks ago and used them for the first time= to rip some 2x cherry. Worked great. Finger board at the front of the bl= ade and BB holding down the stock. Only wrinkle is that the forward BB res= tricts the use of a push stick for thinner cuts.

Larry