How Close Do You Get To Your Miter Saw Blade? (2023 Update)

[krw]

13" from blade to edge of table on one, 11" on the other. From sternum to shoulder = 9". It works even without a miter station.

[DerbyDad03]

It's like you never even read my post. If you did, then you certainly missed the point by about 1000 board feet.

I said, right at the beginning, that you mistook my question for an attitude, yet you came right back with "What can go wrong?" attitude leads to complacency."

Then you repeated your assumption, absolutely reversing what I specifically said.

"The difference is that you're saying "What can go wrong?" as in "What, me worry?", vs my attitude of "what _could_ go wrong?""

You are completely wrong with that assumption. I said it before and I just said it again - for the last time.

[Jay Pique]

What are you even talking about -is this meant for me or your tailor?

[krw]

Read the thread. *I* didn't say 12". That was DD.

*I* said a shoulder's width (i.e. arm kept straight from shoulder to saw).

[krw]

No, 1000bf has no point. We're talking about the distance from fingers to blade.

It is a very ambiguous statement.

You can't always know what _could_ go wrong. I want as much margin as possible.

OK

[Bill]

Someone formulated a rule (which can't restate exactly), but the gist of it is that the "set up" should be such that there are at least two mistakes in front of any major mishap, not just one.

[Jay Pique]

Actually you said, and I quote, "Shoulder's width. Both arms/hands straight forward." But we both know why you changed it.

[krw]

And airplanes still fall out of the sky.

[DerbyDad03]

Read the thread. *I* didn't say 12". That was Ed.

I *questioned* Ed's limit of 12", asking what he thought could wrong that set 12" as his limit.

[Leon]

Yes but normally I cut small pieces in my shop on the TS. This was an onsite job and I do not have zero clearance fences on my Kapex, yet. And I am not certain that a zero clearance fence would be the answer in this case. The moldings were too tall to make miter cuts, So I made bevel cuts which would have made a V on a Zero clearance fence. That still would have provided poor support.

Again bevel cuts vs miter cuts.

+1

[DerbyDad03]

Yes...not all situations are equal.

Yes...not all situations are equal.

Thanks.

[pyotr filipivich]

Sometimes, you have no idea what could go wrong, until it does.

E.G., jack stands on cobblestone paving are mostly stable. Until they are not, and the one stone under the leg "packs" down just that "little bit" to get vector of the weight of the bus past the metacenter, and the jack tips. Just a little, before it falls over. Fortunately, I heard the "creaking" and rolled out from underneath as it fell. So, now I know "what can go wrong" for a large class of activities.

[DerbyDad03]

That's absolutely true but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't ask yourself the "What could go wrong?" question and, using your past knowledge and experience, eliminate all of the possible issues that you can think of.

Similar to what you said, there's an old saying "We don't know what we don't know." Simply reminding ourselves of that can help make the surprises less surprising.

I have four 12" x 12" x 1/4" steel plates stored with my jack stands. I don't take any chances when I get under a vehicle. Each jack stand gets a solid platform of its own. (The plates also prevent the legs from leaving indentations on a hot asphalt driveway.)

...snip...

[krw]

Oh, good grief. Are you always such an asshole?

First, you *did* say 12". Second, I'm not really that concerned about the hand holding the handle.

[krw]

Sorry, I apologize.

I don't know what could go wrong that far away but I'm not taking chances if there is nothing to gain by doing so. It's good to have rules for oneself (like never reaching past the blade of a table saw that's still spinning or never, ever, stand behind the workpiece and if at all possible, hide behind the fence.

[Jay Pique]

Yes - and you just assumed I was addressing you. Read the thread. You and I both know you're just spewing nonsense. You've already backpedaled once. Now you're going to claim you center your sternum on the blade of the saw so your ' sternum to shoulder = 9" ' blather sort of makes sense?

[Jay Pique]

Lol. Now you're just trolling.

[krw]

I'm where the wider hand position started from.

Wrong, but I wouldn't expect you to be able to read. I did go into the shop and try it. Yes, my left arm was straight in front of my left shoulder. The right arm inward, yes. That's a natural position for me.

Anyway, join the asshole club. You two make a fine couple.

[krw]

No, you're just still being asshole #2. You ought to try another shtick. You've mastered this one.

I do hide behind the fence if at all possible. I stand to its right and push with my left so nothing will come back at me. I don't break down sheet goods on my table saw so it works for most operations. Small crosscuts and pieces don't often kick back. Sometimes really long boards have to be held more from behind so it doesn't always work but whenever possible...