BobMc

FWW is scarcely unbiased and, in my opinion, barely a proponent of safety. When I see a photo or diagram with safety equipment "removed for clarity," I wonder if FWW thinks that I don't know where the saw blade is located, and need a clear view of why the board has no kerf when it goes under the guard, but has a kerf when it comes out from under the guard? I wonder why, when showing a dado cut, the board isn't removed for clarity so I can clearly see the blade? I look at the picture on page 75 of the Nov/Dec 2011 issue (No. 222) and wonder what the plan is when something binds, breaks, or twists. I wonder why the miter gauge fence doesn't extend to both sides of the cut line to give better support, and a bit more clearance for the holding device called a hand. The first illustration accompanying this article is imflammatory; the second shows a hand depending on a riving knife to detect internal stresses in the wood and keep the board's face from blowing out while the worker's hand travels past the blade.

FWW->"If riving knives will tend to stay on saws much more than those old crappy splitters did, doesn't it follow that blade covers will too? My opinion is that they will, and that that will reduce hand-to-blade contact." Is this really a statement of logic? Does this mean that blade guards don't block the view, and now that FWW is illustrating cuts on saws with riving knives that the illustration will also show the guard in place? The gripes about license technology is also BS. SawStop has followed a common model, and is a success story. Other manufacturers resisted adding even a riving knife for years, and have done close to zero safety design improvements until SS came along. Common economic theory would predict economies of scale, and dropping prices on any manufacturing application.

Americans like to say the US has the greatest legal system, but then don't think it works whenever there's a decision they don't like. The coffee example is so trite--the woman bought coffee to drink and received 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts. McDonalds had had hundreds of previous complaints. People buy coffee to drink. Perhaps she wouldn't have spilled the coffee had it been at a consumable temperature, and she could have consumed it, instead of waiting for a 60 to 80 degree temperature drop to get below flesh-burning temperature.

I guess the only unfair thing I see in the entire affair is that apparently Ryobi wasn't allowed to have their own lawyers and experts in court to explain why they had no culpability? Or did they treat it as another slam-dunk dismissal and send a product demonstrator? The jury heard the arguments, and apparently felt that Ryobi could have made a safer product. Ryobi could have called FWW as a witness, or any of the personal-responsibility mavens to explain why it's bad to have safety features that avoid cutting flesh if they cut profits. But Ryobi did not.

A study showing that seatbelts don't cut accidents? I thought seatbelts were supposed to reduce injuries, which they do, as do airbags which no one will be willing to pay for, but they do.

Suppose I manufacture a high stool, and after selling my first hundred, find that 10% break and injure the would-be seatee. Can I claim they should have known better than to put their butts in line with the legs, and continue with the same design?

I wonder how many woodworkers who tout personal responsibility, the mantra of manufacturers, prior to cutting lumber commonly scan for metal, cut a fork to test for reaction wood, and run other tests to ensure the board is of homogenous composition and will behave as expected for the length of the cut? There are many variables in woodworking that can lead to disasters, and not all are amenable to personal-reponsibility cures. If a manufacturer can make a machine safer to help the user avoid injury when using the expected materials, then it should do so.

The Whirlwind blade brake is a good idea, shutting the blade down while the hand is a ways away, but when FWW removes the guard for clarity, will the detection system still work? Even with the riving knife in place?

The nanny state so often mentioned is a nanny to manufacturers, banks, insurance companies, military contractors, and Wall Street firms, and maintains the status quo of profits. When the common worker or soldier gets a bit of help, or time off, or any benefits, it's touted as being a bad thing, a slippery slope.

Semper Fi, Butch. How many traps do you have? I have 320, mostly in the F-4 Phantom II aboard Forrestal (CVA-59) assigned to fighter squadron VF-74 BeDevilers. When I was aboard, we didn't have any Marine aviation squadrons.

I hope your son is okay, Marines have never been known to pull easy duty.

Thanks for the comment on the cutting board.

What a beautiful table! The workmanship looks outstanding as do the design and proportions. Having your table set on a Persian carpet adds to its allure.

I suppose that by now the puppy is a dog and has eaten the rest of the brace.

I'm a hobbyist woodworker. Sometimes I putz in my shop trying to get a machine adjusted to a .0005. Sometimes I try to find a tool in all the clutter, try to rearrange the clutter, or clean the place, or even make something. I've had folks tell me I should do woodwork for a living; I would if I could live on about $1 per hour, less tools and materials, of course. It's a hobby. I don't have to justify to anyone why I have a 22" drum sander, or an 8" jointer, or 48" Starrett straightedge, or HVLP spray kit, etc, or a stack of curly maple and some 8/4 mahogany boards, plus the usual QS white oak, and stacks of books and magazines, or raw shellac and hide-glue crystals. If I wanted a CNC, that also would be my choice because I wanted one, and don't have to justify it. It would be different were I running a business. However, it seems to me that too many get hung up on what they consider 'woodworking'. I don't see a CNC laying down a veneer, or forming a bent lamination, or grain matching. It's another type of cutting tool, and my hang-up is that there's more to woodworking than just cutting. If it's a hobby for you, enjoy whatever aspects appeal to you. If it's a business, use whatever tools move you forward in your business plan. If you have the skill and patrons that you can afford to use only ancient methods, great. If you're looking to compete for the Ikea crowd business, you'll probably need CNC.

When I was a kid, the next-door neighbors' boy (about 10 years older than me) used to design and build model gliders. After a couple of flights, he'd launch it with firecrackers aboard, and blow it up. I was an adult when I finally figured it out--he enjoyed the design and building, not the actual flying, once he proved it could fly. When he destroyed a glider, he had a reason to build another. Designing was his hobby. Technology won't destroy hobbies, or craftsmanship.

Thank you for your comment. If you go to http://thewoodwhisperer.com/bobs-12-diamond-cutting-board/ I gave an explanation there, and there are also a few intermediate photos there. Essentially I routed a 72-degree Vee in two 8/4 purpleheart boards, then used the bandsaw and jointer to cut 18-degree sides from the yellowheart.

Well, my old DeWalt 770 that I bought new in 1975 is still on its first legs--but maybe it's on its last legs, too. I purchased a molding head, fence, and guards for it when I bought it, and have used it to duplicate molding in a few old houses I've lived in. The ability to change the head angle is handy when trying to match existing profiles to a bit set.

The cross-cut self-feeding tendency (at least on mine) is significantly reduced by using a negative-hook blade. I use a 60 tooth Amana Miter Box blade with -2 degrees hook.

I have also used the RAS to rip, plough, dado, miter, rabbet, and crosscut, the latter being its most frequent use these days. Before I had a tablesaw, I also used the RAS to cut half-laps and bridle joints. It can be a versatile tool.

While I believe that the tool currently in use is the most dangerous one, I have always admired the fact that the RAS doesn't try to hide the blade location from the user. Of course, on mine you have to look carefully to see the blade as I keep the guards in place, and adjust them for each situation. I also use clamps instead of hands for any setups other than a 90-degree xcut, and often for those cuts as well.

All-in-all I'll keep it, but I don't think I would buy a new or better one. This one serves my needs, when I need it.

Very nice.

My router eats bench cookies for breakfast.