RodSheridan

Unfortunately the Power Tool Institute and FWW are once again demonstrating a lack of leadership in machinery safety issues.

Why are our North American machines so far behind the European machines with regards to easy to use safety equipment such as riving knives, blade guards, blade braking, sliding tables etc?

The issue is that in Europe, the power tool producers aren't writing their own legislation, they're having to follow government mandated safety requirements.

That's what produces good safety, legislation that specifies certain requirements and outcomes, not leaving the tool manufacturer to follow a voluntary standard they developed in the first place.

FWW, you should be embarrassed to not be taking leadership position in saw safety, and a good place to start would be stop showing unsafe saw operations in your magazine and on your website.

Regards, Rod

Thanks, that's a very generous offer.

It would help me free up a lot of shelf space in my bookcases.......Rod.

Where do I start?

Once again Fine Woodworking is demonstrating the unsafe operation of a tablesaw.

- no dust collection

- no guard

- fingers too close to the blade

As others have said, if you're making one tenon. it's fast. yet far to risky.

If you're making 20 or 30, it's painfully slow, and far too risky.

I finally gave up on tenon making on the tablesaw because I never could design an easy to use guard with dust collection that could be used for tenoning.

I use the shaper, it has a sliding table, hold down clamps, dust collection and a tenon hood with guard that leaves the cutter enclosed.

It also makes perfectly smooth, repeatable tenons in one pass. It's a case of using machines for what they were equiped to do safely.

This certainly isn't something that FWW should promote as it doesn't advance the state of the art, or improve the safety awareness of how a machine should be used.

It's time for FWW to take a leadership position with shop safety. Would FWW be willing to demonstrate this technique to the local safety authority in their area?

Having worked in commercial wood working plants in Canada, I know that technique would be one that wouldn't fly with the safety authority.

It's time to realise that although we can do these sort of things, they're what leads to further safety restrictions.

If we can't police ourselves, a legislator will do it for us.

Regards, Rod.

Hi, the common item in many table saw accidents where a person makes contact with the blade, is that there is no blade guard.

TV shows, and publications such as FWW continue to show people operating table saws without blade guards.

My approach to machinery safety comes from a 30 year career in industry, which has also kept me accident free at home.

Most table saw guards are only suitable for through cuts, because they are supported by the splitter or riving knife.

This prevents you from using them for dado, rebate, grroving or tennoning operations.

The correct approach is to then not use the table saw for those operations, use another machine such as a shaper which does have suitable guards.

The other correct approach is to change the guard on the saw, I happen to have an Excalibur overarm guard, however any overarm guard will allow grooving rebate and dado work, while protecting your hands. They also provide better dust collection as an added benefit.

Removing the blade guard must always be consider o non option.

We wouldn't be allowed to run a saw at work without guards, splitters, riving knives etc., yet we seem willing to risk such poor work practises at home.

TV shows, publications, and the experienced wood workers on this forum need to tackle this issue.

Show guards in place when using machinery on shows and in publications, answer questions on forums for people with an emphasis on safety, and the correct guards, jigs and training required to use such machinery safely.

SawStop is the only significant safety improvement in decades, yet is a secondary safety system. The correct use of guards and jigs is the primary safety system, SS is meant to provide a failsafe for that extremely rare incident where the primary safety measures failed.

Regards, Rod.

I also make my own wipe on poly, it's far less expensive than the packaged product. It's an easy to apply, durable finish, that I use on utility products such a kitchens, bookcases and desks.

I don't use it on higher quality furniture, for that I use polymerised tung oil.

I find the tung oil produces a sheen that fits better with the Arts and Crafts furniture I often make.

For the tung oil finish I seal the wood with tung oil sealer, then mix polymerised tung oil 50/50 with tung oil sealer to reduce the gloss, and make application easier.

5 or 6 coats followed by a careful sanding with 600 grit paper, and a couple of coats of paste wax, yields an easy to apply finish that looks period for the furniture I make.

Regards, Rod.