forestgirl

Comment on the fence later, but first: Does anyone proof-read what this associate editor writes? "...trecherous, malign growth...."??? Hello?!! I guess he meant "treacherous, malignant"

As to the fence and the possibility it's being discontinued by Delta: One reason may be that customers aren't aware of the benefits of this adjustable fence. The biggest advantage, IMHO, and one that wasn't explained by this author, is being able to set the end of the fence in line with the center of the blade while ripping. This greatly reduces the liklihood of kickback. The ability to use it as a stop block is but a minor advantage compared to such a major safety technique.

I think perhaps the main reason there hasn't been significant change in the number of tablesaw accidents is because, although the regulation was introduced in 2005, it affected only new table saws -- new models. Consequently, it took some time for riving knives and modular guards to actually hit the market.

Secondarily, many users still ditch the guard as soon as the get the saw. This is still all guesswork though. The only way to know what at the root of these injuries is to conduct a survey of all victims when they are treated. Not likely to happen.

There's a paragraph and conclusion in this FWW article that makes no sense to me: The article makes a number of suggestions. Among them, tablesaws are the cornerstone of most woodworking shops and the machine is easily the most versatile power tool for woodworking. As a result, the study’s authors suggest that tablesaws aren’t inherently more dangerous.... As a result of what? The fact that their versatile?? Poorly conceived, that.

Other questions....I believe people are injured because they ignore, if even briefly, needed safety procedures; they lose focus; they have NO idea how quickly things happen on this tool. I personally know of users ignoring (a) don't leave the saw running when you're not using it (4-finger amputation); (b) use a push-stick (1-finger amputation) (keep the firing-lane clear (extremely bruised abdomen); use a splitter (no injury -- this was me spacing out after removing the splitter for a dado cut -- but the square of plywood spun off the stop of the blade, nicked my side and flew 20' across the shop at high speed).

The handmade brass pulls are a wonderful feature. I like the arrangement for the earrings, with that tall slide-out panel, and the carving of her name makes this present very special indeed.