gumppy

Your reader was obviously pulling your shop apron with his letter. At no time did you point out a single positive for the RAS, which has proudly earned its position as a woodworking relic.

As a physician I have been pondering shop-related injuries, their prevalence and prevention. Unfortunately all statistics (including the cited Journal of Trauma article) rely upon cases sufficiently injurious to lead to Emergency Room treatment. This skews the prevalence and severity aspects of these injuries toward the blood-and-gore tier. These studies also avoid the treacherous issues of incidence/prevalence since none can estimate how many are at risk for specific injuries. Is an increasing number of injuries due to a larger percentage of users being injured or in increasing number of people now using the equipment and creating a larger "at risk" pool?

In the end the Consumer Product Safety rules may have lead to increased numbers of users who now believe the tools are safer. This may lead to less-observant/less-conscientious woodworking. Injuries due to inattention are preventable, but there'll never be a 100% safe power tool. Most injuries begin between the ears of the person who turns on the power tool. Even if that person is not the one to be injured by the kickback, hand on the blade or other injury, it is the responsibility of the operator to anticipate and prevent such injuries.

But I wonder how many powertool woodworkers per year suffer a splinter or a speck in the eye. Those are near universal injuries that never show up in these studies.

I am sorry to have missed this event. The e-mail notice showed up in my mailbox 45 minutes late. Will try my best to see the repeat podcast when it's available.

In my shop my principle products are noise and sawdust (very little blood and cursing). One can only hope the experience shows when I finally build something.