jkinnear

Years ago I stuck my hand into my tractor's fan blade. By the time I pulled it out, cursed and looked at it, the finger was so swollen that I had to immediately cut off my wedding ring. I have since stuck my hand into the same fan blade...but not wearing a ring!!! I'm no dummy! The point is, there are many potential owies on all power tools and we do sometimes make the same mistake more than once, so maybe the best policy is to figure that an accident can happen to anyone at any time and so we should always be prepared for the one that hasn't happened yet. Emergency phone number posted, First Aid kit on wall next to fire extinguisher, wife, kid or neighbor aware that we are out there fiddling with tools again, etc.

I have been fortunate in that I have had good instruction and have also been very lucky when I have decided not to follow instructions. A kickback or two, a thwang with a disc sander attachment and a couple of bruised fingers are the extent of my unlucky encounters in my 40 years of working with table saws.

Red paint, properly-adjusted saws, plenty of rest, minimizing distractions, clean shop, no alcohol or drugs, good instruction...these are the points I put stock in today. I have used a Sawstop in a woodworking class. I hope I will be able to buy one before I need it rather than after I wish I had.