marktheshark

As a surgeon, I face an issue: I want to be a better woodworker, so I avidly watch the great videos the pros do on Fine Woodworking, Wood Whisperer, etc. The learning is great but I see them do some things that I would never do. The comment from the person about his instructor saying you can control better with your hand than with a pushstick or jig: yes, I see these pros move wood past the blade with just their hands and I am sure they feel OK with it and that it saves them time, but there are times when I get a bad, nervous feeling about what I am about to do on the tablesaw and I try to listen to that voice because I really need to keep my fingers. Once, I was cutting a dado on a board, going with the grain, and I wanted it to stop before the end. I was just a tiny bit shy of my mark, so I shut off the saw and while it was still spinning, I reached over the blade and tried to push it that little bit more to line up to my mark. It came back at me, along with my hand and nicked the end of my finger deeply - that was with no power and the blade slowing down. Very painful and took a long time to heal and seriously affected my ability to deliver healthcare. The main thing I have learned (hopefully) is don't be in a hurry cause whenever I am, bad and stupid things happen.