Safety Questions Leave Woodworkers Stumped
January 2nd, 2009Rule of Thumb: Keep it Away From the Blade
I am sitting here waiting for tool stuff to arrive.
I decided to get an HTC mobile base for my table saw, since it is unusable unless it can be rolled. It’s impossible to buy one around here without paying an arm and a leg, so I ordered it. Once I have it in hand, I can start putting the saw together in a usable configuration. After that, I can check to see how well it works.
I still don’t know how well the Corian blades will work on wood. Someone told me they might be slow because they have a “negative rake.” I suppose the only test is to throw a piece of wood on the table.
I should get off my butt and make some table inserts and a cover for the motor. To make the inserts, I’ll need a router bit with a bearing. I bought one to make a hole for my router lift, but the bearing has slid down the shaft, away from the cutting part of the bit. I can’t figure that out. Is that supposed to happen? Maybe it will still work if I jam the bit as far into the collet as possible, so the collet supports the bearing.
I don’t know what to make the motor cover from. I suppose a nice grade of plywood. I could use something cheap, but I’ll have to look at this thing every time I use the saw, so it would be nice if it looked good. I can slop some paint on it.
I read the most disturbing thing on a forum today. There was a thread about safety, and one guy said he had cut off five fingers, some more than once! I couldn’t believe it! I felt like posting a message, asking if maybe he was in the wrong line of work, but I was afraid he would be offended. You only have to cut off my fingers once to make me realize I’m doing something wrong.
I guess reattaching fingers must be a lot easier than it used to be.
The table saw/router project is going nowhere until that mobile base arrives. I feel like I’m frozen in carbonite.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:50 PM
“I bought one to make a hole for my router lift, but the bearing has slid down the shaft, away from the cutting part of the bit.”
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Sounds like the collar is missing or you have a bit that is designed to be used with a hand-router only (rather than a table router) where the bit is always below the router. See the link below for a router bit with bearing and collar:
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http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-4-Pattern-Cutting-Straight-Bit-1-4-Shank/C1308Z
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You can buy collars at most good Hardware stores (in the nuts&bolts section). I don’t know if Home Despot carries them though. Make sure you know the shaft-size when you buy the collar.
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Very glad to hear the Heather’s mom is doing better (and that my prayer mattered). Thanks for updating us.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:39 PM
I worked with a guy like that. Far too preoccupied to watch what he does. Over 20 years I watched in awe and fear as he cut off finger after finger in tablesaws, bandsaws, until he cut off so much of his right hand in a 16″ jointer that he became unemployable in any manual trade. He successfully defeated every kind of guard that skilled engineers could design. Luckily he finally found a successful career. Running a car wash. I just let my cars go dirty. I don’t want to run the risk, however miniscule, of running into him. Ever.
Gerry N.
Gerry N.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:01 PM
I’ve never used a laminate blade, but don’t see why they wouldn’t work for crosscutting. For general woodworking, you probably want to start out with 3 blades.
1) A 24 tooth rip blade.
2) A 40 tooth ATB crosscut blade.
3) A 60 or even 80 tooth fine crosscut blade.
As for brands, everybody has their favorites, mine is Amana. Some will tell you that your saw isn’t squat unless it sports a Forrest blade. That’s fine if you want to drop the coin, I can’t knock Forrest. This is one place where you get what you pay for. If you pay for Oldham, that’s what you get. Don’t waste time with a thin kerf blade, either. That saw has horsepower to spare, and will push a blade through just about anything you are likely to feed it. I only have 3 HP, and have yet to bog the thing down. Couldn’t say that about my old Contractors Saw.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Hey! There’s a good first project for you. Make a blade cabinet. Blades do cost, and you want to protect them from damage. You’re welcome.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 PM
The blade with the negative rake will cut a lot slower. I’ve no idea if it cuts any cleaner, though.
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I think in woodworking you usually only see those on miter saws, and maybe on radial arm saws – you don’t want the saw to grab and jump at you.
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I use a Forrest narrow-kerf blade in my Delta contractor-style saw. I’ve never used a better blade.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:28 PM
My old man lost parts of his thumb and two fingers in a shop class in high school. He went on to become a damn good carpenter and a highly skilled cabinet maker. I worked with him in my younger years. His opinion of all the current safety devices was, that they were put in place to protect idiots and keep trial lawyers at bay. His advise was: Look at the machine you’re working with. Learn where you shouldn’t put your fingers. Then GDI don’t put them there!
A good lesson. I’ve worked a lotta wood since and I’ve still got all my digits.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:04 PM
My little brother never lost any fingers. He found ’em, and they sewed ’em back on.