In article , "Mike Marlow" wrote:

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
. com...

I suppose you'd have a big crisis if I mentioned I am also perfectly
comfortable cutting something freehand on a table saw as well! --dave

No, I won't have a big crisis from you mentioning it, but *you* will some
day
from *doing* it. That's just not a smart idea.


Not necessarily at all Doug. I'd agree that short cuts done free hand offer
a significant potential for problems. The smaller the piece, the more
likely it is that you can't control the travel of the piece through the
blade accurately enough to maintain a proper straight path. However, long
rips do not pose the same threats. He's not in any way guaranteed to have a
problem by cutting freehand - depending on what the definition of freehand
is.

Mabe we'd better agree on a definition first. My definition of a freehand cut
is one in which only the operator's hands are used to guide the work past the
blade (this would include hand-held pushsticks etc), without using a guide of
any sort -- no fences, jigs, fixtures, sleds, whatever, just the hands and
hand-held devices.

I have been forced to make many free hand cuts on a table saw over the
years.

Forced how/why?

It's not my prefered technique or approach, but I've done it. You'd
have to do more than simply assert that this is something that *will* some
day result in a big crisis.

OK, change that to "will probably"... It's not a good idea.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.