Kent wrote:
I would like to know if what I am doing on a table saw is safe. I have
ripped a board to 4" in width. I then have a piece of 3/4" plywood
that is approximately 5" X 5" and I would like to cut this to 4" wide
to exactly match (in width) the first piece I ripped. I am sliding
the 5" X 5" plywood through by hand holding it tight to the fence.
Pushing it through with a push stick does not "feel" safe to me. There
is plenty of clearance for my fingers when I slide it through.
However, since the board is only 5" across, it also does not feel safe
to me to have the plywood fully behind the blade with nothing on eiter
side as I am sliding it through. Miter saw would liekly be safer,
however, I am trying to exactly match the first board I ripped.

Is what I am doing safe or not?
Do you have all of your fingers?

From your discussion it sounds like you were using the most important
piece of safety equipment, your brain. All the trinkets in the world
will not prevent an accident if you don't think and understand what your
doing.

While there may be other ways of doing what you did, you completed the
task with no bad consequences. However if you were going to make many
cuts like this there are better ways.