Leon wrote:
"Kent" wrote in message
...
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?

Not!

If your hand has to go between the blade and the fence, it is not safe with
that narrow of a cut.

You should be using your miter gauge or a miter sled to cut the 5" square
piece of wood. Any piece of wood that is being cut with a fence and is
close to being square increases your chance of kick back. The smaller that
pipe of wood or panel the more likely.

That said, wood can be cut successfully in many unsafe ways but you need to
be aware of the risks associated with those ways and let your gut over ride
any thoughts if tells you that you about do something unsafe.


My most-used "push stick" is an inverted "U" shaped slider that
straddles the fence with the bottom shaped like the bottom of a shoe
which sits on the work piece and a heel which pushes it along. On top
is a wooden knob. It works as a hold down as well as a push stick. It
is made from three pieces of 3/8 or 1/2 plywood. I don't remember
where the idea came from. I'm sure I didn't think it up on my own.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.