"Leon" wrote in message
...

I felt perfectly safe when I cut the end of my thumb off 20 years ago. I
had completed cutting a dado and had turned the saw off. You never know
when an accident can happen.

I can see how our viewpoints can differ, given that. My thumb is the primary
hold down and pusher device. Without it, I sure wouldn't have the control I
count on for even the simplest cut. (I wonder if you're about to tell me it
was your left thumb...)

I have my share of lessons learned also, but all of them without serious
injury. Are they any less valuable for that? Most recently, I thoughtlessly,
casually reached across the front of the blade to prod a cut-off away from
the blade with a pusher stick. At least I got half of it right; the plastic
didn't bleed as a result. It was over in an instant, leaving me puzzled for
long seconds on what had happened. There was a loud bang, the stick jerked
sharply, and there was a ragged new hole behind me in the shoji I just put
up around that end of the shop. (Brilliant choice of material, that.) The
fence wasn't even on the table, so it wasn't a kickback. The tip of the
pusher got snagged by the blade, and slammed into the insert plate hard
enough to shatter. The insert bears testimony to the saw's power. It's bent
and dented now beyond salvage. Not to mention, a contractor's saw's
trunnions don't hold up well to that kind of abuse. I had to re-align the
blade to the miter slots after that.