On Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:08:43 -0700, "WW" wrote:


"Father Haskell" wrote in message
...
On Jan 23, 10:46 am, Jay Pique wrote:

So I guess I have no real point other than to say that I think safety
in the shop is at least 95% using good commone sense and keeping your
eye on things. Feeling how the wood and the saw are responding is key
for me. Proper technique and feed rate are key. A splitter is
absolutely a great thing. Guards? I'm just not a fan.

In 40 years, I've seen lots of kickback, but never anyone getting
bit. Not sticking your fingers into the blade is the best protection
against having to relearn how to pick your nose. Splitters and
pawls are a big help against kickback. So is keeping your
machine tuned up -- a blade that heels in against the fence is
liable to grab and fire a board like a rail gun.

Been there. Kickback with a 3/4 inch plywood about 16 inches square. Caught
between fence and blade took off spinning and peeled a finger down to the
tendon. Could watch tendon move as I bent my finger. 7 stitches in ER. THEN
I bought the set of 2 pawls that hold wood down. Works great. WW

The worst "kick back" (really the reverse) I've had was with my RAS. I was
sawing into a 1" cedar board when it grabbed the blade and the carriage came
at me. I had a few kicks when I was ripping with it, too. More than one
board hit the wall. I've had no kicks on my table saw, yet.