Jim in NC,

I don't quite get the "The fence also must not be set much further from
the blade than the length of the board." Assume you are ripping a 2X4 that
is a foot long. The fence distance could not possibly be even close to the
length of the board. If you are cross cutting, setting the fence at the
board length would mean the board misses the blade.

Where did I get it wrong and what is the correct interpretation?

TIA.


I will try again.

If the saw blade is out of the table top 6" along the direction of travel,
the wood being _ripped_ should be at least 9" long. Doing this keeps
enough wood on the rip fence to keep it from turning sideways while it is
beside the blade, which of course would cause a big kickback.

The second part of the rule is that if the piece being ripped is 9" long, it
should not be ripped more than 9" wide. Doing so would allow the wood to
again turn sideways, causing kickback.

I know, there are some exceptions for the experienced woodworker, but this
rule is to keep 14 to 18 year olds from doing something drastic-bad. They
can learn to ignore my rules after I am not responsible for keeping their
fingers on their hands.

That work for you? ;-)

-- Jim in NC