On 9/12/2013 9:39 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Leon wrote:
On 9/12/2013 7:15 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Lew Hodgett wrote:

Not at all.

A momentary contact switch in a foot operated switch provides the
"Dead Man"
switch function required for a safety device.

In addition, it provides under voltage proction if the necessary
additional devices have been included.

A "Push on, push off" switch whether it is mounted in a foot switch
or a wall switch, provides a convenience function, but definitely a
SAFETY function.


I guess we'll just have to disagree on how much safety is really
offered by the momentary switch versus other problems it can
introduce.


Regardless of which switch you use to turn off the router none offer
much safety if they don't stop the cutter dead in it tracks. A
coasting down bit or blade can do as much damage as one that is under
power.

No contest. Going back to my original point - the only thing I ever cared
about with a foot switch was the ability to turn it on and off without
having to reach under my router table and grope for and/or look for the
router power switch. I considered that to be quite helpful for me.



Do doubt a convenience to step away rather than to reach for.

But having said that and referring back to milling the double through
slots in the thousands of pieces of Ipe, I never turned the router off.
While safer to let the bit spin down to a stop it would have tripled
my time at the task so that two hours of continuous production would
have taken 5~6 hours and the fatigue of those extra hours would probably
have introduced as much risk as reversing the plunge procedure. I had a
pretty good routine for removing the work when the bit was still spinning.