Tim Douglass responds:

There *are* a few differences between a sawmill and a tablesaw besides
size. Probably the two biggest factors are the total size of the piece
(Very big for the sawmill, too massive to kick easily) and the
diameter of the blade vs the size of the piece. If you look at a lot
of old sawmill pics you will see saws that are 7-8 feet in diameter
cutting 2 foot logs. The point where the blade is in contact with the
tree is traveling almost vertically with relatively little angular
motion to generate kickback. The saws also have a rather wide set to
prevent binding.


Ayup. And the dogs on the carriage do a pretty fair country job of holding the
log in place, anyway. Too, there is NO ONE anywhere near a kickback area should
one occur. The operator is off to one side--in a steel and plastic cage in
modern versions, with an array of controls in front of him.

Charlie Self
"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories -
those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost." Russell
Baker