Fly-by-Night CC wrote:

In article %K0fd.3947$8R.3884@trnddc02,
Lobby Dosser wrote:

Jeez, I missed the start of this. Unfriggin believable!

I think if you saw it done you'd not be so squeamish. The blade is
fully lowered below the surface of the table- it's just that the blade
won't let the very front of the insert fully seat by an amount just
shy of 3/4" (I just went out and set up a mock kerf cutting). The rear
of the insert is in the throat and resting on the rear lugs - you're
only pivoting the front downward to fully seat on the front lugs. When
you're done the blade is still below the top of the insert's surface
so you aren't exposing yourself to a bare blade. Stand to the very
side of the saw so that you can hold the back of the insert with one
hand and lower the front with the other.

What do you imagine could happen that would make this method so
unsafe? The insert is secure left to right by the throat opening. It's
registered and resting on the rear lugs - all downward motion (as I
mentioned, about 3/4") of the insert is stopped once it hits the
forward lugs and by then it's fully secured by the front of the throat
opening.

It's really no different than a plunge cut on a table saw or a
table-mounted router.


Other than having your hands far too close to the path of the blade? I
may be over cautious, but I've got all my fingers. I've made several zero
clearance inserts and in all cases I've manged to lower the blade enough
to allow screwing the insert to the table prior to cutting the slot.

Something I'll definitely be checking if I buy another saw.

LD