As stated in this earlier blog entry, I`ve been criticized for what some feel is a lack of safety when using my tools. This is mainly my use of the table saw, but not limited to that. Since it`s the big one, I`ll talk about that.
First, I have to say that I`m getting a little concerned. Some of the guys that subscribe to me on YouTube and watch my videos, make videos of their own and I watch theirs.
I`m not sure if it`s influence from me (I certainly hope not, and hopefully I’m not coming across as presumptuous or arrogant, since that isn’t my intent), or if it`s just some lack of experience showing, but I`m seeing some genuinely dangerous behavior lately. I`m not going to give any specific examples here, since I don’t want to single anyone out. I`d just like to put it out there that there are things that are best not done on the table saw, and that when you watch me using it, I`m not being a daredevil and I’m not going out of my way to do things that look dangereous. I have a very sincere respect for the damage a saw can do, and I know what I can or can`t do safely. Things I can`t do safely, I don`t do.

For example, some of the things that I avoid are all instances where I don`t have absolute control over the work piece. If I feel that I will not be able to hold the part firmly while cutting, I`ll come up with another way to cut it. I generally don`t like to cut short pieces of wood, but if my push stick is able to give me enough control for the cut, I’ll do it. I never freehand cut on the saw and you`ll never see me cutting a circle on it either. That`s not to say that these operations are inherently dangerous, just that I won`t do them. The circle one especially – standing in a shop with several machines that are actually better for the task, why would anyone use the most unsuitable tool?
I don’t cut full sheets of plywood on the table saw, even though my saw has the rip capacity. I use a circular saw with a saw board or straight edge to cut the sheets down to manageable sizes, then cut them to the final size on the table saw. It’s not like you’ll get a reliable cut anyway, trying to bull a full sheet through. Make some nice folding saw horses and break down the sheets on those.
With a 10″ blade on my saw, it has a maximum depth of cut of 3″. Very rarely will the blade be up that high. Even if I have to cut through stock that is 2-1/2″ thick, I’ll always do this in two passes. The reason is simple: it’s safer. With the blade up half the depth of the cut, there is less strain on the motor and you don’t have to push as hard.
Oh yeah, there’s also less blade sticking up to cut you.
My saw doesn’t have any of the mandated “safety” doodads on it. I’ve been roundly criticized for this as well, so I’ll give my views on that here:

• No riving knife. Many, many people have warned me of the the dangers of a saw without a riving knife, as if it’s likely that I hadn’t known that. Most of these I ignore, but I did answer one by saying that I compare the riving knife to training wheels on a childs bicycle. A riving knife will do nothing for me, since I know how to avoid kickback (just like that kid learning to ride learns how not to fall down). That’s not to say that riving knives are a bad thing, just that I don’t need one.
• Dido on the anti kickback pawls.
• No blade guard. Again, I don’t need a blade guard in my way and I think that having it there could actually be more of a hazard. It also gives a false sense of security, which is not a good condition around this tool. With that said, at some point in the future, I’d like to build a blade guard that is not mounted to the saw, but floats above. This is the only type that I’d consider using.
  Again, this is my preference and it is based on my experience level.

I keep saying that my videos should be viewed as entertainment, but really people should view them as they would if they were watching any professional at work. I have very extensive experience with the table saw and really, this should be apparent to anyone watching – I can certainly see when someone doesn’t. So, when we watch a race car driver are we itching to send him notes on how dangerous it is to drive that fast? Or a lumberjack, felling trees with a chain saw? Or the iron worker, bolting girders 50 stories up?
In my other blog post on this subject, I said that I think people mean well when they point out what they think are safety issues. Now, I believe that most of the people that leave these comments don’t actually have much of an idea what is safe and what’s not. Seems like many of them just want to say something about it, like then I could appreciate just how savvy they are, and give them a big thanks for preventing my future injuries:
“Gee golly, if not for that incredibly insightful safety comment I got on video #138, I would probably be spending the rest of my life paying for my recklessness. Thank you 1928billk77!”

Yeah.

I recently added another link to my recommended websites page: Waterfront Woods
I added this site mainly because it has a really good article on table saw safety, and I share similar views. I have no affiliation with the site at all, but the article is worth reading through and there are some other very interesting things there as well.

Finally, here’s a video I found that is interesting:

Oddly enough, that appears to be a high school wood shop. This is an example where a riving knife would have prevented (possibly) this from happening, but given the choice between the two, I’d take the knowledge of how to avoid this in the first place.