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Originally Posted by Mike Corey? Do you see the bit sticking up with no guarding? This is the point Tom and Harry are getting at: an unguarded bit is dangerous. It is very easy to slip and lose something that should remain attached for life. This is a major point in why Tom promotes using guide bushings and jigs, there is no way you can contact the bit.
Tom, my answer is to have a piece of wood with a plastic guard shield on the end clamped to the table so it extends over the bit. Quick, easy and safe. |
Hi Mike, yeah I saw the bit sticking up there. I wasn't sure what exactly Tom was trying to say. It definitely could cause injury but woodworking is inherently dangerous all by itself. I see a lot of woodworking videos etc. demonstrating this very method. My dovetail jig uses a very similar operation actually. So I guess for me it doesn't throw a red flag up immediately. Another easy fix is to put outboard handles on the jig to keep your hands free of the bit, kind of like the katie jig. You can get all crazy with all kinds of guards etc. but the key is not to be fooled into complacency with all that, but focus at all times when using power tools and know at all times where your hands are. If you can't focus then shut the tools off and go in and watch TV. I have had those days.
Given all of this, if Tom has a method to use the template guides to make the legs and do it safely at that I would like to hear and see more about it. Like I said, I wouldn't have used a router at all to make the legs. Maybe Tom can change my mind on that.
Thank God, the only injury I have ever gotten in the shop was a severely cut finger that required 10 stitches...the culprit... the Table Saw. The kicker is... the saw wasn't running. The blade was about an inch above the table and I wacked my hand hard on that blade and cut my around my finger to the bone
I hit is so hard I had carbide in my finger! Since then I have always kept my blade below the table after I use it.
Corey