Sorry to hear about the accident, hope that it heals quickly. I have a plastic pusher made by, I think CMT, but it's solid from the handle down with no holes. I've nudged the blade with it a couple of times pushing parts that were barely wider than the stick and just have a worn spot on the end. You were lucky, the pieces could have flown up and hit you in the face.

 

Herb - sorry about the accident - it could have been much worse - if your pressure had been greater you would have pushed your hand right into the blade.

That style of pusher is, in my opinion, one of the worst designs as far as safety is concerned. All the pressure is at the rear of the stock - easy to skew the work piece sideways causing kickback. Pressure needs to be applied downward along more of the work piece as it goes through. This style is much better but if you want real safety, go with the GRRPipper - money well spent.

 

This style is much better but if you want real safety, go with the GRRPipper - money well spent.

A big DITTO.

 

Sorry about your hand Herb. I make my own push sticks from 3/4" plywood scraps. They are similar to the shape of your plastic one. If I am ripping something narrower than 3/4 the push stick gets a kerf (why doesn't spell check accept that spelling of kerf?) in it. When it gets chewed up I make another. Usually there are 3 or 4 laying around the shop

 

I do have a GRRRipper, and do use it a lot. But still make push sticks out of 1/2" plywood, toss when chewed up, make a new one. Even when using the GRRRipper tho, often use a push stick on the side. But if just using a push stick to push, I ALWAYS use another push stick to apply pressure from the side, either that or use may hand - with it waay in front of the blade, but usually a push stick. I've seen plastic push sticks that are solid, even used some until they got chewed up, but that thing with the holes I would probably just toss before using it.

 

Geez, Herb...that had to hurt. Get better quick, eh!
You probably should let Bosch know that in a crunch their push-stick design is more of a threat than a safety device(?).
(If they offer to replace the push-stick you'll know they aren't clear on the message. )

 

Sorry to hear it Herb. It is interesting as I just bought a GRRRipper off eBay for $45. Never used one before but maybe it will save me. I think I will avoid any plastic push sticks like the Bosch you had.

 

I agree with Dan, send Bosch the pictures. They may want to change the design or at least issue a warning about letting the blade contact it.

I like to make pushers similar to what Vince is showing except out of 1/4 to 3/8 ply. You cut it out so that there is a 1/4" or so hook left at the back of the bottom like the heel on a shoe. Since it's home made and usually out of scrap it doesn't hurt your feelings if you nick it. And you can usually cut a new heel a few times before it needs to be tossed.

 

Herb,

I agree that pictures should be sent to Bosch so they are aware of how these sticks explode when hit by the blade. These were probably made by another company and the decision to include them with the saw was probably made by an accountant trying to save pennies and not someone that was in the design department that would be looking at safety as a design consideration. Unfortunately you discovered the flaw and were hurt, good thing is you still have all your digits, the next person might not be as lucky.

Glad everything turned out okay and you are healing.

 

Well you weren't kidding about it exploding! Now Herb, please be careful in the future and use a second stick to push the wood into the fence. Then you won't have to angle the single pushstick.

I hope the gash heals quickly, although as you're on the thinners, it may take a little longer going on evidence from my S/O who get's bruises at work that takes weeks to go away.

 

Sorry to hear about your injury, Herb. I agree with Dan and would share the pictures and a narrative of of your experience with their pusher. Personally I only use wooden push blocks and sticks case I can customize them to my wants. I have been thinking of getting a gripper. You misfortune may influence and expedite my decision.

 

I'm glad that you're OK now, Herb. I've got that same stick (and same saw), and I'll definitely not use it for this any more.

 

Holy cow! I never thought about that happening. I'm glad the damage was limited to your hand, and not further up on you. I think you just settled my coin toss as to whether to buy a Grrripper. Just one thing. Is that dried glue drops in the picture, or is your blood yellow? Maybe you're overdoing it with the blood thinners. Just kidding. I'm glad you're OK.

 

Grrripper guy here too. Use it a lot. But when cutting a narrow strip, I don't want the strip trapped between blade and fence, so I use the Rockler Thin Strip jig for that purpose. I do this kind of cut fairly often, and the jig really is safer. If I need to push the piece toward the fence, I use a second stick and press from the side. I have a push stick like the home made one above which I use occasionally, but I prefer the Grrripper if there is enough of the workpiece for it to rest on. I have two for longer pieces, but rarely need the second.

Really glad you got off light with that accident. A few stitches is a small price to pay for such a good lesson. Thanks for sharing the danger, I'm tossing those plastic push sticks out today.

 

@DesertRatTom

I have two of the notched push sticks and use one from the feed end and the other on the outside edge to keep the wood both tight to the fence and from lifting up - recommend that set-up when ripping relatively narrow strips rather than plywood panels. Agree on the Rockler Thin Strip Jig - after a while you get the "feel" on how tight to move the fence/wood over against the roller and get uniform thickness strips. Guess I'm in the minority, bought the Gripper with the extra thin piece specifically for ripping thin strips and it walked on me the first time. Maybe I need to give it another chance.

You can see my orange (CMT?) push stick lying behind the fence.

 

Thanks everyone for all the good comments and good tidings, I think I will go with wood as I have for all these years. I had a plastic one like Vince showed and really liked it, and also bought the Gripper years ago, but never used it, lost it in the fire and never replaced it. I might just get one again and try it since everyone that has one likes it so much. I do have a clone but it is so big and unweildy that I don't use it much.
Normally I use the band saw for short cuts like that and then sand the edge with the drum sander on a sled.

My hand seems to be healing good, it took the doc only minutes to stop the bleeding with some antibiotic gel that had something in it to shrink the corpuscles. I need some of that stuff when I am shaving. LOL
Herb

 

Herb,

I'm sorry to read about your incident and hope you aren't in any pain as well as wish you a complete and rapid recovery.

Bryan

 

You know Bryan, it never hurt except for the initial Bang and then it was numb. Didn't bleed for 20 minutes or so later. I but a band aid on it and kept working. Then noticed it running down my arm, so packed it with gauze and put a rubber glove on it, and went back to work, pretty soon that was soaked, so wrapped it in a wash cloth and put pressure on it, that helped but soon soaked, about then decided I better go get it fixed.
5 hrs. later I was home again, I hate to go to ER, sit and wait. I could have been out of there in 20 minutes if they would have fixed it and sent me home.
Herb

 

Sorry for the double post.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident, glad it was not more serious. I have a Bosch TS as well, same push stick. I also picked up some cheapo plastic push sticks the night I picked up my TS . The next day, I was running some stock through, and the stick contacted the blade, and the tip exploded. No injury, but it sounded like a gunshot going off. I immediately made a wooden push stick, then later made one I feel is a little safer. They are both getting pretty chewed up, so I have plans to make some more soon.

 

Sorry to hear, Herb...hope you heal quickly...thanks for sharing and giving all of us a reminder...

 

Herb, glad you made out OK. That's pretty weird how the pusher exploded. I too have plastic pushers and have nicked the blade on occasion, never with that result, thank goodness!

 

I never liked pusher sticks and have always used some form of shop made pusher that held the work down as well as pushed it forward. Sixty years ago when I was first learning how to use a table saw and other power woodworking tools, my uncle told me to "never ever do anything on a table saw that requires putting any part of you within 6 inches of the blade or bit.Stop, and find another way to do it." That rule was deeply embedded into my brain while working with him and it has kept me safe all these years. He also showed me how to make pushers that held the work down as well as pushed it forward. You need to hold the whole piece down, not just the back edge.

About 8 years ago I bought two Grrippers, but it was almost 2 years later before I could get myself to use them close in and for small pieces. When you use them your hand passes above the blade, and frequently it's only about 1 1/2" above. This violated that 6" rule that was so deeply engrained in my head and it made me very nervous about using them until I managed to convince myself that there was this heavy piece of plastic between my hand and the blade, and that as long as I hung onto the handle I was safe. Adding to this, if you ever cut into any part of a Grripper, you will discover that it emits a very strong and unique odor which will immediately tell your brain that something is wrong. It's an unadvertised safety feature. I've never smelled anything like it, and I only nicked one of the side pieces.

Once I got past the 6" rule to accept the Grrippers I began to appreciate how well they worked, if I took a moment before each cut to adjust them and the blade height correctly. I made a doll house size horse barn for my grand daughter that required making many 1/8" strips and L shaped corner trim. I doubt that I could have made them safely without the Grrippers. I even made corral fences glued together from 1/8" thick strips.

Along with and before the Grrippers, I have frequently made push blocks, sometimes even from 2 X 6 and 2 X 8 or thinner material, like 1/4 - 3/4 Baltic Birch that always has an L shaped cut in the bottom so it will hold the work down as well as push it, and a handle high enough to be above 6" from the blade. These pushers are always long enough to be a minimum of about 1/3 of the length of the cut and I always set the blade height to be about a tooth above the work, and always do a kind-of dry run to make sure everything will go well. If the blade will be passing closely along side of my pusher I will glue a block below the handle piece that the blade will hit before it reaches my hand.

I've seen guys hold little tiny pieces of wood and push it along with their fingers while hooking a couple of fingers over the top of the fence, and I cringe when I see them do this. Then I try to convince them of a safer way to do it.

Herb, I'm sorry to see that you had this unfortunate experience, but I'm glad that you didn't loose any body parts in the process. I hope you completely heal soon. I also hope you have learned a lesson about push sticks and saw safety. Grrippers are great, but bigger shop made pushers that also hold the work down are quite safe too. I'll have to take some pictures of some of mine and post them.

Charley

 

Herb I'm just blown away at the outcome of that push stick . I'm certainly glad you didn't hurt any worse than you did . This goes to show that even a seasoned pro can have an incident .
I'm going to take a look at my pushsticks , and if they have empty voids like that there going in the dumpster .

Hope your hand heals quickly, and I can hardly imagine how soar it is . Btw , I'm liking your wood push stick idea

 

I'd be willing to venture its more the materials used to make up the push stick than the design. It looks like shock wave traveled up thru the material ..The blade caught that thing just right........BANG!

glad a couple stitches is all you got out of it Herb...heal well, and heal fast!!

 

Man, what a great safety lesson for all of us, and only cost him 7 stitches. Take heed, grasshopper, that blade is spinning far faster than you can react.

 

Sorry to hear of you mishap Herb, hope recovery is swift. I'm also in the Grippeeeer camp owning two.

 

Wow, Herb... I'm glad your injury wasn't worse, though I'm sure it hurt like hell anyway, and I'm really glad that you decided to post this so that we all could learn from your mishap. I don't own plastic pushers, largely because I'm too cheap so I've made my own, but after seeing this I wouldn't ever buy a plastic one.
These are my homemade pushers. The big one has a replaceable piece of 1/4 plywood on the back end.

http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh626/keninlowell/Safety/pusher1_zpsxdbyhyfr.jpg

 

WOW!!

Herb, glad it was superficial and not dismemberment. Reattachments are rare with saw blades – they chew things up too bad.

 

Yep. My son is a recently anointed ER doctor, and he said the more woodworking injuries he sees, the more he worries about me in the shop.