I started woodworking 13 years ago and after I learned my tablesaw could throw a board backwards and leave a half-inch dent in the drywall I decided to quit because I had a 2 year-old wandering around the house and thought that toddlers and woodworking don’t mix. I have since resumed my hobby since the 2 year old is about to get his driver’s license.

Believe it or not there is an incident that had more of an impact on me. I was changing a bit in my handheld drill and neglected to unplug the device. As I was turning the chuck key, the power button was pressed and it almost took my finger off. It ended up as a severe sprain for several weeks. I NEVER work on/set-up a tool without unplugging it first. NEVER. Pain will do that to you.

Keep up the good work!

And finally, you might want to put a post up in a big forum to see if there are other folks in your area who might want to mentor you. Sometimes, you can learn a lot in an evening just talking shop over a slice of pizza.

Good luck!

After spending a few weeks on youtube, this site, and a site for Charles Neil, I think the best way for me to learn this art is through having a mentor, or an instructor of a woodworking class… How do I find someone or someplace local that would take in a newbie and teach me the ropes one safety, technique, and such? I contacted the local colleges to see if they offered a “continuing education” course on woodworking to no avail. Anyways, any leads on where and how to get started from scratch?

Thanks so much,
Asher Day

I also appreciate your willingness to share your near-miss experiences. Knock on wood, I have been fortunate enough to have only been bit once. I was in a hurry using a compound miter saw and didn’t properly support the piece that I was cutting. Right after the cut was made, gravity took over and the piece started falling towards the ground. I should have let it drop, but instead I tried to catch it. Well, in truth I did catch it, but shaved off a little of my thumb in the process. It wasn’t too bad, but it could have been much worse especially because I was home alone without a phone in easy reach. I would encourage everyone to install a phone in your shop, particularly if you are home alone from time to time.

While I’m on subject, I teach a router class and one of the most important things that I stress in the class is that after you unplug a tool to exchange a bit or whatever, immediately attempt to turn it back on. What happens so many times is that you are absolutely sure that you unplugged the right tool, but unplugged another one instead. Think about it, what color is the cord on your router? How about that sander? Jigsaw? Compound miter saw? I’m guessing the answer is “black”. Am I right?

Cheers,

Frank

I know Kelly and he is a great guy, and a very knowledgeable woodworker. I respect his opinion and experience and I encourage you to think critically about the scenario. Maybe even try a few practice cuts to the left and to the right of the blade. Then you will need to make a gut decision based on your observations.

I was reading through Kelly Mehler’s The Table Saw book and he indicates that frequently kickback causes the workpiece to be flung violently back and to the *left* (when the fence is on the right), due to the piece pivoting about the forward corner against the fence where your fingers are pushing, as the rear rides up over the blade.

He actually has a couple of photos demonstrating this (where he is standing well to the right!). This calls into question whether standing to the left of the blade is that safe. Any thoughts?

Ron from Chicago