AThinlyDisguisedLectureonSafety

ForseveralyearsItaughtpeoplehowtobecomecompetentwoodworkers.Mostofthemwereretiringfromotherprofessions,andtheirranksrangedfromdoctors,collegeprofessorsandsocialworkerstolawyersandartists.Theyallhadonethingincommonwhentheywalkedintomyshop:theybelievedinperfection.

Butwoodworkingisnotaprecisescience.It'saninterpretivecraftthatcansometimesgrowintoanartform.Thematerialisnaturallyunstable,themachinesarenotmetalworkingaccurate,mostprojectsarecustom,notwoboardsarealike…andnotwowoodworkersarealike,either.Alotofthetime,builderswhousesolidwoodratherthanplywoodarereacting,ratherthanacting.Westartoutwithaplanandthewooddoessomethingtochangeit.OneofthebestcraftsmenIeverknewhadatwenty-footlongbannerononewalloftheshopthatsaid:

"Agreatwoodworkerisonewhoknowshowtofixhis****-ups!"

AttheBlackHillsSchoolofWoodworking,TimHaggarwasoneofmanystudentswhobecamegoodfriends.Timdesignedandbuiltseveralpiecesoffurnitureforhisfamily,includingthisdiningroomtable.

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That'sareallyaccurateassessment.Themoreadvancedonebecomesovertheyears,thelessonestickstotheplan.Veryfewofthebestfurniturebuildersrelymuchontapemeasures.Theyaremoreconcernedthatallfourlegsareequal,ratherthanthattheyareallprecisely18incheslong.Cabinetmakersneedtobeaccurate,butfurniturebuildersneedtobesatisfied.

It'saboutinstinctandfeeling,andthatonlycomeswithpractice.SamMaloofusedhisbandsawasacarvingtool.Heworkedonpartsuntiltheylookedandfeltright,ratherthanmakingthemperfectlymatchablueprint.IspokewithJimKrenovonthephoneonce,afterhissighthadessentiallyfailedhim,andhewasintheshopbuildingahandplane…bytouch.WhenwedesignedandbuiltfurnitureattheBlackHillsSchoolofWoodworking,Itriedtoinstillinmystudentsasenseofformandfunction,ratherthanmeretechnicalprowess.Yes,wecoveredallthebases,butmyheartwouldsoarwhensomebodywalkedpastthetapemeasureandmadeapencilmarkwherehefeltacutshouldbe,ratherthanwheretheplansaiditshouldbe.

Ibelievethatthefirstmistakenewwoodworkersmake–andthisisjustbecausethey'renervousinanunfamiliarrealm–istobetooliteral.Iftheplancallsfor18-inchlegsandyouaccidentallycutoneat17-7/8,thenresistthecalltoberigid.Don'twastestockmakinganewleg:justtrimtheotherthree.Ifthelengthiscritical,maybeyoucanaddanunseenpadtothebottomofeachfoot,ormakethetabletopaneighththicker.Befluidinyourthinking,andblueprintswillevolveintodesigns.You'llreplacefrustrationwithfun,andbuildsomethingunique–evenifit'sonlyminutelyso.

TableSawsIfthereisabowortwistinaboard,itcanbindbetweenthefence

andtheblade,andcausekickback.That'swheretheboardisshotbackfromthebladetowardtheoperator(you!),whereitcancauseamajorinjury,orworse.Thinkaboutthis:eachtoothona10-inchbladespinningat3450RPMtravelsmorethan100,000feetperminute–whichismorethan1,200MPH!That'sfasterthanthespeedthatabullettravelswhenit'sshotfromapistol.

Ifthattoothcatchesthewoodandthrowsitatyou,thereisnoducking.Thekeyistopreventtheproblem,ratherthanreacttoit.Anythingthatslidesagainstafenceneedstobestraightandflat.That'struewhetheryou'reworkingonthemitersaw,routertable,shaper,tablesaworanyotherpieceoffencedequipment.

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Ifthewoodisbeingrunagainstafence,thenthatedgeMUSTbestraight.Asateacher,lotsofpeopleaskedmewhatequipmenttheyshouldbuytogetupandgoinginwoodworking.Myfeelingisthat,beforeyoubuyatablesaw,youshouldbuyajointersoyoucanmakepartsstraightbeforeyoucutorshapethem.

Yourfingersshouldneverbetooclosetoatablesawblade.That'swhatpushsticksarefor.Ifyoufollowthatrule,thenyouwillchangethedangerassociatedwiththesawfromcuttingandthrowing,tojustthrowing.

Asawwillthrowtheworkatyouwhenitbinds.Thatmeanstheteetharegrabbingtheedgeofthecut(calledakerf),ratherthanslicingstraight.Somehow,theworkisbeingfedtothebladeatanangle.Thatcouldbebecausetheedgeagainstthefenceisn'tstraightandflat,orelsethefenceisn'tparalleltotheblade.Beforeyoufireupatablesaw,useadialcalipertomakesurethebladeisparalleltothemitergaugegrooves,andthentothefence.Ifyou'rerunningacontractorsaw(theyusuallyhavelegs),you'llprobablyhavetomakeadjustmentsbylooseningtheboltsthatattachthemotortothebottomofthetable,whichcanbeachallenge.Ifyou'rerunningacabinetsaw(thebaseisenclosed),themotorisattachedtothecabinet,notthetabletop,sothetopcanbeloosenedandadjustedseparately.Hybridsawsvary.Refertoyourmanualfordirections.

Ifapartbeginstobind,holdonasstronglyasyoucanandturnoffthemachine.Ifyouletgoorloosenyourgrip,it'scomingatyou.ThetablesawinmyshophasabuttononthefrontthatIcanhitwithmykneetoturnoffthepower.Ifyoursaw'sOFFswitchisn'thands-free,therearekitsandplansonlineforashut-offdeviceformostmachines.Manyoftheminvolveaspring-loadedbarorleverthatyoucanhitwithyourleg.Don'twaituntilyouneedit,toinstallit…

SawStop™There'sacompanythatbuildsreallygoodtablesawsthathavea

sensorthatwillstopthepowerinstantlyifyourhandtouchestheblade.Thesawsarespendy,butsoisanewfinger.Thisdevicedoesnotpreventkickback.Itpreventsfingersbeinghurtiftheycontacttheblade.Here'showthecompanydescribesitonsawstop.com:

"Thebladecarriesasmallelectricalsignal,whichthesafetysystemcontinuallymonitors.Whenskincontactstheblade,thesignalchangesbecausethehumanbodyisconductive.Thechangetothesignalactivatesthesafetysystem.

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"Analuminumbrakespringsintothespinningblade,stoppingit.Theblade’sangularmomentumdrivesitbeneaththetable,removingtheriskofsubsequentcontact.Powertothemotorisshutoff.Allthishappensinlessthan5milliseconds!"

AsIunderstandit,everytimethesafetydevicetriggers,you'llneedtobuyanewbladeandanewaluminumblock.Inmypersonalopinion,Ithinkitwouldbeniceifthedevicejustdroppedthebladebelowthetablewithouthavingtocrashitintothealuminumblock.Butitsoundsasthoughtheimpactiswhattriggersthebladedropping,soperhapsit'sphysicallyimpossibletoavoidtheexpense.

Ipersonallydon'townaSawStopsawbecauseIprefertorelyongoodpractices,notengineering,tosavefingers.Again,yourfingersshouldneverbewithinseveralinchesofatablesawblade.Therearemyriaddevicesouttheredesignedtokeepyourfingersawayfromtheblade'stips.Theyincludeguards,shields,feather-boards,rollers,hold-downs,slidingtables,mitergaugesandsoon.Thetwomostobvioustoolsarepushsticks…andcommonsense.Forexample,don'teverreachoverthebladewhileit'srunning.Justwaituntilitstops.

RivingKnivesThere'saninexpensiveanti-kickbackdevice(shownbelow,

courtesyofgrizzly.com)calledarivingknife.Itwasonceavailableonlyonhigh-endprofessionalsaws,butit'snowofferedonmanyhobbyistmodels.Arivingknifegoesup,downandtiltswiththeblade.It'sessentiallyasplitterthatsitsbehindtheblade,andstopsakerf(sawcut)closingandbindingontheblade.Ifthewoodgrabstheblade,itwillbethrownbackatyou.Therivingknifekeepsthecutopen,butitdoesmorethanthat.

TherivingknifeshownhereisonaGrizzlyG0715Ptablesaw,andunliketraditionalsplittersitdoesn'tgetintheway.

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Mosttraditionalsplittersaretallliketheoneshownhere,andareoftenusedtodropalargeclearplasticguardandevil-looking,serratedanti-kickbackpawlsovertheblade.Theyhavetoberemoved

forlotsofcutsbecausetheygetintheway–forexample,whenyou'reusingamitergaugewithafencethatsupportsworkonbothsidesoftheblade.Woodworkersarehuman,andtheygettiredofinstallingandremovingthecumbersomeguard.So,many

peopleendupjustremovingitaltogether.Ioftenfeelthattheguard'spurposeismoretoprotectthemanufacturerfromlawsuitsthantoprotectthewoodworkerfrommishaps,butIstillsuggestleavingitinplaceasmuchaspossible.Oh,andinthatvein–theguardhasbeenremovedfromsomephotosinthisbookforclarity.

Oneproblemisthatsomecutsdon'tgoallthewaythroughthewood.Thatis,thebladedoesn'temergethroughthetopofthewood.Say,forexample,thatyouneedtomakea½-inchdeepgrooveina¾-inchthickboard.Youcan'tmakethatcutwithatraditionalsplitterinplace,becausethesplitteristallerthantheblade.Theuncutwoodwillbumpintothesplitter,andstopyoupushingtheworkacrossthesawtable.Witharivingknife,thetopofthesplitterisnohigherthanthetopoftheblade,sothecutcanbemade.

Ifyoualreadyownasawanditdoesn'thavearivingknife,takealookattheMJSplitterfrommicrojig.com.It'sanincrediblysimpleplasticdevicethatisveryinexpensive,easytouseandeasytoinstall.Youcanquicklyremovethesplitter,orplugitbackin.Itonlyworksforstandardcuts(itdoesn'ttiltwiththeblade).

FencesandReactionWoodAligningthefenceisparamount.Ifthefenceisfartherawayfrom

thebladeatthebackthanthefront,thewoodwilltrytowanderawayfromthefencebackthere.Yourinstinctwillbetopushitharderagainstthefencetoclosetheemerginggap.You'renowaskingthebladetocutatanangle.Theboardisgoingtogettrappedandbindatthefrontoftheblade.

Ifthefenceisfartherawayfromthebladeatthefrontthantheback,you'retryingtofeedtheboardintoafunnel.Thinkaboutit…

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Oncethefenceisperfect,takealookatthewood.Iftheboardisn'tflat,itwon'tbestable.Eithertheendsorthe

middlewon'tberidingthetable,andthat'saninvitationtokickback.Itwill'bounce'.Yourreactionsarenowhereinthevicinityofthespeedoftheblade–youwon'tbeabletocompensatefastenough.It'lltakeoffandflyatyouintheblinkofaneye.Flatboardsonly…

Iftheboardisn'tstraightitwillpushorpullthebladetowardorawayfromthefence,causingbindingandkickback.Sightdowneachandeveryboardtomakesureit'sflatandstraight.Sometimesyoujustcan'tseetheflawinthewoodbeforeyoustarttocut.Reactionwoodstoresenergy,whichisreleasedasthebladegoesthroughit.Thisiswoodthathasgrowninadirectionotherthanvertical.Itmightbealeaningtrunk,orahorizontalbranch.Thetreebuildsupstrengthontheweaksideofsuchwood,tofightgravity.Whenthesawreleasestheenergy,thekerfeitherspringsopenandpushesagainstthefence,orclosestightlyontheblade.

Treelimbsmakegreatfirewoodandlousylumber.Ifaboardbeginstoreact,holdtightandstopthesaw.Thenthrow

theboardintoawoodstove.Evenifyoucanstraightenitouttemporarily,itwillreactagainatsomefuturedateandperhapssplitorwarpatabletoporacabinetdoorpanel.Burnit,beforeitburnsyou.

Feather-BoardsandHold-DownsOneadvantagetobuyingatablesawwithacastirontopisthat

youcandrillandtapthemetalforthreadedknobs.Thatallowsyoutoinstallshop-builtfeather-boardsandotherdevicesthatholdwoodtothefenceandthetable.Thefeather-boardshownonpage7isheldinplacewithtwo¼"threadedboltswithplasticknobs,andtheseareavailableatmosthardwarestores.

Buyaninexpensive¼"tapthatmatchesthethreadcountonthebolt.Itwillsaythediameteroftherequiredholesonthetappackage,andafteryoudrillthemdripsomeoilonthetapandslowlyreamthethreads.Thetapistapered,soitwillpopintotheholewithease.Justturnitaquarterturnorsoandreverse,andthengoanotherquarterturn,andsoon.You'llfindit'sawholelotsimplerthanyoumightimagine.Notethatthefeather-boardismountedBEFOREtheblade.Itmustkeepthewoodpressedagainstthefence,nottheblade.Thewoodmusttravelallthewaypastthefeather-boardbeforethecutiscompleted,orthefeather-boardwillforcethewasteintotheblade.

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Tomakethefeathers,clampastop(achunkofwood)tothetable

sawfence,placingitsothatyougetthedesiredfingerlength(about6-9"workswell,dependingonspeciesandthickness).Makeacutalongthegrain,andthenmovethefenceabout3/8"tomakethenextcut.Thestopwillensureallthecutsarethesamelength.Ifyoudecidetomakeitintwopartsliketheoneshown,theplywoodforthebaseshouldbe3/8"or½"thickorthefeatherswillbetoohighoffthetable.Notethatthewoodinthephotoisbeingfedtothebladewithapushstick.ThatonewaspurchasedfromRockler(rockler.com)acoupleofdecadesago,andit'saluminum.Ontoday'sversion(item20333),thebladeisplastic,butthere'samagnetinthehandlesothestickwillattachtothesawandalwaysbehandy.

Thewheelshowninthephotoonpage8onlyturnsinonedirection.CalledaBoardBuddy™,it'sdesignedtopushthewooddowntothetable,andalsoguideittowardthefence.Ifthesawdecidestosendthewoodbackward,thewheellocks.IattachedalengthofhardwoodtothetopofmyfenceafterroutingaT-grooveinit,soIcouldattachjigslikethis.

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Pushdownonthehandle,andthewheelrisesifyouneedtopullthewoodtowardyouafterthebladestops.Turntheboltatthebacktoincreaseordecreasethedownwardpressure.It'sahandygizmoandItendtouseitonlargerwork-pieces.Onnarrowstock,itgetsinthewayofmypush-stick.Ihavetwo,andusebothwhencuttinglargerpiecesofplywood.

Thedeviceshownonpage9istheGRR-Ripper™fromMicroJig(microjig.com).I'vebeenusingitforyearswithshortandsmallpiecesofstock.TheonlyhesitationIhaveaboutrecommendingitisthatyouhavetoremembertocheckthebladeheightanditspositiononeverysinglecut.IknowthisbecauseIusedtohavetwoofthese…

TheGRR-Ripperallowsyoutopushthestockdownonthetableandtightagainstthefence,andalsogivesyouenoughgrippingpowertopushthewoodforwardthroughtheblade.Thewingonthesideridesalongthetabletopandpreventstippingonnarrowboards.

Thereareanumberofothercommonsenserulesabouttablesawsthatoldprosfollowandnewcomersneedtolearn.Forexample,keeptheflooraroundthesawswept.Loosesawdustcancauseyoutoloseyourbalanceandfalltowardthesaw,whereyournaturalreactionwillbetoreachouttosteadyyourself.Thatcanbedisastrousifyouhitthebladewithyourfingers,orpushsomethingintotheblade.

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Don'tsetthebladetoohigh.Somenewwoodworkersthinkthatthebladeshouldbeashighandperpendiculartothewoodaspossible,soit'satmaximumpower.Butabladetravelingatthespeedofabullethasallthepoweritneedsatloweraltitudes.Iliketosettheheightsothebottomsofthegullets–thedipsbetweenthetips,orteeth–arerevealedbyabout¼"(seethepictureonpage8).Thatletsthegulletsejectwastetoavoidheatbuild-up,butalsorevealsverylittleoftheblade.

Ifyouneedanarrowpieceofstock,cutitoffawideboard.Forexample,routmoldingprofilesontheedgesofawideboardandthenripthemtowidth.Runningthinstockthroughatablesawisdangerous.Ifyouneedtomakeathinboardeventhinner,runitthroughathicknessplanerorabandsaw…oruseahandplane.

Ifyou'veneverusedatablesaw,findaprofessionaltoshowyouhow.Alocalcabinetmakerorfurniturebuilderwilloftenletyouwatchhimwork,andmayevenallowyoutomakeafewcuts.Bewaryofpeoplewhobuildthingsthatlookalittleamateurish:iftheydon'ttakethetimetoproduceagoodproduct,theywon'ttakethetimeto

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learnpropersafetytechniques.Ratherthanpickuptheirbadhabits,startwatchingbetterwoodworkersonYouTube™.

Neverbrushdustawaywithyourhand:getinthehabitofblowingitaway,evenwhenthemachineisturnedoff.Whenabladeisn'tspinning,it'sstillsharp.AndNEVERreachacrossaspinningblade!

RouterTablesAsidefromthedressingtools(planerandjointer,andwe'lllookat

thoseinaminute),thenextmostusedpieceofmillingequipmentintheaverageone-manshopsisaroutertable.Therearesomegreatfactorymodelsonthemarket,andlotsofsimpleplansonlineandinmagazinebackissuesforshop-builtones.

Thebiggestmistakesthatnewwoodworkersmakewithroutertablesarerelatedtofeed.Woodalwaystravelsfromrighttoleftonaninvertedrouter(onethatisattachedtothebottomofatabletop).Afteryouhavealotofexperience,youwilldiscoverclimbcuts.Butfornow,sticktotheright-to-leftrule.

Therearetwotypesofcuts,throughandhidden.Throughcutsareoneswhereyoucanseethetipoftherouterbit–itemergesfromthewood.Hiddencutsareonewherethebitisonlycuttingpartwaythroughthestock,sothetipishidden.

Onthroughcuts,neverfeedworkbetweenthebitandthefence.Itwillbindandgetthrownbackatyou.

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Thebitshouldbepartiallyburiedinthefenceforthosecuts.Ifyouleaveagapbetweenthefenceandthebit,andtrytofeedthewoodthroughthegap,thecutteratthebackofthebitwillbespinninginthewrongdirection.Takeamomenttothinkaboutthat.

Thesameisnottrueofblindcuts,wherethebitistravelingalongthemiddleoftheundersideofaboard–forexample,whenmillingagroove.Thisissafebecausethecuttercan'tgrabtheedgeoftheboard.Thebackofthecutterisprettymuchjustspinningintheair,becausethefrontofthecutterhasalreadyremovedthestock.

Newwoodworkerstendtosetthebittoohigh.Deepcutsneedtobemadeinseveralincrementalpasses–removingasmallamountofstockandthenraisingthebit.Theamountyoucanremoveinapassdependsonthedensityofthespecies(balsaorhickory?),thesizeandshapeofthecutter,thepoweroftherouter,andthespeedatwhichthewoodismoving.We'lldiscussallofthoseinthesectiononroutertables,butfornowkeepthisinmind:patienceisavirtue.Trytakingaverysmallamountonthefirstpass,andincreasetheheightofthebit(calledthedepthofcut)ormovethefencebackalittleonthesecondpassuntilyoufeelsomeresistance.Ifyou'reslowingthemotor(thesoundgetslowerintone,andlouder),thenbackoff.Ontheotherhand,ifthere'sabsolutelynoresistance,trygoingabitdeeper–nottoomuch,now!Burningusuallymeansyou'reaskingtoomuchofthebit,orit'sdull.

Anotherthingthatnewwoodworkersdoiseitherovertightenthebitinthecollettothepointthattheydestroythethreads,orunder-tightenandthebitstartscomingout.Youcancheckforthelatterbylookingatthecut:isitalittledeeperneartheend?Thebitneedstobesnug.Readtherouterinstructions:theyusuallytellyouhowmuchtotightenthecollet.

Someroutershaveadouble-lock.Whenyou'reopeningthecollettoremoveabit,theactionmightgeteasyforaminuteandthengethardagain.Thatis,youneedthewrenches,andthenitopenswithyourfingers,andthengetsstuckagainandyouhavetoreachforthewrenches.Thisisintentional.Afteryouusethewrenchesthesecondtime,thebitwillusuallysliderightout.

Ifyouhavearouterwithoutadouble-lockandthebitwon'tcomelooseafterthecolletisopen,gentlytapthewrenchagainsttheshaftofthebit–NOTtheshaftoftherouter(youmightknockitoutofalignment)–anditwillusuallyloosenitsgrip.

Never,everusealubricanttomakebitseasytoremove.

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PortableRoutersIftherouterismountedinaroutertable,it'supside-downandthe

bitisspinninganti-clockwise.Butifyouusetherouterasaportabletoolinabase,thenitisrightsideupandthebitwillbespinningclockwise.ToseewhatImean,chuckabitinanunpluggedportablerouterandtakeagoodlookatit.Tipitupside-down.Noticehowthecuttersfaceoneway?Nowtipitbacktoitsnormalorientation.Noticehowthecuttersfacetheotherway?

Understandingthissimplephysicalrealityisessentialtousingtherouter,becauseitdeterminesthedirectionoffeed.Onaroutertable,thewoodmovesfromrighttoleft.

Butinaportablebase(above)theroutermoves,andthewood

remainsstationary.Theroutertravelscounterclockwisearoundtheoutsideofaboard,butclockwisewhenmakinganinsidecut(suchasdecoratingtheinsideedgeofapictureframe).

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TheJointerThestandardwaytodressboardsistorunonewidefaceacross

thejointertoflattenitandthentomakethesecondfaceparalleltothefirstbyrunningitthroughathicknessplaner.

Alwaysbuildabridgeonthejointer.Thismeansthatthehighestpointshouldbeinthemiddleoftheboard,ratherthanattheends.Ifyoutrytojointanedgewheretheendsarefartherfromthemachine'sbedthanthemiddle,itwilljustrock.Bylettingtheknivesremovethehighpointsontheendsfirst,you'llquicklygettoastraightedge.Andifyoupushdowntoohardonthemiddleofthebridge,thekniveswon'tbeabletotrimjusttheends.Ifyouforegothejointerandjustrunaboardthroughtheplaner,itwillbeperfectlyparallelbutnotflat.Ifyouonlyjointthewidefacesanddon'tusetheplaner,itwillbeflatbutnotparallel–thatis,itmaynotbeaneventhickness.

Useapadandapush-stick.Mostinjuriesonthejointeroccurwhenthewoodworkeruseshishandstopushtheboarddowntothebed.BothmyfatherandmyfriendMark(whoisanationallyrenownedwoodworker)lostfingertipsthatway.Iftheboardisn'twideorthickenoughtokeepyourfingersfourinchesfromtheknives,thenusewoodenorplasticdevicestokeepitagainstthefenceandthebed.Ifthebediscastiron,considerdrillingandtappingittoinstallfeather-boardsrightbeforetheknivesandonthefence.Ifyoudo,thenallyou'llneedisapush-stick.

BandSawsandDrillPressesThesearethetwomostdisrespectedmachinesintheshopwhenit

comestosafety.They'reslowandquiet,andtheydon'tseemfrightening.Butthey'reresponsibleforaverylargeshareofwoodshopinjuries.So,hereareafewtipstokeepinmind.

Onthebandsaw,closedowntheguardonthebladeasmuchaspossible.Don'tleaveseveralinchesofteethexposedjustbecauseyou're"onlymakingonesmallcut".Don'tadjusttheguardwhilethebladeismoving,evenifitisalmoststopped.Considerwhetheryoucanpullthewoodthroughonthelastcoupleofinchesofacut,ratherthanpushingitandgettingyourfingerstooclosetotheblade.Don'ttrytoturntootightaradius:thebladecanactuallysnap.

Onthedrillpress,clampeverythingdownratherthantryingtophysicallyholdontoitwhenusinglargerbits.Ahole-sawcanspinthatpieceofwoodfasterthangreasedlightning.

Andremovethechuckkey!

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TheMiterSawIalwaysthoughtthattheoldradialarmsawswerequitescaryto

use.Sincetheadventofslidingmitersaws,onedoesn'tseetoomanyofthoseoldbeastsanymore.I'veseenmoreinjuriesonradialarmsawsthananyothermachineortool,somaybetheirdemiseisagoodthing.Ifyou'resettingupshopandsomebodyoffersyouone,myadviceistoacceptit…andputitoneBay™rightaway!

Mitersawsstillbearwatching.They'reawholelotsafer,butthey,too,demandrespect.Thenumberonerulewiththemistomakesurethewoodisflatonthebedandtightagainstthefence.Newwoodworkersareoftenunpleasantlysurprisedwhentheymakeacutandthekerfclosesonthebladeandbouncesthesawheadintheair,orthrowsthewoodacrosstheroom.Thathappenswhentheworkpieceistightagainstthefenceattheendsbutthere'sasmallgapinthemiddle,sothebladewillbindasthecutismade.

Whenmakingcompoundmitercuts,seeifyoucanclampthewoodtothebedorfence,ratherthanusingyourhandsclosetothebladetoholdit.Ifyoudouseclamps,makesurethebladewon'thitthem.

ThicknessPlanerNeedwiderboards?Oneofthethingsthatnewwoodworkerstendtodoistouse

boardsattheirfinisheddimensionbeforeedge-gluingthem.Letmeexplain…Ifthefinalproductneedstobe3/4"thick,aprowillstartwith4/4

H&Mroughstock,cleanuptheedgesonthejointer,edge-glueandclamptheboards,andletthemsitovernight.Aftertheassemblyhascured,he'llrunthepartthroughthethicknessplaner(planingalltheboardsatonce).Hewon'tplanetheboardsindividuallyandthenedge-gluethem,becauseitneverworks.Younevergetaperfectjoint.

Ifyoujointtheedgesandgluetheboardstogetherwhilethey'restillrough,youcanthenjointandplanethewidefacesafterthegluedries–andendupwiththickerboards.Butifyouplanethewidefacesbeforegluingtheedgestogether,theysimplywon'tlineupandyou'llhavetoplanethemagain,whichwastesmorematerial.

Youcantryallyouwanttolineupthetwoedgesperfectlywithsplines,biscuitsordowels,butglueisslipperyandwon'tletyou.

Ifpossible,don'tusebiscuitsneartheendswhenmakingwiderboards.Theytendtoshowupaftertrimming.(What'sworsethanseeingaworminanappleyoujustbit?Seeinghalfaworm…)

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Abiscuit'sprimarydesignattributeisnotstrength.Theirmainadvantageisthattheykeepthingslinedupasyou'reclamping,andtheglueprovidesthestrength.Biscuitsdoaddsomeshearresistance,buttheyareofmostvaluetoawoodworkerwhentheyareusedasanalignmentaid.

Unfortunately,buriedbiscuitshaveatendencytoreappearwhenonecrosscutsaboardlateron.Yourheartmaysinkwhenyoupickacabinetpartoffthetablesaw,andseehalfabiscuitshowinginthenewlycutedge.Becarefulwhereyouplacethem.

AFewOtherSafetyNotesIfit’spossibletouseapush-stick,thendoso.Thinboardscauseaccidents.Tomakethinmoldings,firstmill

profilesontheedgesofwiderboardsandthenripthemtowidthonthetablesaw,ratherthanpassingthinstockacrosstheroutertableortablesaw.

Neverwipedustoffamachinewithyourhand.Blowitaway.Getinthishabitfromdayone,andyellatyourselfwhenyou'retoolazytorememberit.Justpuckeryourlipsandblowthedustaway.Neverusefingers,becauseevenastoppedbitcancut–theseare,afterall,sharpenedsteeltooling.Andifonegetsinthehabitofblowingdustwhenthebitisidle,onemightevenremembertodoitwhenthebitisspinning…

Themostdangeroustoolintheshopisyou.(What,youwantpoliticalcorrectnesshere?We'retalkingaboutyourfingersandeyes.)Beingpreoccupied,overconfident,inahurryordistractedarethemaincausesofaccidents.Ifyoufindyou'renotfocused,turnofftheshoplights–usingafingerthatyouprobablyjustsaved–andgodosomethingelseforawhile.Like,takeanap…