: Hi George

: With ALL due respect for you and your friends, if they lost fingers on a
: table saw from kickbacks they were breaking about every safety rule there
: is using the Table saw. Their hands had to be past the blade, which is the
: biggest NO NO in tool use. And only speculation: but they could have tried
: to pick up or otherwise grab the work piece while it was still in contact
: with the blade. NO NO number 2. If one uses the push sticks and stands off
: to the side when working, It won't happen. Kickbacks yes, but no loss of
: fingers. I've personally seen several fingers come off and EVERY ONE was
: due to negligence and unsafe tool use. If set up and used properly there
: is no reason the table saw should get you into trouble. Sometimes the wood
: can bind and kickback, but, that is not the table saw. Also, I have seen
: more kickbacks with the factory blade guards installed than when they are
: off. People get curious and start looking closer and sticking fingers
: where they shouldn't be. Not recommending anyone toss them, but, I would
: not use one. I just know what the saw is capable of and learn to respect
: it. I however, can't agree that the radial arm is more safe than the table
: saw, but, that's a matter of ones own experience. I use the tools for
: exactly what they were designed for. The radial saw was NOT designed for
: ripping. It was designed for cross cutting and angle cutting. The idea of
: ripping came from folks that didn't have a table saw and decided to
: experiment and made it work Most of your earlier saws didn't have the
: swivel head/motor and could not do it. That was added as a feature to sell
: more saws with " More Versitility." In reading the posts, I see
: that folks have their own idea of how to eliminate the kickbacks and
: material from jumping around, and also, to cut smaller items. Not Design
: features of the tool, but, after market ideas, and mostly homemade.
: There's clues in there for those who look. Yes, it can be done, but at
: what cost, added shims, stops and so forth, not to mention safety. The
: table saw is actually the more versitile tool. You can rip and crosscut,
: and both are design features, with and without the use of the mitre. If
: all you have is a Radial arm then you use it, but, be damn careful.
: Personally, I would rather use a tool that is open and I can see
: everything that I'm doing. The motor of the radial arm is always on top of
: your work and with smaller material, it's difficult to see. Again, with
: the proper/recommended push sticks, the table saw is much better for small
: stock, and You can see what you are doing without getting within inches of
: the blade. The Radial arm saw is better at what it was designed for and
: that would be CrossCutting with the material up against the fence/stop.
: Food for Thought.

: Rehd

I was in a pattern shop most of my life. When I started, most of the old timers were missing fingers. That was scary. Most of my age group over the years got nicked but no fingers lost. Bandsaws were the worst, then table saws. A couple of guys got into milling machines and a lot got scuffed up on large disc sanders. I broke a finger on a disc sander by holding the work rather then placing it on the table. Stupid, but in a hurry. I've seen a few get hurt when glued up sections of wood come apart while lathe turning because the glue wasn't completely setup. You just can't get complacient around machinery.

The company bought about 4000 bd ft of wood approximatly every 3 months. It all was absolutly clear lumber ranging from from 1" to 4" in thickness and in random widths up to 30 inches. It included pine, mahogany, birch and a really nice wood called jelotung from Malaysia. It was like a cream balsa wood, very light and no growth rings or knots. I don't know how that could be. The only blemish was an elongated hole you run into now and then, 1/16" wide and maybe 1/4" long that some kind of vine must have grown inside the wood. It would have been perfect for strip building I think. There was enough waste wood thrown away in a few days to build a strip boat. I wish I had know about strip building then.

John