: Another trick which works well for feeding narrow stock through when you get
: close to the blade, is using an ice pick to push the material. Of course
: you are using all the other safety gear like glasses and masks as well.

Considering all the waste strips and pieces that are usually kicking around, I'd grab for a piece of thin cedar to use near the end, rather than ANYTHING made of steel. I'm not too thrilled about the chance of touching that spinning blade with something hard, which might nick it and screw up my setup, or dull the blade. I have no problem cutting into my "disposable" push sticks, as the last strip I cut from each board is practically guaranteed to be a tad too thin to be useful for anything other than stirring paint, or pushing boards through my saw.

PGJ