There are plenty of ways to get hurt in life--and power tools provide some of those ways. Hand tools, including such simple things as knives, can hurt someone, too.

The reason we, as a species, use tools is that we have managed (in general) to find ways to use them with relative safety. We take precautions. There are those who do not, and, if Darwin's predictions are correct, they remove themselves from the ranks of our species.

: We need to offer recommendations on shop safety
: with equal freedom.

I agree with that. There are many points of safety which are clearly defined: The hazards are known and the means of avoiding these hazards should be learned and followed.

There are many other areas which are somewhat "gray" in regard to safety. For example, is it safe to use a rented saw which comes to you without an instruction manual, the proper blade, or a blade guard? Or, is it safe to use an old table saw you buy at a garage sale--one which was built long before the advent of safety switches, blade guards, kerf splitters, and belt guards? The fact is that many of these old tools are being used regularly by second, third, and sometimes fourth generations.

: Beg, borrow or steal a real table saw before you tie-wrap the switch of your
: circular saw ON and start cutting strips.

hehehe. I'm sure you're joking about "steal". We don't recommend that kind of behaviour here, either. But borrowing a good table saw is an excellent idea. Probably better than renting one.

: I'm sure there are some things I do in my shop, with my table saw, that
: others would consider unsafe; the difference is that I'm the only one at
: risk. We need to think "SAFETY" before we hit the "Post
: Message" button.

That is a good point, and I hope that I did address as many safety issues as possible: Building a blade guard which is functional, limits blade height, and reduces kickback; using fingerboards; directing the strip away from the blade with a kerf-splitting two-piece (split) fence (which, by the way, is more difficult to put on a conventional tablesaw); and creating long infeed and outfeed tables.

As for locking the switch on with a cable tie, I got this idea straight from Craftsman tools. They used to sell a small table-top conversion set which turned circular saws into small tablesaws. I have one, but I can't find it being sold now. Probably not economical as you can buy small tablesaws for less than the combination cost me.

But, don't knock the idea. It is still being used, jsut with a different power tool. The same tables with different cutouts and fences were sold to turn routers into shapers. Those designs also lock on the switch of the tools so that they could be wired to more accessible switches which are on the front of the table. This WAS a safety point, as it kept people from reaching under the tables while the tools were running (and potentially touching some moving part) in order to turn the tools off.

As I see it, mounting a circular saw upside down is analogous to mounting a router uspside down. In both cases you choose to fix the power tool in one place, and you move the material you are working on. This is generally accepted as "safer" since the operator has a good idea of where the cutting is being done--and it doesn't move around. The table supports the weight of the material and you have fixtures which can keep the material in place. At the same time the table provides a place to mount a more-functional blade guard than the spring-loaded contraption on a circular saw. Of course a guard on a router is hard to find, but on a shaper it is more common.

Common sense is notably uncommon, however, the builders on this board have generally proven that they can follow directions. I'm willing to believe in their potential, their intelligence, and their willingness to take precautions when doing operations which have some risk. And I'm willing to give out whatever information may be of benefit to them. I trust they will use it wisely and work with care.

PGJ