: Maybe I am not understanding this? But if your talking about pulling wood
: into a table saw blade from the back of the blade to the front that sounds
: extremely dangerous. Matter of fact my F-I-L tried that a while back and
: tore up a finger when it grabbed and pulled the part into the dado blade
: along with his finger too.

: Also since the blade is turning upward at the back and it is going to try to
: lift the part off the table instead of pushing it down. Then if/when it
: lifts the part, the blade grabs it and throws it at you like happened to
: me.

: Again, maybe I am misunderstanding you. But if not then that is a really bad
: idea and would high recommend not doing that cut that way.

I'm pretty sure that's NOT what was meant! I agree with you and Bill that that would be incredibly dangerous. Most likely what was meant was for the operator to stand behind the saw and PULL the workpiece from the front of the saw table to the back, instead of PUSHING it through as we're used to doing. The wood still travels past the blade in the same direction, but any flying shrapnel is shot away from the operator.

Unfortunately, this approach shifts the danger from a flying offcut to the main workpiece which is still "attached" to the operator's hands. If this piece binds, the blade wants to send it towards the front of the table, which can very quickly pull fingers into the back of the spinning blade. There is a very real risk involved, which is why this is not a recommended procedure, but with proper bladeguards, hold downs and anti-kickback devices - and a healthy helping of very carefully focused attention - it can be done. With the scarfing jig you describe, your hands are likely off to the side of the blade, and the main workpiece is quite small and not likely to bind (as might happen when straight ripping a large board) but it's still a tricky procedure. One must remember that the woodshop is an inherently dangerous place. Take care!

Hope you're recovering quickly,

Glenn