Safety in the "shop"

[artie]

One of the good things that have come out of joining this forum, is a better appreciation of the need for safety.

Although working with care and paying close attention to what I was doing, I have had a few narrow escapes over the years. Drawing blood on a couple of occasions.

Quite often I have to cut a 1m by 75 mm notch in a piece of 2.4 or 3m 120 by 12 mm plank.

I have never hurt myself doing this.

I had been doing it by setting the fence at 75 mm, lowering the blade, placing the plank against the fence, raising the blade through the plank, pushing it forward 1 m, switch of saw, remove, cut in at right angles with a hand saw and remove piece.

Last night I replaced the riving knife, actually I guess it's a splitter, since it doesn't rise and fall with the blade,
and fixed a piece of wood to the fence which ends before reaching the center line of the blade.

This will make my saw a much safer proposition for everything else, but now I am wondering what is the handiest and of course safe way to perform this described operation.?

 

[custard]

I am wondering what is the handiest and of course safe way to perform this described operation.?

With a router?

 

[graduate_owner]

Would it be safer with a bandsaw, since there is no kickback issue?

K

 

[RobinBHM]

If you need square corners, you could use a morticer to cut the corners first, assuming it will take 120mm. Then jig saw or hand saw down to the square hole to cut out a V, then bandsaw down the 1 metre cut and trim with a router bit. If the cut out is always 1m x 75mm I would make a jig and use a template guide bush.

 

[Jacob]

I'd wonder about hold down and hold in with wooden feathers. Then if it goes wrong at least it stays in place and gets chewed up on the spot instead of flying across the room.

 

[artie]

In case my explanation wasn't coherent I have attached an artists impression of said piece

 

[DennisCA]

A simple table saw sled and hogging out the waste with multiple cuts seems safest to me. In my case I'd use my sliding table to the same effect, I might just do both ends to get straight ends, then I'd hog out the rest on the bandsaw.

I'm not sure if the sled solution would work for you though since I am not sure if you can get enough height, with a 10" blade 75mm is usually the maximum depth of cut and a table saw sled usually takes a little of that depth away.

 

[artie]

As well as making 2 new push sticks this morning I made a jig similar to this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSz7kPwFY0

except mine is for the router, so I can plunge through and cut a straight line. I also made one for the jigsaw.

Next time I need to cut the above mentioned pieces I will decide which I like best.

It's almost 14:30 and I haven't produced anything for sale yet, so Need to get going.

 

[Jacob]

As well as making 2 new push sticks this morning I made a jig similar to this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSz7kPwFY0

except mine is for the router, so I can plunge through and cut a straight line. I also made one for the jigsaw.

Next time I need to cut the above mentioned pieces I will decide which I like best.

It's almost 14:30 and I haven't produced anything for sale yet, so Need to get going.

Generally known as a "saw board". They are brilliant and much more accurate than you would imagine.