use the bleeding mitre saw hold down clamps.... GORE ALERT

[TheTiddles]

Is it fair to say that was too close? I see lots of people using mitre saws with their hand only a could of inches away and it’s probably easier to cut yourself with a movable blade than with a fixed table saw one.

I don’t have one, I’ve used them a lot in the distant past though, can’t make up my mind about how dangerous I think one is

Aidan

 

[woodbloke66]

I don’t have one, I’ve used them a lot in the distant past though, can’t make up my mind about how dangerous I think one is

Aidan

Same, a completely unnecessary bit of kit in a small workshop - Rob

 

[doctor Bob]

Ouchhh!!!

I caught my thumb badly a number of years ago, you'll be alright, bit numb forever, but you'll live

 

[Doug71]

It sounds to me like the OP didn't have the end of the wood he was cutting supported, once the timber was cut the unsupported end dropped down lifting the end he was holding up in to the blade.

I have heard of lots of accidents involving mitre saws and seen some used in dangerous ways, apparently you can work faster if you tie the guard up :roll:

I could not be without my mitre saw, don't know how people manage without them.

A saw stop would be nice and I would think about it if I employed people but I will stick to 2 push sticks, and leaving the guard on for now.

 

[owen]

Push sticks on a mitre saw? I'm guessing you only mean when cutting tiny pieces of timber with one?!

 

[Doug71]

Push sticks on a mitre saw? I'm guessing you only mean when cutting tiny pieces of timber with one?!

Sorry if I wasn't clear, the OP was talking about getting the new Festool table saw with saw stop, I presumed for just ripping timber which is why I mentioned push sticks as I think of it as just a site saw but I guess he could be getting it to use as a safer alternative to a mitre saw.

I just got one of those 10 million dollar sticks for my mitre saw as I am guilty of putting my fingers a bit too close to the blade sometimes

 

[Alpha-Dave]

I don’t have one, I’ve used them a lot in the distant past though, can’t make up my mind about how dangerous I think one is

Aidan

Same, a completely unnecessary bit of kit in a small workshop - Rob

Sorry, just to check: do you think that a mitre saw or a table saw is unnecessary in a small workshop? The post you quoted mentioned both.

 

[AJB Temple]

I could not look at the original post as gore warning put me off.

My mitre saw is used several times a day and is indispensable to me. However, one of the first things I did was ditch the slow screw down work holders and fit quick adjust, quick release work holders. O also use a couple of heavy duty roller extensions to ensure long work cannot drop.

Every single time I use the saw I pause for a second and ask myself if my fingers are safe. Every time.

I don't cut small bits on it - all work must be supported by the fences.

I never remove work or waste until the blade has stopped.

Just my working practices. I also wear gloves, which I know some don't approve of, but I am allergic to wood tar, which exacerbates eczema, so I have little choice.

 

[BHwoodworking]

what quick adjust holddowns do you use?

 

[Trevanion]

You know, thinking about it I think the two closest calls I've ever had were on a mitre saw and I've done all manner of daft bloody maneuver on just about every machine shamefully.

One time I was cutting a bunch of triangular sections to 3" lengths for a staircase with a stop block and as I got to the end of one of the sections with about 5" left total I decided I would make the cut and just hold onto the offcut with a finger and thumb as I made the cut. Unbeknownst to me there was a split running down this small piece and when I cut into the piece it decided to split in half explosively and it all happened in a split second, one second the triangle was there and the next minute it had disappeared across the room, I was very fortunate to have sustained no damage whatsoever.

Another time, being a real silly person on site one time I decided to use the mitre saw to rip a few mm off a 100x40mm x 100mm long softwood square along the grain, which is a big no-no on a mitre saw and even I knew that at the time but I still bloody attempted it. Had I had a zero clearance fence screwed to the front of the fences to close up the gap I probably would've been fine but I didn't and I certainly didn't have enough support behind the block for the cut so when I started cutting with the grain the saw bit into the timber, twisted it around in the cut since there was little support behind and chucked it a fair distance, this time my hand hurt instantly and I thought I had done some serious damage but there wasn't a scratch at all. I'm not sure to this day whether my hand smacked the side of the saw plate or not, it all happens so bloody quick.

 

[AJB Temple]

BG - re hold downs qr: I think they are Bosch. I got them from a trade tool shop in Germany near where my in-laws live. They are the lever type and just fit straight into the clamping holes on the GCM12 Bosch saw. The ones that come with the saw work fine, but because they are just a screw thread it takes ages to alter them if you need to.

 

[Mrs C]

Regarding small bits on a mitre saw, what is the safest way to do it? Zero clearance fence and hold downs or a different tool altogether?

 

[AJB Temple]

In my opinion there is no safe way to hold small pieces of wood in a mitre saw. The design of the saw is that the circular blade must pass fully through the back of the cut, so there is no supporting fence in this area. Even pro level saws with very adjustable fences have limitations in this regard. Manufacturers deliberately ensure you cannot set the fence in the path of the blade. I have seen people use sacrificial pieces of wood, but frankly by the time you have done that, hand tools are quicker.