transatlantic":1s19ffzs said:
Paddy Roxburgh":1s19ffzs said:
Just wanted to get in before Jacob to say please don't listen to this video saying using your hands is safer than push sticks. The safest way for all rip cuts on the table saw is 2 standard push sticks (one to push the work in the direction of the cut, the other to keep it pushed to the fence), stand to the side out of the line of fire with the riving knife and crown guard in place. The most important of those rules (although they are all important) is two push sticks. With longer pieces some times hands can be used at the beginning of the cut but never place your hands level with or passed the blade.
Whilst I agree that push sticks are safer, I do tend to agree with him that you get better grip and a better feeling for how the cut is proceeding with your hands. Due to the very nature of a push stick, you just don't get that robust equal pressure as you do when using your fingers to support the piece.I feel you generally just have a lot more control with your hands.
I'll still be using push sticks myself though. My fingers are more important to me than a messed up saw cut every now and then.
Without practice yes hands have more control, the more you use push sticks the better you become with them, I have done thousands of cuts with sticks and do not feel I have less control with them, the only time a cut can suffer slightly is the change from hands to sticks on longer pieces, even then not so much when your used to it.
Really though that is not the point, it's all about the day when your a little hung over or have a cold, or are thinking about that row with your wife and something goes wrong. The worst that can happen to me is I damage a push stick or a piece of work flies past me and hits the wall, he losses a finger (there's a guy in the comments section of that vid who just lost a thumb).
