In response to TRITON's post up there. This whole thread is predominantly about the inherent dangers of people who seriously risk the well-being of others by disregarding crucial safety measures and propagating that on an open public platform. Why would you then reiterate that very same risk on that very same thread. I hear these counter arguments all the time;
Having no guard isnt that unusual really
The reality of a blade guard being there or not doesn't actually dilute its intended verifiable purpose.
Last professional workshop didnt have one fitted either.
Assuming we are still talking about a saw with a purposely removed safety guard, this is illegal and only a matter of time before more than one set of blue lights turns up at those premises.
aged 15 i did have an industrial accident so i am aware more than most here how nasty that can be.
This statement would have credibility if arguing for safety but to use it to argue against it makes no sense. Having an accident doesn't qualify anyone to argue against working safe.
the guard isnt the be all end all of prevention, you can still have an accident with a guard in place.
Obviously accidents happen with safety guards in place, that's just the law of averages but this doesn't mean they don't prevent accidents.
but i feel safe because i am always aware of the dangers each and every time i switch on.
That thought process doesn't replace safety guards, it can perversely however breed contempt over a period of time, for all of us.
Sorry I dont accept having a guard will prevent accidents 100% of the time
This is the classic devolution of the counter argument, reference something absurd never stated but subtly suggest the opposing stance made it. In all my years in interacting with other woodworkers, both in-person and online, I have not once seen or heard anyone making the case for working safe that 'having a guard will prevent accidents 100% of the time'.
I don't mean to single you out TRITON, I haven't a Scoobies who you are. This is not an attack on you, I am addressing your text as in my opinion it is crucial that any new woodworkers reading it need to know this is not common sense or a valid argument to not use safety measures on equipment that can change your entire life for the worse in seconds if not used properly. Safety guards are part of the machine design, your average woodworker does not know better than the machine designer or is in a position to question the validity of the Health and Safety directorate of their respective countries. We don't advocate removing the blade guard on a circular saw or suggest removing the guarding on most other high speed cutting machines so why do table saw's get a pass? in my limited experience the reason most people remove the guard is bore out of ignorance, arrogance or a laziness to replace it after removing it - yes you sometimes need to remove it but equally sometimes there are other safety measures to cover that circumstance, sometimes these are other guards.
I'm not the safety police, we are all adults. All I ask is if anyone comes across the text up there and thinks it's a valid case to remove safety guards please read a little further before going further. People can and will operate as they see fit, I'm in no position to tell anyone what to do and again TRITON, this is not aimed at you, more the argument you make.
Just like gambling, don't gamble with what you can't afford to lose.
