for older members:

[Ken S]

Ditto for Herman's comment, Rhino.  I have exactly the opposite problem with our cars.  We finally traded in an ancient sedan and truck and ended up with two Equinoxes.  I took my wife's favorite watch with me one day to get a new battery.  When I finally arrived at the jeweler's store, I could not locate the watch.  I looked everywhere and felt terrible.  I knew the loss of the watch, a present from me many years ago would sadden her.  As I pulled in the driveway, I remembered I had switched cars to have the oil changed.  Sure enough, the watch was exactly where I had remember putting it......in the other car.

"Tis a gift to be simple"

Ken

[mike40]

Many amusing posts here. I had a good laugh. Like Rob, I have a whiteboard and markers which I bought about 9 years ago. I've never been able to use it because I don't have any wall space left to hang it on!

Like Ken, I have a similar car story. When I met my wife to be about 48 years ago, we both had Volkswagen beatles. They were the exact same year and model, only mine was black and hers was white. Someone had banged up my fender where I was parked one day and I had to put my car into the body shop for repairs. It just so happened that the day my car was due to be in the shop was the same day I was supposed to drive into Los Angeles to pick up our weddings rings. I borrowed my wife'a car, and parked in a big parking lot near the jewelry store. I picked up the rings and returned to the lot. I gave the attendant my parking receipt and he asked me what car it was. I told him it was the black beetle. He searched and searched for about 10 minutes and couldn't find it. That's when I remembered I had my wife's white beetle and not my black one. The attendant was standing in the driveway shaking his head back and forth as I drove away.

[Rob]

This is a lovely set of posts guys.  Best I've read for a long time...warmed my heart :-)

[grepper]

I would add:  Safety first.

See something with even the slightest possibility of being a hazard?  Even little things like a dangling cord, a can of something to close to the edge that could vibrate off, a tripping hazard.  Anything.  Deal with it when you see it.  Don't put it off.  For me at least, I know it's always more fun to continue with what I'm doing, but if I put something off today I'll probably put it off tomorrow...  Or simply forget about it 10 minutes later.

What always amazes me he the very high probability of extremely low probability events occurring on a regular bases.  Like you drop a screw.  There is only one tiny little hole that the screw can go into in a 10' area.  And... the screw must fly into the hole exactly perpendicularly to go in.  Yet, it falls from the bench, bounces off the chair, takes an amazing bounce off the floor and goes in the hole.  You could not make that happen again in a lifetime, but yet...

I have a tendency to say, yup.  That's a problem.  But I know it's there.  I wouldn't be so stupid as to...

[mike40]

I have to admit that my little shop sometimes looks like a military hazard course, but I am so used to working in that cramped situation, that It hasn't been a problem for me. One potential problem that I've experienced in my shop is that when I am working with MDF, which I often make jigs out of, any dust that gets on my enamel painted floor can be dangerously slippery. It has not been a problem for me because I am well aware of the danger, so what doesn't go into the dust collector gets swept up right away. Which brings up a good point. 'Awareness' is perhaps the most important safety device in my opinion. A lack of safety awareness it seems to cause many or maybe most accidents, even when people are working in inherently dangerous situations where you would think the would be really on the alert.

[Herman Trivilino]

I have a tendency to say, yup.  That's a problem.  But I know it's there.  I wouldn't be so stupid as to...

We all do, Mark.  And it's a dangerous and foolish practice.  All it takes is just a few seconds for a life-altering accident to occur.  Then we're sorry we didn't spend hours and hours of time doing those little safety things that we thought were "stupid".

For how many years have I told myself I should add that safety saw-brake feature to my table saw?  If someone loses a finger, or worse, I will deeply regret I never did it.

For those who don't know, these devices employ the same technology as those lamps that turn on when you touch them.  Human skin in contact with the metal surface alter the capacitance of a circuit which then closes or opens a switch that turns the lamp on and off.

As soon as you touch the saw blade a brake stops it before it rotates far enough for the next tooth to make contact.  You can run a piece of wood through it no problem, but try to cut a hot dog and all you'll do is nick the skin.

[grepper]

Isn't that just amazing technology?  Something can detect a finger and go BAM! And clamp down that hard in an that tiny fraction of a second.

I saw an interview with the inventor.  I guess manufacturers are reluctant to install them on all saws because it increases the cost  and they fear increased liability if someone were to be injured.

You can purchase cartridges for them at Amazon for ~$70.00.

There have been calls to have them mandated on all saws sold in the US.  The anti-government regulation folks call these  do-gooders "finger huggers".

[mike40]

Herman, You forgot to mention that not only skin, but also a staple or any hidden metal in the wood also triggers the stop mechanism when the blade comes in contact with it. 

[Ken S]

Mike, I didn't realize that you vikings had travelled to Los Angeles!

I agree that the new saw stop is a terrific idea.  I confess I don't have one, but I have become much more safety conscious in my old age.

According to family legend, my grandfather, who had a gift for making chairs, almost took his hand off using the table saw I now have.  It ended his woodworking.  I don't want that to happen to me.  Among other things, I have two gripper units and a Brett guard to improve the odds.

Ken

[mike40]

My grand parents had a model T Ford  that was converted into an outdoor circle saw on their farm in Minnesota. My grandfather got his foot almost cut off in it. Amazingly enough they managed to save his foot, but he always needed a cane after that. Luckily, he worked for the railroad, as he couldn't do farm work anymore. The doctor worked on him at their farm house and my grandmother said his hair turned white over night. I suppose he was put into hospital after that, but I'm not sure.

[RobinW]

I am staggered at the number of videos I see online where USA woodworkers (in professional and demonstrating situations) are using table saws which are not fitted with either crown guard or riving knife. (Crown guard is the protector over the top of the blade; the riving knife keeps the two cut pieces of wood apart to reduce the risk if throw back.)

It is illegal here to sell and operate table saws without these devices fitted. They must also be fitted with brakes to stop the blade in a short time if the stop button is pressed. I am not aware there is a requirement for 'finger detectors' yet.

[MakerUnknown]

nothing to say here

[Herman Trivilino]

The only guard I've seen that I like is the type that mounts to the ceiling.  The one that came with my saw is, I think, more likely to cause an accident as all it does is get in the way.

I admit that I don't use a guard.  No one I've ever worked with did either.

[grepper]

Very cool Paul...  In a lot of ways. 

Also, exceptional video.  Beautiful photography, mood, lighting and editing.  Really very well done.

And..., Umm... Shouldn't you be wearing shoes when you are working in the shop?

[Ken S]

Interesting video, Paul.  Have you ever used a wooden view camera?  They are quite addictive.

Herman, my Brett guard is the original design which mounts to the saw.  My saw is a 1930s vintage tilting table Delta.  I need to custom mount the guard.  In the meantime, I use the grrippers.

Ken