Thursday, May 26, 2011

Horrific Tablesaw Accident

Do you have a weak stomach? Can't take seeing gore? Then stop reading right now.

Tablesaw injuries scare the hell out of me. Luckily, I've never had a serious one. Although owning a SawStop gives me a level of comfort, I still don't completely rely upon it. I love everything about working with wood, and accept the danger that comes along with it. But I keep my guard up, both literally and figuratively.

A long time ago, I remember reading that the shaper is considered to be the most dangerous tool in a woodshop. I'm sure that's true, based on the numbers, but more people own a tablesaw than they do a shaper. So - to me, a tablesaw is the tool to be respected.


This story might be the most stomach-turning thing I've ever read. Ever. Seriously. If you can't take seeing blood and tissue, DO NOT look at the images. I couldn't get the images out of my head after looking at them. In fact, I only could look at the first four pictures, then had to look away.

OK, admittedly, I don't have a high tolerance for looking at blood-and-guts. I can't even watch those TV shows where they show actual operations. I'm not nuts about any of the CSI shows, and I certainly don't want to hear about the details of your last hernia operation or liposuction. My brain just doesn't need those images inside of it.

I bought another SawStop today. My classes have been growing in size, and with more students, there is often a line to use the saw. So it made sense to buy another one, even though I have a perfectly nice Delta Unisaw at my shop at home, that I could have moved over to the school.



It's the best investment I can make to keep my woodworking classes safe. Sure, it's only as safe as the person using it, but I do feel better about people using the saw without me supervising them.

Be safe!


2 comments:

Rob said...

I am curious, did you buy the cast iron wings for the new saw? did you buy a larger table/slide for it?

Wood It Is! said...

I bought the exact model shown - will blog about it shortly.

It's mostly for overflow usage - when someone is using the bigger saw and another person just needs to make a quick cut, this saw will be a big help.