Bits and pieces
A few weeks ago, I shared close-up photos of 11 broken tools in my shop and asked readers to try to name those tools.
I mentioned sending a small prize to the person with the most correct guesses. I tallied up the answers and the winner was Jacilynn, who got 9.5 points (I gave half points for very close guesses) ahead of Andrew with 7.5 points. There’s an Irwin 26-piece impact driver set on its way to Jacilynn’s shop right now. In case you missed the initial post, here’s a link to the close-up images.
Ripping thin strips
I’ve got to be honest; I thought I’d get more comments and emails about last week’s post. The classic topic of ripping thin strips on a table saw, coupled with my thoughts on how table saw safety might be slightly over-thought, and calling out the most common push stick in the universe as awful and dangerous makes for a controversial conversation, or at least I thought it would have. If you missed it, you can read it here.
The online comments the post received were mostly in agreement with me. One commenter offered another option to make the cuts, but didn’t disagree with my approach.
I did get a few emails, too. Three agreed with my stance wholeheartedly, and thought safety devices get in the way of making an operation safe as often as they make the operation safer. They also said that when they’re teaching others, they tend to use the safety equipment, not because it’s safer, but because of potential liability that could quickly arise if something did go wrong.
However, one email I received couldn’t have disagreed with my blog post, and my stance of removing the table saw guard, more. They felt it’s one thing for me to operate a machine without guards while alone in my workshop, but that it’s another to imply that others should do the same thing. They felt it was an especially controversial stance to take, considering I’m the editor of a woodworking and home improvement magazine and I should be erring on the side of safety, especially considering there are many beginner woodworkers out there reading what I have to say.
As I explained to them (and in last week’s post), I don’t think everyone should remove the guards from their saws, get rid of all their safety equipment and rip thin strips the same way I do. I feel it depends on the skill and experience level of the individual, coupled with how comfortable they are, that should in large part dictate what operations we do in our workshops. As for the teachers trying to introduce new people to the great hobby (or profession) of woodworking, they’re in a tough situation, and obviously need to follow the legal rules set out for them so they don’t open themselves up to a lawsuit.
Making my blood boil
As an aside, our Community Engagement Director, Chad Martin, and I have been watching and sharing some videos by popular online woodworking teachers and YouTubers on this subject with each other. Chad sent me about five videos and each one made my blood boil.
While they all implied they have “the answer” to the age-old challenge of how to safely rip thin strips on a table saw, I haven’t seen one approach that looks safer than mine. In fact, some of the videos show near misses that never even get mentioned. The biggest problem is that few of their approaches actually control the thin strip once it’s cut from the blank and it’s just gravity that’s holding it between the blade and their jig for a second or two, until it’s pushed out of danger’s way. And on top of that, some incorporate the most confusing and elaborate jigs I’ve ever seen. To think that these are some of the biggest online woodworking names, who many new woodworkers are watching closely, is a scary thought.
All this to say, if you’re new to woodworking, or you’re not sure how to complete an operation safely, search out a teacher or woodworker you fully trust and learn all the pros and cons of an operation from them, making sure to learn what the main downsides of an operation are so you can further anticipate what might go wrong as a way to protect yourself as much as possible.
Our webinars
We hosted six webinars last spring, all free to magazine subscribers. We learned a lot, and are now putting on more webinars, some available only to subscribers, others free to everyone. The focus of these webinars is to provide practical information with a no-frills approach to help beginner and intermediate woodworkers grow their skills and have even more success in their workshops.
The webinars I’ve done over the past month have included proper sanding techniques, workshop safety and five great Christmas gifts to make. I have another webinar coming up about adding texture to wood. Texturing wood is one of my very favourite topics, so I’m really looking forward to this one. The webinars are posted on our website after the fact, too, and available to subscribers.
Broken Items
Here’s a collection of most of the broken items in my post last week, in the same order they appeared in the post. The items are 1/4" brad point bit, a Quick Grip spring clamp, a Phillips screwdriver head, an awl, a Japanese crosscut saw, a 3/16" twist drill bit, a Stanley No.78, broken bandsaw blade, a chipper from my dado set and a stepped bit for a pocket hole jig.
Marble Run
This was the last of the items from my blog a few years ago. If the marble tries to go between two specific screws it gets caught. All the other screws were placed a proper distance away from each other.
Textured Coffee Table
This coffee table I made includes an intricately textured “ice” pattern on its upper surface and outer edge.
Ice Detail
A closeup of the ice texture on the coffee table.
Textured Dish
This dish includes texture made with the carving gouge and V-groove tool you see in the background.
Two Cabinet Doors
This is a closeup of two cabinet doors. Both doors include a dark veneer that’s been textured with simple horizontal lines. The door on the right has a piece of maple glued to its edge that has a traditional Japanese wave pattern carved into it.
I am 82 years old and have been woodworking as a hobbyist for 40+ years. Due to health reasons, I recently sold a lot of my tools, one of which was my 3 hp General table saw. Unfortunately, the thin strip ripping jig I made went with the saw. I have cut many a thin strip on the saw.