# Safety Jigs?



## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

Hey folks, new to the forum, first post. 

I was reading the "lets see the damage thread" yesterday and was a little more hesitent on the TS last night. However, my hand came as close to the moving blade during shut down than it ever has inadvertently. Pure user error and just luck I didn't cut myself. 

I will be building a good cut off sled in short order, and only failed last night due to lack of true flat wood on hand 

After that will be a high fence for taller pieces. 

Then some more push shoes for the TS and the soon to acquire jointer, mine are starting to get a little beat up. I read a couple threads on these yesterday as well. 

Is there a link to other safety jigs? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Apparently my misplaced belief in my invincibility has faded. 

Thanks


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Safety Jig*

The Safety Jig is the dance you do after something bad has happened and it hurts to much stand still.
I don't really think any jig I've ever seen was ever called a "safety jig", but they all decreased the chances of something bad happening. Sleds, push sticks, feather boards etc.
Your brain, using a combination of Murphy's Law and the Law of Gravity will prevent most bad things from happening. That's what's worked for me over the years, not to say that a few BT didn't happen anyway....... slid off a roof, fell out of a tree on a ladder, caught a finger between 2 gears...ouch. almost totalled a new '67 Camero when I didn't stop for a '59 Chev (cat eyes) Biscayne. 
Best advice I can give is to never put your hands in direct line with the blade and when they get within 5" use a push stick.
Look up http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f7/kickback-revisited-10591/ here that's another type of preventable injury.  bill
Here's a pretty good safety device from what I can tell:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004393/8909/Micro-Jig-GRRRipper-System-Model-GR200.aspx


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## btyirin (Aug 14, 2008)

I would agree that a push stick is probably up there at number one for safety. Another safety tip that you don't always hear is to keep your tools sharp. A dull TS blade is more likely to mess things up then a sharp one.

In keeping with woodnthings post up there............I need to invent a nail gun safety jig. I have got shot 4 times and its getting old. the the gut shot was the worst. A 2.5 inch nail into the gut flush with your skin is not good. I almost punctured my intestines.


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

We are a "job shop" WRT metal working......this after being a life long builder/cabmet guy.One of my favorite things to do is building cool,slick gaurds for machinery.Usually gauge metal,with formed edges and some tig welding.This same notion is JUST as well carried out in wood.

Make it physically impossible to touch the blade,cutter,whatever.Most equip. is built on a price point and the gaurding is simply to appease those who control these efforts....read that OSHA.But for the most part,the fact. gaurds leave aot to be desired.They're cumbersome,questionable function and take WAY too long on setups.This is what draws my attention or interest.We make slick,quick-change style safety devices that are a pleasure to use.It takes some head scratching to figure them out...thats the fun part,BW.


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## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

Thanks, 

I called them safety jigs because I saw a guy in a another thread mention that name, he was building it as he cut himself, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something good. 

I haven't been doing it long enough to know even a majority of the tricks, but long enough to know I've been lucky to many times. I have also come to the realization that some of my practices may not be the safest. I don't do this for a living, but keeping fingers matters regardless. 

A dull knife is a dangerous knife, I agree, sharp is the only way to go. Plus it's a cleaner cut for the Doc to fix when I slip. 

Thanks agian, I'll spend some time checking out some of the referenced threads and designing some good guards and jigs to keep the fingers away from the blade/bits.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I agree and also...*



btyirin said:


> I would agree that a push stick is probably up there at number one for safety. Another safety tip that you don't always hear is to keep your tools sharp. *A dull TS* *blade is more likely to mess things up then a sharp one.
> *
> In keeping with woodnthings post up there............I need to invent a nail gun safety jig. I have got shot 4 times and its getting old. the the gut shot was the worst. A 2.5 inch nail into the gut flush with your skin is not good. I almost punctured my intestines.


Another rarely mentioned safety item is a *clean blade* (free from gum and pitch) . A dirty blade will slow down, grab and 
cause additional force to be applied to the workpiece, not good. :no: Blade cleaners are cheap, Simple Green is supposed to work well, or expensive, aerosol can types. I use Easy Off oven cleaner. I spray the blade on some newspaper, let it sit about 10 mins, wash off in the laundry tub. It usually gets off all the pitch but a soft brass bush gets the remainder. :thumbsup: bill


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## Rodand1 (Dec 22, 2010)

I've used push blocks, sticks, and feather boards for year's. They have all worked for me so far. I was recently given a MicroJig GRR Ripper Pushblock System. I love it. You can see it at www.microjig.com . You can use it on your table saw, router table, jointer, bandsaw. Anything that can keep me safely away from a blade is a bonus.


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## WRClifford (Dec 30, 2010)

Hi folks. Have been reading posts and this my first. Having been a timber taller and now a budding woodworker I have a couple rules I follow. Don't stand beside a tree when it's falling, and don't get your hands beyond or in front of the TS blade. Oh, and one more, don't stand behind the TS, or the chainsaw blade, but to the side, so if there's a kick back your body is out of the way. Any other thoughts?


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