# Band saw use...?



## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Why do people run a bandsaw like this? I see it in quite a few videos.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Video maybe.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

No idea, not the safest way to use a bandsaw.

David


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

People do all kinds of things for videos. Just quit watching them..


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

if you look closely, he is not a stranger to Self Inflicted Injuries.


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## Old Raven (Apr 6, 2020)

OK I'll bite. How do you safely push a board through a band saw blade?


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## Ajohnson (Dec 21, 2020)

I myself am guilty of putting to much trust in the bandsaw.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Old Raven said:


> OK I'll bite. How do you safely push a board through a band saw blade?


It's not that he's pushing it through incorrectly, it's that he's got way too much blade exposed. The blade guard should be dropped down such that very little blade is exposed.

David


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Also looks like he is wearing a dress shirt and tie.


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## GSXRFanIM (Jan 16, 2019)

difalkner said:


> It's not that he's pushing it through incorrectly, it's that he's got way too much blade exposed. The blade guard should be dropped down such that very little blade is exposed.
> 
> David


Correct 
Plus the bandsaw is one of the safest cutting tools to run. Compared to Tablesaw, router, circular, Radial


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I agree with OP, this is very common on You Tube, though not surprising as many videos are posted to make money on clicks rather than a reliable source of information.


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## PA WOODCHUCK (Feb 11, 2018)

Photo-opp


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## mhkohne (Apr 12, 2021)

Human beings tend to get complacent when they don't work at it. I suspect a LOT of people never lower the guard on their bandsaw because they've gotten away with not doing so, and do so would take a moment when they are trying to get a cut done. 

It's human nature to cut corners, even when you know better.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

It is what it is. I hear of how people explain how they use powertools all the time and read what there doing wrong.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

I knew several people that free-hand a board through a table saw rather than make a jig.
They were all still lucky the last time I saw them. 
Eventually their luck will run out.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Tony B said:


> I knew several people that free-hand a board through a table saw rather than make a jig.
> They were all still lucky the last time I saw them.
> Eventually their luck will run out.


I did it for years when getting payed to make patterns. I don't do it anymore since I'm out of it now.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Tony B said:


> I knew several people that free-hand a board through a table saw rather than make a jig.
> They were all still lucky the last time I saw them.
> Eventually their luck will run out.


I've done it only a few times, but here's what I know. A full kerf blade will give you more "leeway" on either side of the blade's plate, the solid portion of the blade where there are no teeth, than a fine kerf blade. This means it's less sensitive to having perfect alignment as you are progressing down your marked line, so there is more wiggle room essentially. I wouldn't do it with a fine kerf blade which is on my saw currently. I did need to make an angled cut across a large piece of Melamine to fit a sloped ceiling. Yes, I could have used a circular saw, but this seemed OK to try at the time and it worked out just fine.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

I had a small bandsaw 40 years ago, but it went to a friend. I got a 14 inch bandsaw about four years ago, and I asked our woodworking club's "bandsaw mentor" to help me check it out for safety and share his safety and usage secrets. 

The first introduction he gave me was about the bandsaw's origins. Bandsaws were invented (and are still being used) to cut meat. He said me that every bandsaw "has a taste for flesh" and "wants to get back to its roots." He reminded me to be very careful and cautious, lest the bandsaw might try to eat parts of me. :-o


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

This bandsaw doesn't need a mobility kit:


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