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[Robert Yarger]

I've lost good sections of fingers before, but as they say "duct tape fixes everything".  You may think that I am kidding, but really I did have to pick up a tip of my finger (with bone still inside) off the floor and tape it back on.  You just soak it in vodka to prevent invection, and drink out of the same glass for a pain killer.

6 months later, I cut that same damn finger again straight in, but at least I did not have any feeling in the tip after the first accident.  I am now a lot more careful, but ironically the root cause of both accidents were those stupid safety devices.  I hate kickback feeders.  Sure, I don't want a board to go shooting across the room, but they don't tell you that in lou of that, the jamming up of a piece of wood in a kickback feeder will cause the acutal blade to jump.  I also hate those bulky blade guards where you can't see where you are cutting.  Mix that with goggles that are covered over with dust and glare, and I am working against safety.
 
I know safety first and all that, but in my opinion, some of the safety features on power tools were dreamed up by an idiot.  I guess thier idea is that you have no choice but to remove them, but if anything happens after that they are not liable.

my 2 cents (and damn why is there not a "cents" sign on these new computer keyboards.

Robert

[Scott Peterson]

Same here!  Ugg!

Wanna know what is next on my tool list?  A power feeder!  I'm going to set it all up, get the board started and stand back from now on!  I use lots of toggle clamps on my jigs too.

One of the things the deters me from making puzzles full time is this very issue.  To give up a desk job in a safe environment, to trade for one where I have my fingers next to a blade seems strange when I look at it that way.  There are other reasons, but I certianly respect you guys in many ways for venturing out to do this full time.

Anyhow - the concept of safety is what we want to maintain.  Sort of like TSA at the airports - everyone sees the hassle and in the back of their minds we all think this must add safety.  Well, sometimes we have to think again.  Same goes with the guards - I agree with Robert on that one.  I hadn't thought about the blade jumping instead of the wood when it jambed - but now I see the one who designed the "guard" didn't think of that either (but should have).

[Eric Fuller]

Every time I hurt myself in the shop I was zoning out and running on autopilot.  I make sure to notice that now and snap to attention...also keep my eyes on the blade whenever it's running.  My hands get within 6 inches now and a warning light goes on and I stop to rethink what I'm doing.  Remembering how much time is wasted with a trip to the hospital makes spending 5 minutes working out a safer way to do a dangerous operation worthwhile.

[Mark McCallum]

I think that before each time we go out to work in the shop, we should come back here and reread Robert's post.  I nearly lost my lunch 

[Peter Wiltshire]

I don't know if others on the forum have seen this before, but if you haven't it's truly amazing.  This table saw will stop cutting and drop into the table the second it senses skin. The web site is here http://www.sawstop.com/ and you can also see a quick "hotdog representing a finger" demo on Youtube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7soOaaWlVA  Although I wouldn't dare suggest you rely on something like this, I for one wouldn't have the nerve to test it on real fingers : (