In the Path of the Blade...
lies that which is to be cut. Planning what that is, is advantageous. This remark is not facetious. Many practices and devices are cleverly designed to keep the users of various tools from inflicting injury upon themselves, but, persons daily foil them and do theirselves damage anyway.
It seems like any piece one might read concerning the practice of skilled trades always begins with and intermitently includes warnings and instructions regarding the safe use of the tools required to practice the operations necessary for making something. This journal and collection of advice and instructions will have just this one essay about that subject, right here at the very beginning.
If you have a power tool that you are planning on using, read the manual that comes with it. Obey all the warnings and cautions and do not defeat (modify or remove) the blade guards or other safety devices. When learning how to perform operations on this site you will encounter images of machinery with the guards and other safety devices removed. That does not mean that I am suggesting or recommending that you do so.
If you have some experience, and own some power tools, then you have read this many times and now, read it again: "Machines do not have brains. You have to train and employ your own to protect yourself from injury by the cutting parts and other features of these tools!"
The cabinet/wood-working shop is my particular niche nowadays, though I have extensive experience in 5 other trades, and job planning, supervision, management, cost estimates and operations, etc. ect. I am familiar with the operation, maintenance and repair of hundreds of tools and machines and motorized vehicles from small and delicate to massive and complex.
I'm considered an artist by my family and acquaintances, but value recognition as a "fine craftsman" more highly.
Toot! Toot! That's all the blowing of my own horn you'll hear. Did I put my real name and personal information in my profile to prove it. Heck no, you'll just have to take my word for it if it's important to you. I am creating this journal for my fellow lovers of making things, on the professional, self-employed, or do-it-yourself levels. It's a gift. If it turns out to be all that impressive, well I'll have it bound and distributed for purchase at a modest price. There are just dozens and dozens of books by authors good and bad and in between so let's don't hold our breath! The reason for my general credentials is to provide my readers with a comfort zone of confidence in the knowledge that they're not wasting their time here, or being mislead.
I am retirement age and just can't afford to have hundreds of people constantly looking me up for help or to do jobs, at whatever compensation. I've always had a hard time saying no, so it is imperative that I protect myself and my family from that type of exposure. After seeing my work and digesting a bit of the information that comes your way via this journal, there will be the easy ring of truth about it that you can perceive, and the rewards of a little education can provide tremendous validation.
One of the most important and constantly repeated steps to creating something useful out of raw materials is sizing, and that means "cutting" most of the time. With wood, cutting long-wise (usually with the grain) is called ripping and cutting to determine length (usually across the grain) is called cross-cutting. The thing to remember while doing these common operations that needs mentioning in this essay is: "If you do not place your hands in the path or feedways of these blades, you will not be directly cut by them". Sounds simple, but when you actually start performing cutting operations on table saws, bandsaws, mitre saws, and with circular saws, jig and sabre saws, sawzalls, and even non-powered handsaws, the matter of feeding the material in a controlled manner is involved and complicates things profoundly. The proper performance of the techniques required for these operations can keep one from putting, or having one's hands actually drawn into the teeth of these blades. These types of injuries always happen in the blink of an eye and are nearly always serious, devastating wounds. The majority of these injuries sever digits, blood vessels, and nerves and sometimes the entire hand. They are life-changing injuries. Many times, leg injuries with circular saws and head, neck or leg injuries with chainsaws have led to death in a short time when arteries have been involved.
If you sever an arterie, especially the femural or jugular, you only have about thirty seconds to stop the bleeding before you grow faint and are unable to and, therefore, bleed out quickly.
On that cheerful and encouraging note, this first little essay comes to a close. I beg of you, take these things seriously. Unlike my composition of this journal, there's no going back and editing out a misstep with a steel blade whirring along at 5400 rpm. Many of you shouldn't just jump off into a project involving power tools without a guiding hand there with you until you get a little experience, no matter how old you are. I plan to show you many good projects and provide lots of empowering instruction. I in no way, however, would advise any complete novice to use only this source, or for that matter, just books and videos to guide you.
Note: This is my first blog. This journal will, of necessity, develop slowly at first. It is my intention that many informative posts with clear plans, instructions, opinions and images should follow.
Good Day,
Able Kerf.
It seems like any piece one might read concerning the practice of skilled trades always begins with and intermitently includes warnings and instructions regarding the safe use of the tools required to practice the operations necessary for making something. This journal and collection of advice and instructions will have just this one essay about that subject, right here at the very beginning.
If you have a power tool that you are planning on using, read the manual that comes with it. Obey all the warnings and cautions and do not defeat (modify or remove) the blade guards or other safety devices. When learning how to perform operations on this site you will encounter images of machinery with the guards and other safety devices removed. That does not mean that I am suggesting or recommending that you do so.
If you have some experience, and own some power tools, then you have read this many times and now, read it again: "Machines do not have brains. You have to train and employ your own to protect yourself from injury by the cutting parts and other features of these tools!"
The cabinet/wood-working shop is my particular niche nowadays, though I have extensive experience in 5 other trades, and job planning, supervision, management, cost estimates and operations, etc. ect. I am familiar with the operation, maintenance and repair of hundreds of tools and machines and motorized vehicles from small and delicate to massive and complex.
I'm considered an artist by my family and acquaintances, but value recognition as a "fine craftsman" more highly.
Toot! Toot! That's all the blowing of my own horn you'll hear. Did I put my real name and personal information in my profile to prove it. Heck no, you'll just have to take my word for it if it's important to you. I am creating this journal for my fellow lovers of making things, on the professional, self-employed, or do-it-yourself levels. It's a gift. If it turns out to be all that impressive, well I'll have it bound and distributed for purchase at a modest price. There are just dozens and dozens of books by authors good and bad and in between so let's don't hold our breath! The reason for my general credentials is to provide my readers with a comfort zone of confidence in the knowledge that they're not wasting their time here, or being mislead.
I am retirement age and just can't afford to have hundreds of people constantly looking me up for help or to do jobs, at whatever compensation. I've always had a hard time saying no, so it is imperative that I protect myself and my family from that type of exposure. After seeing my work and digesting a bit of the information that comes your way via this journal, there will be the easy ring of truth about it that you can perceive, and the rewards of a little education can provide tremendous validation.
One of the most important and constantly repeated steps to creating something useful out of raw materials is sizing, and that means "cutting" most of the time. With wood, cutting long-wise (usually with the grain) is called ripping and cutting to determine length (usually across the grain) is called cross-cutting. The thing to remember while doing these common operations that needs mentioning in this essay is: "If you do not place your hands in the path or feedways of these blades, you will not be directly cut by them". Sounds simple, but when you actually start performing cutting operations on table saws, bandsaws, mitre saws, and with circular saws, jig and sabre saws, sawzalls, and even non-powered handsaws, the matter of feeding the material in a controlled manner is involved and complicates things profoundly. The proper performance of the techniques required for these operations can keep one from putting, or having one's hands actually drawn into the teeth of these blades. These types of injuries always happen in the blink of an eye and are nearly always serious, devastating wounds. The majority of these injuries sever digits, blood vessels, and nerves and sometimes the entire hand. They are life-changing injuries. Many times, leg injuries with circular saws and head, neck or leg injuries with chainsaws have led to death in a short time when arteries have been involved.
If you sever an arterie, especially the femural or jugular, you only have about thirty seconds to stop the bleeding before you grow faint and are unable to and, therefore, bleed out quickly.
On that cheerful and encouraging note, this first little essay comes to a close. I beg of you, take these things seriously. Unlike my composition of this journal, there's no going back and editing out a misstep with a steel blade whirring along at 5400 rpm. Many of you shouldn't just jump off into a project involving power tools without a guiding hand there with you until you get a little experience, no matter how old you are. I plan to show you many good projects and provide lots of empowering instruction. I in no way, however, would advise any complete novice to use only this source, or for that matter, just books and videos to guide you.
Note: This is my first blog. This journal will, of necessity, develop slowly at first. It is my intention that many informative posts with clear plans, instructions, opinions and images should follow.
Good Day,
Able Kerf.
posted by Fragram2 | 3:08 AM
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