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Sometimes the most simple mistakes can have really bad results. This time, I dodged the bullet but it could have been nasty.

Can you spot the problem that I have so carefully setup to happen?

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I have been cutting dadoes for a small shelf. In this picture, the dadoes have all been cut but I went back to take a picture of what happened - on the very last dado (imagine that).

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When I pulled the piece back, after cutting that last dado, the corner snagged the stop block and kicked the piece sideways. You know the rest!

Dusty,

Needless to say, you had quite a scare! You are 100% correct when you say it could have been a lot worse!:eek:

I suspect the "Usual Suspects" were responsible! Mr. Tired, Mr. Hurry Up and Finish, and Mr. Mind On Something Else!!!:)

Hang in There!


John
FlashbacPT

Dusty,

I remember having a nearly identical set up while cutting Dado's. My wife had walked into the shop, took one look at the stop block and stopped me just before I did the same thing. Yes Mr. tired was working too hard.

I now cut Dado's with a router. It's interesting but for me dado's seem to come out more even and looking far better than they ever did with the saw. I am thankful you weren't injured. Jim

fjimp wrote:Dusty,

I remember having a nearly identical set up while cutting Dado's. My wife had walked into the shop, took one look at the stop block and stopped me just before I did the same thing. Yes Mr. tired was working too hard.

I now cut Dado's with a router. It's interesting but for me dado's seem to come out more even and looking far better than they ever did with the saw. I am thankful you weren't injured. Jim

I used to like cutting shelf dado's with my radial arm saw. I haven't used it in years and I don't remember why I quit using it.

dusty wrote:Sometimes the most simple mistakes can have really bad results. This time, I dodged the bullet but it could have been nasty.

Can you spot the problem that I have so carefully setup to happen?

When I pulled the piece back, after cutting that last dado, the corner snagged the stop block and kicked the piece sideways. You know the rest!

Can't spot a setup problem at all! It is a perfect set-up! The problem was hidden in the text!

Pulling a workpiece back through a spinning saw is a definite NO-NO! Next time hole the workpiece past the saw until it quits spinning. Then you can pull it back if you wish. But it is better to lift the workpiece back over the stopped saw blade.

Oh boy Dusty,
I am so glad it didn't cause a big problem. I also have given up on using a dado blade for dado's. I built a jig that adjusts to the thickness of the shelf and cut the dado's with a router. Much safer and alot cleaner.

Am I wrong? Or isn't the block supposed to be set up to where the piece being cut has left contact with the block before contacting the blade. It looks to me, with the setup in the first picture, that the board is still half on the block when it contacts the blade and that constitutes using the miter and fence at the same time. A real no no. If the block had been set up correctly the piece would have already cleared the blade, when retracting, before contacting the block again. But then, I have been wrong before....

curiousgeorge wrote:Am I wrong? Or isn't the block supposed to be set up to where the piece being cut has left contact with the block before contacting the blade. It looks to me, with the setup in the first picture, that the board is still half on the block when it contacts the blade and that constitutes using the miter and fence at the same time. A real no no. If the block had been set up correctly the piece would have already cleared the blade, when retracting, before contacting the block again. But then, I have been wrong before....

You have described what I believe is the correct way to do it.

Hi,

The posts from charlese and from curiousgeorge are both correct. The wood should not be pulled back over the running blade and the location of the spacer fence needs to be such that the wood is clear of it before the cutting starts.

I've cut a lot of dado's and have never had any problems... you just need to know what you're doing and do it. So having had the problem and presenting it here was a good idea especially if it keeps anyone else from making the same mistakes.

Ed

Contributing Blunders:

Yes, using the rip fence and miter gauge in tandem is a well known NO-NO. The spacer fence was there to correct that but it was not well thought out. Be aware; it can be a disastrous combination.

Yes, pulling the work back over (past) a turning blade can also lead to some real problems. Remember that the next time you do it. No, don't try to convince me you don't.....

But I think there was still another factor that led to all of this happening and I am sure that it is done many, many times in all of our shops. I'll be waiting to hear from those of you who say "No, I never do that! That can be disastrous".

I consciously set up to do this work without incorporating the "Outfeed Table". Had there been an adequate out feed table there to catch the work I would have pushed it through.

There shall be some modifications made to my outfeed table as a result of this. It shall be revised so that it can be attached without pulling the tubes from the outfeed rail. An easy drop on interface is required.

Yes, I know you can't see that in the pictures. If you could, you would have caught it right away.