A Sand Flea type sander

[kalynzoo]

In 2007, February, I had the pleasure to take the Tracks tour to Copper Canyon Mexico. While on the train I watched a local making 3/4inch planks using a wooden mallet and a machete. We were stopped at a siding, and I sat and watched for quite a while, it was fascinating. Holding the stock in his bare feet, in the chilly morning , he cut planks about 4 to 5 ft long and 6 inches wide.
Yes, today we have some great toys/tools to create our crafts with safety and precision. But there was a time....
Happy New Years to all.

[JPG]

We have become sissys. Ever go near a old saw mill. There they have 10 ft diameter blades being driven off 45 hp diesel tractor motors spinning as guys feed wood into them. One slip there and you don't just lose an finger or even a hand but the whole body.

Yeah I know talk is cheap I watched the second video going oh no oh no.

Seriously though I have seen other pictures of saws used in many locations that have the blade totally exposed and you know what if you look at the people you don't see any missing body parts. I think sometimes we have made some things so safe appearing we let down our guard and that is when bad things happen.

One of my concerns is that we are creating a generation(s) who do not know how to handle dangerous situations.

They are so insulated from any REAL danger that they do not have an understanding how to behave around it.

We cannot live in a bubble devoid of all danger.

I am NOT advocating having them LEARN by "accidentally harming themselves", but exposure to dangers creates a healthy RESPECT for it and develops an awareness of other dangers.

[reible]

I remember back when I was just a kid and we would cut firewood for the upcoming winter. I was never old enough to help but it didn't stop me from watching. The saw while it looked like maybe 8 feet back then was more like 3 or 4 feet. It had no guard, it was driven by this long flapping flat belt. The power source was an older car. A block and several timbers under the axle then they took the back tire/wheel off and put this wheel on that drove the belt. Older cars had a throttle on the dash and that was used to set the speed.

Any trees that fell that year and a few that an uncle or other friend dropped off in the 8 to 10 feet long and say 4 to 10-12" in dia were stacked near by. A few of them were used to hold the saw down and in place. The saw had a carriage that the logs were placed on by 2 to 4 people. It would tip towards the blade and the saw dust flew. The cut pieces dropped on this diverter which rolled them away from the saw (most of the time anyway). When things went wrong everyone backed off and most of the time the problem solved itself or the belt came off. A few times someone had to take the car out of gear so things could get readjusted.

When things were done I had a big pile of wood chips to play in and the saw and operator moved on to another place. So far as I know no one ever got hurt to bad... maybe a few smashed toes that would recover in a few days but that was about that.

By the time I was old enough to really get into this it faded out and everyone was getting chain saws... now I do know a few people who got hurt with those but that would be another story.

I never got the feeling that people were scared or in danger while this was going on but I was told to stay away from the saw and belt and back of the car so I guess there must have been some thought as to a "danger zone".

Ed

[a1gutterman]

Safety is good, and any company that sells product that is knot safe is just asking for a lawsuit. Laws that we pass in this country for safety, were of course, to get manufactureres to MAKE their product safe (er) for use by employees. Creating safety for each of us is just a "benefit".

I sometimes do unsafe things, but when choosing to do so, I like to think that I am paying more attention then I do when doing something with all the protections available. I still have all my body parts.

Using equipment that CAN harm you does knot translate into getting hurt every time you use that equipment. Very, very seldom does anyone actually get hurt. But we can all see the potential in operations like this one, for injury, and it is that potential that we try to protect against.

Personally, while I think safety is a good thing, and I teach it to my children, I am against laws that require it for individuals. I can understand the need to protect employees from employers that might otherwise require their employees to work under hazardous conditions, but we each should be allowed to make our own decisions on our own safety. I do knot want the government, nor any one else, to try to require me to be "safe" as "safe" is defined by them.

[dusty]

I got all my childhood safety lessons around farm equipment. It was during harvest season that I heard the most about injuries. Thrashing machines and hay balers seem to be the leading places to get hurt. There was one serious incident when the spring crew was harrowing but no one talked about that much. I know no details; just that I never saw uncle Frank again.

[JPG]

I remember back when I was just a kid and we would cut firewood for the upcoming winter. I was never old enough to help but it didn't stop me from watching. The saw while it looked like maybe 8 feet back then was more like 3 or 4 feet. It had no guard, it was driven by this long flapping flat belt. The power source was an older car. A block and several timbers under the axle then they took the back tire/wheel off and put this wheel on that drove the belt. Older cars had a throttle on the dash and that was used to set the speed.

Any trees that fell that year and a few that an uncle or other friend dropped off in the 8 to 10 feet long and say 4 to 10-12" in dia were stacked near by. A few of them were used to hold the saw down and in place. The saw had a carriage that the logs were placed on by 2 to 4 people. It would tip towards the blade and the saw dust flew. The cut pieces dropped on this diverter which rolled them away from the saw (most of the time anyway). When things went wrong everyone backed off and most of the time the problem solved itself or the belt came off. A few times someone had to take the car out of gear so things could get readjusted.

When things were done I had a big pile of wood chips to play in and the saw and operator moved on to another place. So far as I know no one ever got hurt to bad... maybe a few smashed toes that would recover in a few days but that was about that.

By the time I was old enough to really get into this it faded out and everyone was getting chain saws... now I do know a few people who got hurt with those but that would be another story.

I never got the feeling that people were scared or in danger while this was going on but I was told to stay away from the saw and belt and back of the car so I guess there must have been some thought as to a "danger zone".

Ed

I can remember (about 65 yrs ago) on my uncles farm a very long exposed drive belt. Their tractor had a "domed" wheel on the side. It was about 6-8 inches wide and about the same diameter. During 'the harvest' a belt was run between the tractor and a thresher (or whatever it was(big)) with a larger wheel on it. The tractor wheel was about 20-30 feet from the driven wheel on the thresher.

I was told to NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR IT!!!!!! I got reminded of that in quick order if I got too close.

I was informed these belts were prone to 1)breaking 2)slipping off wheels 3)go airborn when either 1 or 2 occurred and that people had been killed by them.

Thus I learned at a very early age to be respectful of dangerous things(not to avoid them all together).

[reible]

Ah the good old days when danger was danger!

Ed

I can remember (about 65 yrs ago) on my uncles farm a very long exposed drive belt. Their tractor had a "domed" wheel on the side. It was about 6-8 inches wide and about the same diameter. During 'the harvest' a belt was run between the tractor and a thresher (or whatever it was(big)) with a larger wheel on it. The tractor wheel was about 20-30 feet from the driven wheel on the thresher.

I was told to NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR IT!!!!!! I got reminded of that in quick order if I got too close.

I was informed these belts were prone to 1)breaking 2)slipping off wheels 3)go airborn when either 1 or 2 occurred and that people had been killed by them.

Thus I learned at a very early age to be respectful of dangerous things(not to avoid them all together).

[cincinnati]

Just think what a kick back would feel like on that thing. OMG

[etc92guy]

I have a contractors saw without a blade guard because a $11.00 part is missing. I used it all summer while learning tongue and groove joints and building a new workbench and garage cabinet.

Working in information technology, I appreciate my fingers. And I still ahve them. Couldn't type with stubs. But there were days I did some stupid moves, like getting too close to the blade or or sawing freehand because I didn't have a taper jig.

I scared myself enough that I wouldn't go near it for a couple of days. And I would sweat when I had to use it again.

Most of us here use our equipment for hobby purposes. The result should be enjoyable, not painful or ending up maimed.

Am I scared of my saw? You bet. And I sometimes wonder if the fear is worth the effort. But then I remember that fear is what is keeping my digits on my hands. I am a sissy, on this issue, and proud of it.

It's also on my bucket list to get that part one of these days. I know it will lessen the fear, but it's never going to go away.

[jimthej]

Portuguese is really rusty, but what he's saying is that he is cutting 3mm laminations for viola sides.

The first one is just a hand feed drum sander but the second one!!!!! Can anyone translate that???

Ed