Wich is Safer?

bobbywett

bobbywett

Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
1,231
Hi Everyone,

When cutting blocks of wood to create knife scales, which piece of equipment is more safely suited to the task, a compound miter saw or a table saw. Is there another piece of equipment that would be safer and get the job done efficiently? Any thoughts and or comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bobby
 
Miter saw, hands down. Its much easier to cut the required end angles on handle material with a miter saw.

Fred
 
Hmm... What kind of cuts are you needing to make?

If you are looking to split a small block to make two scales then neither one will be safe. A bandsaw will do that safely and easily. If you need to cut something to length or cut an angle on the end of a block then the mitersaw or a miter guage in a tablesaw would be a good choice. For ripping down large boards before cutting to length on the mitersaw you'd want a tablesaw or bandsaw.

For maximum safety and versatility I suggest a quality handsaw. It's pretty hard to lose a finger with a handsaw.

A bandsaw is by far the safest power saw to use for small pieces. A mitersaw is EXTREMELY dangerous with small pieces. A tablesaw can work great for small pieces with the right fixtures and jigs but will take your fingers if you don't know what you're doing.
 
A compound miter saw should NEVER be used to cut blocks into scales.

Use a table saw and a push block or a band saw.....and a push block.
For some reason people don't think a band saw will rip off a piece of finger as easily as a table saw. I think it is the quieter nature of the machine. It will cut you just as bad if used improperly.
 
There isn't a single tool that does all jobs well. For cutting blocks I use a band saw with a push stick to push them thru then I have 2 closely sized pieces. Next I run them thru a drum sander to smooth up both sides and have them exactly the same thickness.
 
bladsmth said:
A compound miter saw should NEVER be used to cut blocks into scales.

Use a table saw and a push block or a band saw.....and a push block.
For some reason people don't think a band saw will rip off a piece of finger as easily as a table saw. I think it is the quieter nature of the machine. It will cut you just as bad if used improperly.
Click to expand...

With all due respect; when you say never, does that cover blocks of wood that are 1 1/2" x 6" x 12" also. Or going the other way how small can the blocks be?
I've cut a life times worth of wood on all three machines and there are safe ways of accomplishing it and unsafe ways. It's like most any other task in the shop. There's safe and then not so safe.

Push sticks can be used but should be used with a feather board if you want to keep all your fingers.

As to using a miter saw in cutting small pieces of anything; securing the piece to be cut to larger piece of wood allows for the task to be done safely.

Use a quality wood glue to attach the block being cut to a squared piece of lumber and you can take as fine a cut as you wish.

In the final analysis and using the proper set up, I think you will find the miter saw the best saw for your purpose.

Regards, Fred
 
I've used a miter saw to cut slabs off of larger blocks, but I really can't recommend it, and am sure I violated several basic safety practices for the tool. Makes me tense thinking about it.

Now I have a small wood bandsaw and use it for most of this work, including splitting matched scales.

-Daizee
 
Technically, a bandsaw is just as dangerous as a table saw, and/or a miter saw if you do not know what you are doing or are not paying attention and not working smartly/safely. Personally I would never use a miter saw for this purpose, IMO miter saw/s are for length cuts and end cuts only. A bandsaw is more versatile IMO for making handle scales as you can split the block and cut to shape, eliminating a lot of sanding. A table saw with give you a cleaner cut when splitting the block, but requires more skill and attention when cutting, and pretty difficult to cut small angles/rounds(don't try it) with a table saw.
 
For general knife making wood cutting requirements, I don't think a nice band saw can be beat by either a table saw or miter saw. Those other two do have their place, but I'd want a band saw first....and do. I have a miter saw as well, and find it useful as well.

A bandsaw can cut down large pieces into block size for stabilizing....if you ever decide to go that route. Can cut blocks into scales. Can cut scales into shapes.
 
I agree with most above. The bandsaw is best for what your asking, and yes it can cut you just as bad as the others. One thing that isn't mentioned about a table saw is the smaller your pieces the more dangerous. And I don't mean cutting yourself, it is the possibility of kickback. Small pieces can be kicked up and thrown even with a pushstick. The more twisted the grain the bigger the risk. I am speaking from experience here. I was cutting a piece of oak burl for pen blanks and was using a push stick, then wham I was on the floor holding my belly and in pain. The bruise was there for 4 months. A miter saw is best suited for cutting to length or specific angles.
Dan
 
Jason Magruder said:
Hmm... What kind of cuts are you needing to make?

If you are looking to split a small block to make two scales then neither one will be safe. A bandsaw will do that safely and easily. If you need to cut something to length or cut an angle on the end of a block then the mitersaw or a miter guage in a tablesaw would be a good choice. For ripping down large boards before cutting to length on the mitersaw you'd want a tablesaw or bandsaw.

For maximum safety and versatility I suggest a quality handsaw. It's pretty hard to lose a finger with a handsaw.

A bandsaw is by far the safest power saw to use for small pieces. A mitersaw is EXTREMELY dangerous with small pieces. A tablesaw can work great for small pieces with the right fixtures and jigs but will take your fingers if you don't know what you're doing.
Click to expand...

X3. I'd use a bandsaw from logs to scales...don't get me wrong, I love both my Miter saw and Tablesaw, but they don't have much use in my knifemaking hobby!
 
Complete newb here - but I cut my most recent scales with a miter saw off a 6"X6"X1.5" block.

Maybe it was completely unsafe - Here was my method.

Clamped a piece of wood on one side for a guide>butted the wood against it and clamped the block to the back fence? The closest my extremities got to the business end of the saw was pushing the trigger. Safety glasses were employed. I stood outside the path of the blade in case the slab decided it wanted to be a missile.

Did I get lucky here?

Also is that portable bandsaw many employ for cutting blade blanks capable of cutting wood slabs too or do most of you guys run two bandsaws?
 
I run two bandsaws...a wood one and a metal one. A metal bandsaw (I presume you're referring to the typical 4x6 from HF or Enco or the like) can cut wood, but a wood bandsaw cannot cut the metal for blade blanks. However, I would never want to cut a wood block down to scales and/or to tang shape with a metal bandsaw as it would be exceedingly slow...but certainly could be done.
 
Thanks everyone for the detailed information. I am really learning a lot from all of the information. I do currently have a Grizzly 14" bandsaw in my shop
http://cdn0.grizzly.com/pics/jpeg1000/g/g0555.jpg
I use it for almost every wood cutting application when making my knives. I have extreme difficulty keeping the blade from making severe swerves, rendering the material useless. I've tweaked the tracking and tension my bandsaw, but cannot get her to cut straight and true. It has a 93 1/2" X 1/2" blade. Is there something I can do to make her cut truer?

Thanks Again,

Bobby
 
bobbywett said:
Thanks everyone for the detailed information. I am really learning a lot from all of the information. I do currently have a Grizzly 14" bandsaw in my shop
http://cdn0.grizzly.com/pics/jpeg1000/g/g0555.jpg
I use it for almost every wood cutting application when making my knives. I have extreme difficulty keeping the blade from making severe swerves, rendering the material useless. I've tweaked the tracking and tension my bandsaw, but cannot get her to cut straight and true. It has a 93 1/2" X 1/2" blade. Is there something I can do to make her cut truer?

Thanks Again,

Bobby
Click to expand...

Could be....
1. Dull blade - #1 cause of sloppy cuts in my experience
2. Blade has to much slack, might need to raise tension on the blade. If you raise tension do so slowly and test-cut as you go.
3. You are pushing to hard or to fast, slow cut is a smoother cut
 
Miter saws should ONLY be used for crosscutting. The hook angle
on the blade will tend to draw the blade into the wood which often
leads to some interesting ballistics.

Table saws certainly can do both safely, but shorter, thinner pieces
can be problematic. Plan the cut carefully, use something other
than fingers to hold the work, and pay attention.

Band saw is the way to go. While it will certainly bite you if you're
not careful, it won't throw the workpiece because the cutting force
is downward, not radially or tangentially as on the other two saws.

Bill
 
With all of the great information you folks have provided in this thread, I am learning a lot. I'm going to purchase a "Resaw Blade" for my Grizzly bandsaw. Most of the ones I have researched come with 3 or 4 tpi andante made of thinner yet tougher steel. The thinner steel is supposed to reduce the kerf size, while the 3 to 4 tpi keep chips from building up while cutting.

I am also going to trick her out with a Resaw fence and cut slower. In addition, I've watched a few YouTube tutorials on alignment of the bearings and fence systems. According to the videos, I need to set the blade as close as possible to the bearings without touching them. The gullets should be flush with the face of the bearings. They said tension should be set at 1/4" flex when pushed with thumb?

Thanks again for all the advice,

Bobby
 
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