New appreciation for the Unifence

[Alan in Little Washington]

While shooting pics on the table saw for my mag article I developed a new appreciation for the Unifence. As most of you know the Unifence mounts in both a (standard) high fence position and also a low fence position, primarily designed for trimming laminate.

For the pics I set the fence low so as not to obstruct the camera shot. I actually made cuts during the photos (note spinning dado blade.) I really like not having the high fence in the way or my hand or push blocks, or either of them between the high fence and the blade. With the low fence, I can rip thinner boards without a special jig or push stick. Also, though I haven't done it yet, I plan to make a push block/sled that will ride on the low fence and guided by the small lip, for ripping even thinner boards.

While not suitable for all boards and situations, the fence in the low position has now become my new standard position. You need to be mindful of overlap (see second pic) if you are centering tenons or sliding dovetails and trying to remove equal amounts of waste from each side of dovetails. You can't make the centering cuts with each face against the fence, since after the first cut the rabbet and not the face of the stock the will ride on the fence.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Alan! for heavens' sake make some push blocks!

I saw that pic and put a button in this seat cushion!

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Alan! for heavens' sake make some push blocks!

I saw that pic and put a button in this seat cushion!

Oh, I have them, but don't like them and don't use them all the time- not as firm control. I'll show what happened to my friend when his push block slipped on the jointer and his hand had a close encounter with a 12" Shelix cutter head!

 

[McRabbet]

Alan, I agree that these two operations don't look real safe -- and the editors may not find them acceptable. I would recommend the first one be repeated using a push block and that you cut out the waste areas on the second block with a saw blade versus the dado blade as if it were a large tenon. That way the cut side of the block is supported on the table for the primary cuts to each side of the male dovetail and the fence has a full side of support when making the "cheek" cuts. Those cuts could also be made with a ZCI to reduce the chances of any wobble (and kickback). Just my .02 to help a fellow wwer to stay safe!

 

[lottathought]

My personal opinion..I mess up a board....DARNIT!!!
I lose my hand.....guess I am done woodworking forever.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Don't get me wrong folks, these were just mockups for the editor- subject, sequence, process, camera and lighting, etc. For the actual shots there will be no rings, watches, long sleeves (which are present in other pics), and where it won't interfere with other photo requirements, splitters, guards, push blocks, sticks, etc.

Rob, as you said, a vertical fence would be better trimming the shoulder waste from the tails, but the dado is really quicker, easier and actually safer for removing the waste from the socket, too.

I just wanted to get these pics done and not mess with them too much since they are just mockups and I will need to shoot everything all over again for the final pics. Even so it was a slow process since I had to place and adjust the tripod, aim the lights , place and adjust the camera tripod, aim the camera, adjust framing, focus, etc. then set the timer, hit the shutter release and carefully dash over to start the saw and pose for the camera. I don't have a remote shutter release.

 

[medic]

$1800.00 dollars and the tip of a finger , you better believe in featherboards AND pushstick

 

[Mike Davis]

So much criticism for seemingly very safe operation?

I've been sawing wood for 30 something years and done many times worse than that. Sometimes a push stick is far more dangerous than holding tight to the wood.

The only time I ever got hurt was using a router table, if it had been just the router and not the supposedly safer table then I wouldn't have been hurt.

How many have gotten hurt while using the "approved, safe" method as opposed to just being careful and using your hands?

I don't have any pushsticks. How do you even use one? I think they are very dangerous to use.

I think Alan's idea of a sled for thin stock would be useful. I would use something like that.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

I contend that no amount of add-on safety devices will help unless you have and use the primary safety device - the one between your ears!

I am not talking intelligence necessarily but that is part of it, but I am talking about common sense. Don't do stupid things that you know are stupid, don't rush or take shortcuts, don't work when you are tired, don't work when there are distractions, don't let yourself be distracted, keep your eyes and brain on the task at all times, etc..

The intelligence (analysis, reasoning, experience, etc.) factors help you avoid operations and situations you may not "know" but "suspect" or predict" are dangerous. They are based basic intelligence and knowledge gained from woodworking, physics, engineering, or having done similar operations before.

I have only had three minor "dings", all to my fingers, over the past 50+ years I've been using power tools, and ALL OF THEM were due to my failure to follow the first guidance! I did stupid things because I was in a hurry or just lazy. I KNEW or suspected what I was doing was not smart or safe (and unfortunately I was correct.)

One more point and I'll get off my soap box. I think there are far too many folks out there who won't admit it, but are truly "afraid" of their power tools. They go overboard buying safety devices in a false hope that these devices will "guarantee" safety. A healthy "respect" is essential but fear can be almost as dangerous as carelessness, especially if your head is not in the game.

No amount of safety devices (even a SawStop) will guarantee safety if there is a failure of the #1 safety device between the ears.

 

[Gotcha6]

No amount of safety devices (even a SawStop) will guarantee safety if there is a failure of the #1 safety device between the ears.

Yea, verily. DAMHIKT

 

[jerrye]

One more point and I'll get off my soap box. I think there are far too many folks out there who won't admit it, but are truly "afraid" of their power tools. They go overboard buying safety devices in a false hope that these devices will "guarantee" safety. A healthy "respect" is essential but fear can be almost as dangerous as carelessness, especially if your head is not in the game.

Alan,
SO true, so true...

I feel this same thing almost every time I see someone else fire up a chain saw. They hear horror stories about being "chewed up" by a chain saw, or someone killed by a tree, they see graphic photos of it; then they pick theirs up and that's all they can think about. If you follow Alan's rule above, ie DON"T BE STUPID AND WORK WHEN YOU SHOULDN'T ETAL, and get familiar with your equipment by using it (and if you're unsure, get someone to help you), you'll be OK. I remember a friend that wouldn't cut a hanger pine down behind his house because of all of the "hanger trees will kill you!" stories he'd heard. All he had to do was undercut it, but he had also bought into the nonsense "NEVER use ANY part of a bar except the very bottom", so he let it sit. His son played near it, which is why he really wanted it down. We were cutting firewood one day & he told me about it. I looked at it; simple & easy to get down. He freaked when I suggested he let me cut it, saying "Someday when I can afford it I'll have a pro cut it for me." I assured him I knew what I was doing & could get it down in just a few minutes. I did, seeing him cringe every time I looked over at him. I offered to teach him a bit about sawing, and show him how to undercut, but he was too afraid. He was smart enough to know that without confidence and knowledge he shouldn't have attempted this. He used his #1 safety device. But his overreaction was a bit much, IMHO.

I'm not a pro, but I've run a chain saw quite a bit. I know what I can do & what I can't. I'm not scared to do what I know I can do.

Ones MAIN safety gear truly is ones mind.

 

[LeftyTom]

The greatest safety devices are THINKING THROUGH and PAYING ATTENTION

 

[Glennbear]

With the endless means to do these pictures SAFELY using push blocks or having the blade still I can only consider you very foolish. Your friend might have had a block slip but your fingers that close to a spinning blade are courting disaster, you are relying on the stock and the machine to handle predictably and I with many others know that machines and wood do not always do what we think they will. Ranting about those who purchase safety gear to excess seems to be overblown machismo "I know what I am doing therefor I don't need all that stuff " :no: Sad, truly sad

 

[McRabbet]

Alan/Mike,

I agree that the safe use of any tool lies in the head of the user -- distractions, fatigue and foolish shortcuts can increase the risk astronomically. I am a proponent of judicious use of safety devices like feather boards and hold-downs to lessen the possibility of unpredictible behavior by the material itself, but I fully agree that these are no better that the focused attention of the operator. If they can help keep ones pinkies out of the line of fire, then they are worth it, if used properly. I wear gloves, eye and ear protection and Kevlar chaps when using my chain saw; and I use Board Buddies and a finger board on my table saw whenever practical. While I have a steady hand like Mike has suggested, I find these safety devices help me stay focused on the task at hand.

One footnote. The stock "guard" on my table saw was removed before it ever was turned on -- because I think that it was unsafe.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

With the endless means to do these pictures SAFELY using push blocks or having the blade still I can only consider you very foolish. Your friend might have had a block slip but your fingers that close to a spinning blade are courting disaster, you are relying on the stock and the machine to handle predictably and I with many others know that machines and wood do not always do what we think they will. Ranting about those who purchase safety gear to excess seems to be overblown machismo "I know what I am doing therefor I don't need all that stuff " :no: Sad, truly sad

Nope wrong assessment. You had to be there! It was a very well thought out, carefully executed, staged photo. No finger got closer than 4" to the blade!!!!!!! When the shutter clicked, there was a spinning blade, but no cut was made, no pushing of stock, hands were on a piece of wood that was not moving -to ensure it stayed in focus- the only thing moving was the blade for the blurr effect! You need to read what I said and not make a quick judgement on what you "think" I did or did not do. It was not a safey demo, it was not a how to, it was photo test of exposure, light, focus, framing, etc. There was no need to do anything more than I did in the photo! And yes, as I said in a follow-up post, for the final pics, I won't be wearing a ring (not visible but on my finger), and I will be using a push block or two etc. where appropriate. By your comments I assume that every time Norm or David Marks makes an actual cut he is being incredibly stupid and careless. I'm trying to remember, but don't think I ever saw either one use a guard, splitter, push blocks, etc. while being filmed making actual cuts.

Besides, this was a post about the benefits of the Unifence in the low position. Geez!

And no, there was no "rant" about those who purchase safety devices. I would probably say everyone here including me has made or purchased one or more safety devices at sometime. As others have said what is safe for one may not be safe for another. I never said people shouldn't buy any safety device either, but did say some folks get a false sense of security from some of these devices. Again, what I said, not what you think I said.

 

[flatheadfisher]

I am terrified of my power tools and I don't mind saying it. The table saw especially scares me. I have some push blocks and I use them. But, I sometimes think they prevent me from holding the piece firmly. I had a piece of maple today that tried to jump off the saw because I didn't have it held firmly with the push stick. It didn't make it all the way off but it startled me. I am sure some of you have used a table saw more in one day than I have in the few months I have owned one.

The crazy thing is my only woodworking injury I received when sharpening a plane blade and seeing if it was sharp enough to shave the hair on my leg. :BangHead::BangHead:

I enjoy photography and sometimes will set up and take shots then not share them because they could be taken the wrong way, if looked at "out of context," or without having all of the information. Someone once gave me a hard time about a picture of some friends, my dog, and the days duck harvest. There was a shotgun in the background. It looked dangerous in the photo because you couldn't see that the gun was empty and the slide was open. It seems to me that this is the case with what has been written so far.

Nice pics, what kind of camera do you have, Alan?

 

[Travis Porter]

I'll admit when I first saw the pic I thought you were cutting wood and that is what most people are going to think because we all look at the pictures before we read (if we read).

Which, I haven't used my Felder fence much like that (it is almost identical to the unifence). Seems like I should after understanding what you were doing.

 

[Glennbear]

For the pics I set the fence low so as not to obstruct the camera shot. I actually made cuts during the photos (note spinning dado blade.)

res ipsa loquitur

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

For the pics I set the fence low so as not to obstruct the camera shot. I actually made cuts during the photos (note spinning dado blade.)

res ipsa loquitur

Not when the shutter clicked!