Table saw vs. cat

[Jonz]

My wife's cat stays in the garage at night. Lately he's been getting on top of my table saw, evidently straight from the litter box, because he's left rusty footprints and a little cat litter on there. While I am trying to stay calm, I REALLY do not want to have to cover/uncover my saw when I need to use it, nor do I plan to clean it several times a week.

My first thoughts were, in the following order:

1) build a standalone shop (good, ain't I?)

2) raise blade in saw all the way, switch on, go to bed

3) purchase electric fence charger and connect to saw

#1 ain't gonna happen. I think 2 and 3 will solve the problem permanently, but for my own safety I should probably come up with a better way.

Any ideas?

 

[cloudancer]

Actually #3 might just work without damage to anything but the cats pride.


Given cats learn quite well you shouldn't have to put a "learning" solution on very long. Other options I can think of include "scat mats" which shock the cat (that's their design), double sided tape (on some sort of cover obviously), and a motion sensor water gun :jealous:. I know there are others as people have this problem with furniture in general all the time.

 

[CarpenterDad]

My wife is a vet assistant and she proposed 3 options:

1) Cover the saw - :-(

2) Keep the cat out of the garage - :eusa_thin

3) Get a kennel to keep the cat in at night - :?:

My next door neighbor concurs. They said nothing works with their cats. They tried the water bottle but the cat attacked them before they ever got off a shot!8-O
Sorry we didn't have any better suggestions.

 

[Monty]

Here's my suggestion: get a Sawstop. When your wife sees how much you paid for it, she will keep the cat off of it! :mrgreen:

 

[cloudancer]

Can I change my answer to match insomniac?

If I can't try these:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=1&acatid=209&aid=918
http://netscape.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=2352

There are many more if you do a google search.

 

[Jonz]

Here's my suggestion: get a Sawstop. When your wife sees how much you paid for it, she will keep the cat off of it! :mrgreen:

I like the way you're thinking buddy. ;-)

 

[Jonz]

My wife is a vet assistant and she proposed 3 options:
1) Cover the saw - :-(

2) Keep the cat out of the garage - :eusa_thin

3) Get a kennel to keep the cat in at night - :?:

My next door neighbor concurs. They said nothing works with their cats. They tried the water bottle but the cat attacked them before they ever got off a shot!8-O
Sorry we didn't have any better suggestions.

1) not going to cover the saw except as a last resort
2) the cat would not be in the garage if he could be trusted inside after we go to bed, but he tends to get destructive, sleep on the placemats on the table, and use the bathroom in odd places. I think he's a bit brain damaged or something.
3) a kennel might work if we could deal with him batting at the door and yowling all night. Worth a mention.

 

[Jonz]

Those scat mat things look pretty cool, although a bit expensive.

Last night we covered the saw with an old blanket, but sprayed it with some stuff that is supposed to "repel" dogs and cats. The idea is to just get him to thinking of that table saw in a negative way.

He has a nice shelf underneath my lathe with a towel on it that he uses a lot, and he uses a little dog bed too, but I know cats just like to be up high.

 

[DaveO]

I don't have any solution to your problem that's different than any that have be already mentioned, but be happy your cat doesn't think every pile of saw dust is a litter box. My 4 cats pee with a vengeance any where I don't clean up...most of the shop. The worst is my miter saw which is recessed into a work bench, creating a box filled with saw dust ..just perfect. Good luck, Dave

 

[cloudancer]

You gave me an idea. What about building him a nice perch higher up? If it is height he's looking for that might solve it right there.

I know when we have a ladder in the house it's always a fight with the cats about who gets to occupy the top spot.

-Greg

 

[chris99z71]

They said nothing works with their cats. They tried the water bottle but the cat attacked them before they ever got off a shot!8-O
Sorry we didn't have any better suggestions.

Try a 2.5" hoseline at 175 PSI with a smoothbore tip...
Not only will the cat never go near the table saw again, you may never see it again all together.

 

[cloudancer]

All I really have to say is ouch....

 

[bimbim]

Jonz,

Have you tried waxing your table top to your TS. Simple wax, nothing fancy. I just started doing it recently and it makes the table slick as a baby's butt. I am told by those that have been doing it for years that even a slow leak from the ceiling won't leave rust on a cast iron top that has been waxed a few times. I actually used a simply liquid wax that I had for a job. You don't even have to work to hard getting it on or off. Take your random orbit sander to the cast iron just prior to this step to get off any old rust. Also, run a dry rag or test piece over the top a couple of times before you start on your next project just to make sure you got all of the excess.

Good Luck,

Brendan

 

[Phil]

give the cat away

 

[Jonz]

Yes I keep it waxed. Doesn't seem to bother him.

Give him away? Trust me, if it were my choice that cat would leave here so fast you'd think he was shot out of a cannon. ;-)

 

[cloudancer]

I think the wax was a suggestion to keep the damage down, not deter him (but I could be wrong).

 

[Jonz]

I think the wax was a suggestion to keep the damage down, not deter him (but I could be wrong).

I think you're correct. Duh.

I do keep it waxed with Johnson's paste wax pretty heavily and it seemed not to help at all. Maybe because it was urine, I dunno. (Yosemite Sam voice) Varmint left rusty feetyprints on my saw.