Patience and the Table Saw Fiasco

I've had several table saws during my time as a woodworker. It is probably the most used tool in my workshop.

It began with a cheap and cheerful Ryobi, which didn't last long. I think I went through 3 or 4 of them. One the of the main failure points, was usually the blade lift mechanism. It would get jammed and then eventually parts would come loose, until the day the blade would no longer raise. A couple were replaced, as break downs happened during the 2 years warranty period.

Once I tired of trying to keep the Ryobi's alive and felt a bit more professional in my skill level, I upgraded to a Mikita table saw. While this was a big improvement at twice the price; the major problem with these, lets call them budget saws, is the flimsy fences that only attach to the front of the table. This means if you're aiming for any kind of cutting accuracy, you need to re-align the fence with a large square every time you move it.

Then I inherited a used Dewalt saw from my Dad; when he bought a fresh one. Now the Dewalt Table Saw is the big dog in New Zealand. It's the only top of the range saw you can buy at our hardware stores and tool shops. I'm currently on my second used Dewalt; also inherited from my Father. This one had died, but I bought it back to life by replacing the carbon brushes in the motor.

The Dewalt's fence is attached to the table at the front and back and is moved with a gear toothed knob. So accuracy is greatly improved. However this is still what is referred to as a jobsite saw and not really intended for high quality woodworking - notice I didn't use the term 'Fine Woodworking' as I find it a bit pretentious. Plus, I feel it takes a lifetime to become a real fine woodworker.

My dream is to own a cabinet saw, like you see many of the American youtube woodworkers using. These are not really easily available in New Zealand, unless you order from a specialist supplier and they cost anywhere between $2500 - $10,000 plus shipping. A cabinet saw is, as the name suggests, a large steel table, mounted on a solid floor standing cabinet with the motor and mechanical bits inside.

One of the most popular and talked about models these days is Saw Stop. They have created a clever sensor that can detect if the saw blade comes into contact with skin and immediately jams an aluminium brake into the blade. It's kind of like a car airbag, in that you have to replace the brake if it ever gets activated. They often demonstrate it using a sausage as an analogue for a human finger.

And that's what I could have done with the other day. Because without a Saw Stop, the unthinkable happened to me. My index finger made contact with the saw blade and a chunk of flesh was sacrificed down the sawdust shoot. So now I'm probably going to end up with one of those woodworker fingers that's slightly deformed with a tiny half sized fingernail. Well, it could have been a lot worse. It's better than ending up with a stump.

Don't worry, I'll live. My finger is bandaged and my Doctor has banned me from the workshop for a while.

Which leads me to the other part of my story. Summed up by Guns N' Roses – All we need is just a little patience... One of the key things I feel woodwork constantly teaches me is...patience.

In our current fast paced era of Youtube and TikToc, it's easy to think that with the right tools and a video camera, you can knock up a high quality piece of cabinetry in a matter of what? A couple of hours?

But the reality is, it takes weeks and sometimes months. You might become more efficient/proficient over time, but woodworking is going to take as long as it takes.

Even my virtual/imaginary friend and mentor @therealadamsavage often admits that his One Day Builds usually take longer than a day.

It's like those classic Grolsch beer ads, where the little Dutch man would jump into the scene and say “Schtop! It's not ready yet. These things take time guys...”

So the finger incident has once again reminded me that I need to practice even more patience. Giving myself plenty of time to heal and time to create in the future.

You've got to just enjoy the process.

Patience - the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.