MiniMax MM16 bandsaw cutting near max capacity

This is me cutting a big log at my MM16 bandsaw near the 16" capacity of the saw. I'm always amazed that the saw makes cuts like this as easily as cutting thin stock.

Blade is a Timberwolf low tension 1"x2tpi. I really like their blades.

I'm aware that gloves around power tools are a bad idea, but I made the conscious decision to wear them in this case because of the size and weight of the logs I was working with.

Oh, and that's Avenged Sevenfold's "Almost Easy" in the background :)

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• mm16
• minimax
• bandsaw
• band
• saw
• power
• tool
• woodworking
• wood
• log
• turning

[listentoWyntMarsalis]

Gloves are very dangerous around saw blades. Bare handed the saw teeth would take a few nips of flesh but not pull in ones hand ( most likely ) how ever wearing gloves the glove could snag and pull in ones whole hand with no warning. He's a BAAAAD BOY. Looks good for the camera though doesn't it ? PS: oops I then read your disclaimer. Problem is some may not press the "see more button" and not read it so I am making a couscous decision to leave this as a warning.

[nostalgia75]

@listentoWyntMarsalis I agree :)

[biffisawshome]

@listentoWyntMarsalis I've found with the band-saw, the only time I accidentally hit it, it just gave a little fff sound and sliced clean through, luckily it nipped the part in front of my finger, and it gave me warning to where I was not watching my right ring finger.

[caliman99]

@listentoWyntMarsalis I just re-read your reply 2 my 1st post & realized how condescending your tone was. I hope my reply came across as more civil (& helpful).

But I can't resist tossing your own words back (spelling corrected & condensed):

"Wood from the kerf does travel below the slot. Do you think a portion of one's hand might take that same path?"

Answer: Yep, I do. The exact same portion you said yourself: a kerf's width. (And no deeper than the initial contact.)

[caliman99]

@listentoWyntMarsalis 1/5 - First, I'm not "playing." I'm trying to correct a mistake regarding commonly accepted workshop safety practice. If you try to take a fresh look at the subject, I'll try to explain it better. You are not the first to mistakenly expand the "No Gloves Around Tools That Rotate" rule into "No Gloves Around Any Tools."

Consider a Miter Saw (since I personally witnessed this accident). A contractor was using a sliding compound miter saw and wearing gloves. His right hand

[caliman99]

@listentoWyntMarsalis 2/5 - glove contacted the ROTATING blade, got caught, and the ROTATING blade pulled his gloved hand further in, cutting it in half down to the wrist before he could react.

Now consider a Band Saw. If you wear gloves and a finger tip makes contact with the blade, the motion would pull your finger DOWNWARDS. It would NOT pull your finger FURTHER INTO the blade. If you don't believe it, try it. Take a carrot and put it into a finger of a leather glove. Move the gloved finger

[caliman99]

@listentoWyntMarsalis 3/5 - into the blade a few inches off the table. The glove will be slammed down into the table where it will either sit there as the blade passes through it, or (more likely) it will jam the blade entirely. The glove and carrot will definitely not be sucked into the tiny clearance around the blade.

In the situation shown in the video, the OP was NOT WRONG to wear gloves. They MIGHT provide some protection from the cutting action of the blade until his natural reflexes

[caliman99]

@listentoWyntMarsalis 4/5 - withdrew his hand from the PASSING blade. Do you understand the difference between a piece of fabric being instantly wrapped around an object rotating at thousands of RPMs, so that you CAN'T remove your hand before it is sucked in and maimed; and a piece of fabric contacting a PASSING blade that DOES NOT "suck it in"?

Here's the thing: when talking about NON-ROTATING tools, each tool has its own trade-off of pros/cons regarding different safety gear. You have

[caliman99]

@listentoWyntMarsalis 5/5 - to THINK about each tool, rather than make a blanket judgement. Gloves with a bandsaw: CAN'T make a blade contact worse; CAN provide a little extra protection. Gloves with a chainsaw: YES YES YES. Gloves with a Lathe: NO NO NO.

Not wearing gloves when bandsawing isn't harmful enough to have spent all this time on it. But it IS dangerous to NOT wear gloves with other tools. Your original mis-statement of the rule says otherwise, and somebody might believe it.

[listentoWyntMarsalis]

@caliman99,

part 2

Do I have that right or did I miss something ?

Please keep in mind the wood from the kerf does, in fact, travel bellow the slot. The form it takes before embarking, encase you hadn't noticed, is titsy bitsy pieces.

Do you think maybe that a small , but oh so important , portion of the bones and squishy bits of ones hand might just be encouraged , some how , to take that some path ?

Come on ! Don't play with these peoples safety.

[listentoWyntMarsalis]

Caliman99,

So what you are saying is: WHEN the threads of the fabric of the glove gets pulled down that itsy bitsy slit for the blade and WHEN one's fingers and most likely the back of one's hand gets slammed into the teeth of the blade that are ABOVE the table ( which on my blade are less than three to the inch , rather large teeth wouldn't you agree), that they can not possibly do any damage to one's hand until they first travel politely together through that slot ? Which is impossible.