Alice Berry      454-3815   Design               Phil Bishop          967-4626      Finishing
               Tom Church    967-4460   Turning              Harry May           962-0215      Carving
               Bob Reese      728-7974   Sharpening         Ross Roepke       455-9140      Joinery

Spring seminar: April 20th @ Foothills Craft, Manchester
Picnic:   June 22nd
Coffee County Fair : 3rd week in September
Fall seminar :October time frame
Christmas party: December 6
** It was also suggested that we should have another “turning B” and possibly another carving workshop.

Just a reminder to those members who have not paid their dues for 2002.   In a few weeks we will have the very unpleasent task of clearing our membership list of those folks that are no longer interested in being members of the club.  If you have not paid your dues hope to hear from you soon.  See Henry at the meeting or contact him at 393-3191 or [email protected].

The subject of name tags came up at the last meeting. Our name tags were made by K&S TROPHIES , 510 Country Club Drive , Tullahoma. They were about $5.00 including tax the last time we checked. When in Tullahoma you can go by and have one made. The tags are 1" x 3" with white letters on a blue background. Just tell the folks that you want a Tennessee Valley Woodworkers name tag. If you are never in Tullahoma, Henry Davis will be happy to take care of it for you, see him at the February meeting or give him a call at 393 - 3191.

To show our appreciation to our loyal and faithful members your Executive Committee has again this year decided to give a prize to one lucky member.
To be eligible to win the lathe just sign the drawing register at each regular club meeting that you attend between now and December. That means that if you attended the January meeting and attend every meeting from now through November your name will be in the drawing 11 times.

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*dues are due*pay your dues*dues are due*pay your dues*dues are due*pay your dues*dues are due* pay your dues*

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***  THE TABLESAW  ***

                 A multi-toothed blade whirling at 8,000 rpm,(238mph tip speed), should spur a sense of caution and respect. It shouldn't instill fear. Armed with the advice, rules, and techniques you'll find here, you'll have the confidence to get the best out of your tablesaw, and safely, too.

Begin a habit-forming checklist to follow before sawing.   California Polytechnic Institute has developed a Code of Safe Practice for a number of woodworking machines as a guide for operators and   supervisors in the industry. We've added to it, and suggest you always   follow the checklist before doing any cutting with your tablesaw in the shop.

·    Remove from the saw table all scrap materials, tools, fasteners, and other debris. Also clear a 2' perimeter all around the saw (more where you'll stand if ripping long stock).
·    Use the blade that best suits the job (never a crosscut blade for ripping or vice versa), and make sure it's sharp.
·    Check the arbor nut for tightness and the blade itself for chipped teeth, cracks, and other defects.
·    Do all of this with the machine unplugged.
·    Set the blade height. Flat-ground blades should extend no more than 1/4" above the wood. Hollow-ground or planer blades must be raised as high as possible to avoid binding.  Inspect all of your saw's safety devices (the blade guard, splitter, and anti-kickback device, if present) for proper operation.
·    The blade guard must move up and down freely to accommodate different wood thicknesses.
·    Double-check the location and condition of the on/off switch.  Realign the electrical cord to avoid tripping over it.  Set the fence to align parallel to the blade at the width of the cut.  Have safety glasses ready to wear, or if cutting material that tends to chip, a full-face shield.

Because a tablesaw gets so much use in woodworking, turning it on to make a cut becomes as automatic as flipping on a light switch. But it shouldn't. Ponder this advice:

• Never run your tablesaw when you're tired. Fatigue leads to errors in judgment and mistakes. In fact, studies have shown that many serious tablesaw injuries occur to woodworkers when most other people are getting ready for a good night's sleep. Also, stay away from the saw if you're on medication or have been drinking alcohol.
• Don't rush. Plan all your cuts.  When ripping stock, always anticipate the possibility of kickback. Plan to minimize any damage from it to you or the workpiece. For instance, don't stand directly in line with the blade, but off to the side of it. To make sure your pushing hand won't accidentally run into the blade, hook the small and ring fingers of the your pushing hand over the fence to slide with the wood.  If you're planning to rip boards longer than 3', get a helper to support the wood after it passes through the blade, or use an off-feed table or roller.   All cuts should incorporate either the fence or the miter gauge.   Never attempt freehand sawing. Turning the stock on the blade even slightly causes it to bind in the wood and kick back. On the other hand, never use the fence and miter gauge together. If you try to crosscut with the miter gauge using the fence as a stop, for example, the cutoff piece trapped by the blade may fly back at you.
• Don't remove the blade guard from your saw unless absolutely necessary to make a specific cut.
• Make sure you have a pushstick handy for any cuts that require your hand to pass within 6" of the blade.  If you have doubts about making a cut, don't do it.

• Stand with your weight equally balanced on both feet. If the board should suddenly give, you don't want to run into the blade. Be absolutely sure that the blade never comes between your body and your hands, either front to back or side to side.
• Use a feather board to hold stock against the fence. And make sure you have a firm-pushing grip on it.  As you saw, don't reach over the blade to push stock. Always keep your hand as far away from the blade as practical. If need be, use a pushstick.  If you're making repetitive cuts, stop frequently to take a break. Many accidents happen after boredom lulls a person into carelessness.
• After completing the cut, let the blade come to a complete stop on its own. Don't push scrap wood against the blade to stop its rotation. When you've finished sawing, turn off the tablesaw and lower its blade below table height.

When driving a nail the wood often splits. The same happens if you drive screws without drilling pilot holes first.

TIP: Coat nails with beeswax or paraffin before nailing. Rubbing lubricant into the threads of wood screws makes them easier to set. Also,
keep lubricant handy by storing it in a 3/8"-diameter X 3/4"-deep hole drilled in the hammer handle. Melt beeswax or paraffin on a stove,    then pour it into the hole.

—From the WOOD® magazine shop

The recall includes Revolution®, Rebel™ and Solaris™ model Spiral SawTM power tools. The brand name and "ROTOZIP SPIRAL SAW" are written on the side of the tools. The saws are mostly black or red. The recalled saws include the serial numbers listed below:

For more information, contact the Roto Zip Tool Corp. toll-free at (800) 920-1467 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT any day of the week, or visit the firm's web site at www.rotozip.com

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WOOD ONLINE newsletter

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Forest Products Lab. 1999 Wood Handbook

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