Know your control surfaces, respect the guard, and gut-check anything under a foot.
Every machine in the shop will do exactly what you set it up to do — which is why setup, not the machine, is where safety lives. The 2-3-12 method is how we think about it at The Joinery: knowing your limits is good; knowing your machine is better.
The short version #
- 2 — know your control surfaces. You can’t control what you don’t use. Every tool has two by design — find them and use them.
- 3 — inches from the guard. Not from the blade — from the guard. Respect the buffer zone.
- 12 — or less: the gut check. Before cutting stock under 12 inches, stop. Don’t force it. A jig or a different tool might be the safer call.
- And always: eye protection on, dust collection connected, push sticks within reach, machine clear of scrap, loose clothing tucked in, and a plan formulated before the cut.
Where you will use it #
Every project, every session, every machine. Read this one first. See What to Build Next.
Stuck? #
Open office hours run Wednesdays and Saturdays. Bring the project, bring the board, bring the question.
