Using a high fence

[cabinetman]

First, I always feel safest when it feels like I have a "firm but relaxed" hold on the workpiece and it is sliding through the blade fairly effortlessly. When I tense up and use a death grip on the piece, that's when I most feel like something might easily go very wrong. Second -- and I'm aware that a lot of folks don't agree with me on this -- I am emphatically NOT in the "never stand behind the blade" camp. I stand wherever I need to stand in order to exercise the most control. Sure, I'll stand off to the side whenever I can (and being a lefty, I'm often standing right where you were, on the right side of the fence). But not if it compromises control. If moving off to the side puts me in an awkward position where my ability to hang onto the workpiece and guide it accurately is diminished, I'll move over and stand right behind the blade.

That's hitting the nail on the head. You can't compromise your safety. I've seen more TS problems than I care to think about. You get to the point that you can hear the problem no less see it. Making a "shooting board" or call it what you will an assembly to ride on the saw top and the fence to stabilize the work piece. Those cuts should be made slower without hesitation. You can't remind yourself enough about safety. With most procedures, it happens so fast or will happen before you can shut anything off. I always ask myself when doing things "How can I hurt myself doing this?". Amazingly you can figure out what can go wrong before you start, and then figure out how to rectify the problem. If you ever have any doubts, DON'T do it.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[mpc]

The type of cut described in this post sounds a lot like cuts one does when making tenons... in this case a really big tenon. I'd consider some sort of homemade jig a lot like a tenoning jig:

a flat piece of MDF or plywood to ride along the rip fence and the table top, say a foot long (or as long as your workpiece if it's over a foot) and six inches wide. Then a vertical piece attached to that, with a triangular support block to hold it square to the first piece; this second piece becomes a vertical panel basically. I'd attach a thin lip to the back edge of this to help push the workpiece along too. Then clamp the workpiece to the vertical and make your cuts. You have a lot of flat surface riding on the saw for stability, you can hold onto the triangle for moving/controlling it and keep your fingers away from the exposed blade, and with the lip on the back helping hold the workpiece it ought to be held firmly enough.

mpc