That ain’t how you do it

Woodworking photos used by non-woodworkers can be funny – and terrifying. The Internet is full of woodworking articles and ads written by people who are just content providers with no real idea what they’re writing about.

I’ve talked before how these articles frequently use stock photos that show someone woodworking, but the writer has no clue that what’s being shown can be incredibly dangerous. Take a look:

Beginning at top left, this photo from a clickbait ad for table saw reviews used this stock image of someone pretending to cut a 2x6. (They even Photoshopped a bit of blur on the blade to make it look like the saw was running.) You should never crosscut a long board without a miter gauge, using only the fence as a guide. And why is that guy’s finger less than an inch from the “spinning” blade.

At top right, another incredibly bad practice – free-hand crosscutting with no guide whatsoever. As a bonus, raising the blade 3" above the table for a thin board is just stupid. This was from a clickbait ad that linked to an article on “the best table saw blades.”

Bottom left: Oh, hey, another blade raised high enough you could cut a stack of four or five boards at once. Without a push stick, I’m not sure what he’s gonna do when his hand reaches the blade, as it’ll never fit between blade and fence. At least he’s got a proper fence.

Finally, at bottom right, another knucklehead with the blade up as high as it will go to do a simple rip cut of a board that can’t be more than 3/4" thick. And I’m absolutely baffled by that rip fence that ends short of the blade itself.

There’s an old saying that goes, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Applied to these four examples, I don’t think I’d try to do anything they say, either.