Im a moron!


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When I used one of those on some 6x6's I clamped a 12" speed square on as a guide. A few times we scored the bottom and back sides 1/8 deep to prevent chip out. It's like using a 3 hp router freehand, all of your attention is quite focused on it, and a day of it will wear you out.

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When I used one of those on some 6x6's I clamped a 12" speed square on as a guide. A few times we scored the bottom and back sides 1/8 deep to prevent chip out. It's like using a 3 hp router freehand, all of your attention is quite focused on it, and a day of it will wear you out.

I can't imagine it's light by any means, and climbing around wielding that thing would be a chore!
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My two framing crews have one each and I keep a spare. They get used on almost every job, if for nothing else than cutting 6x6 deck posts. On the timber jobs they cut everything from 4x12s for stairs to 6x12s for beams, the occasional log and 8x8 posts. They weigh about 30 lb. so there's a lot of mass to dampen kickback if a blade gets pinched, I've had more guys injured from 7-1/4 saws than the Big Mac(about 4-0 in the 13 years I've been in the framing business).

It's just a tool and if you treat it like any other tool, understand how it interacts with the wood and observe basic safety precautions it'll never hurt you. Just because it has a big blade doesn't automatically make it dangerous, I'd rather use the Big Mac than a chainsaw and I've had lots of years more experience with the chainsaw.

 

In 40 years of working with saws of assorted shapes and sizes my only injury was from a jigsaw, I reached under the stock to make sure the blade was coming through before it had stopped. It took a small chunk of my bird finger, I squirted it with some Bactine, wrapped it in electrical tape(carpenter's first-aid kit) and went back to work. Worst injury and the only one that required an ER trip was from whittling a peg to plug a screw hole in a door latch, the utility knife slipped and it took 3 stitches to close up the forefinger. I still have the scar from that one.

 

Maybe I've been lucky but I prefer to think that I can still count to 10 on my fingers because I respect my tools, understand how they work and what might go wrong if misused so I won't do it.  As a species we are where we are because we adapted and learned to use tools. Get used to it....

 

Just a few shots from the hundreds of jobs that couldn't have been done profitably without the Big Mac:

 

IMG_0676_zpsvfosslmp.jpg

 

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IMG_0684_zpsm6gndtz8.jpg

 

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Don't be such wussies, a tool is only as dangerous as you fear it to be. It's all in your mind. Feel the Force and go with it. ;)

 

If you understand what a tool will do in adverse circumstances and avoid those situations you'll be OK. If you don't understand that's OK, just don't use the tool. But not understanding what a tool can do is no reason to spread fear, tools are like dogs: they sense fear and they'll attack if they sense it. You can be your own worst enemy. Understand and respect what a tool can do and you'll be OK.

 

Bill

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