Safety switch for home made machines

[Christophe Mineau]

Here is my proposal for an effective safety switch that can easily be made, based on a standard commercial wall rocker switch.
Here it is, nothing fancy, not a master piece of woodworking, but it actually works pretty well

[chy_farm]

Hi Christophe, nice one thanks. Want to see and know the trick a tad more please.

Chy

[Christophe Mineau]

Hi Christophe, nice one thanks. Want to see and know the trick a tad more please.

Chy

Hi Chy,
Given the very detailed level of explanation you provided for your VFD, shame on me to be so poor on this one.
I spent some time to do a 3D model, here are the pictures :

[chy_farm]

Hi Chy,
--------------------------
I spent some time to do a 3D model, here are the pictures :

Good morning Christophe, thank you so much for you illustration, it tell perfect!
Chy

[Karl_H]

My version:











I need to add a spring like Christophe did since mine will occasionally turn itself off if there is too much vibration in the saw.

The box, switch and hinge are readily available at the big box stores or any hardware store. The paddle is just a scrap of wood with a hole drilled through it.

You might need to add a small block to contact the "Off" side of the switch if your hinge isn't just right

[Christophe Mineau]

My version: ...

Well done !
Did you do it following my post or did we had the same idea ?
I'm glad if my post could inspire you !

[Karl_H]

We had the same idea! (I actually saw it somewhere else and "stole" / modified to my liking.)
I bought a new fence system for my table saw and the existing switch was too far out of reach for safety. It was going to be a pain to re-mount the old switch in a better location, so I decided to build a better switch that was easier to reach.
The date on the photos in my archive is 9/15/14, so for almost 6 years I have been considering how to stop the "auto-shutoff" bug, and today, you gave me the solution. Thanks.

[saintrain]

A million years ago in shop class, the drill press switch had a little on-hole that could only be pushed using the chuck wrench handle. ;-)

[mklotz]

Perhaps a useful addition to these safety switches would be to add a long horizontal bar to the actuator. With such a bar along the side of the machine where the operator stands, any bump with hip or thigh would shut the machine down. Emergency situations are stressful and not a time when you need to think how to find the switch with your hand.

One possible problem with my idea is the operator accidentally bumping the bar during normal operation of the machine. Careful design of the geometry or a strong spring to prevent accidental triggering might help. Final solutions would be situation specific.

[marksbug]

I bought one pretty cheep. not wort my time to make one or it possibly not work correctly for whatever reason. but your guys did a great job at it for sure. I added a central shop vac to my shop. with drops at the machines,all the hoses drop into a holder that seals off the end. the std light switches are wired together so you can turn it on from each machine station eazely.works like a dream.just got to try to keep the long curley's out of it....I used std pvc pipe&fittings no glue just push togeather incase you do get a clog.works awesome.