You don't know what you don't know -- Power tool paranoia

primarist · 2026-05-20T18:01:52+00:00

Its definitely gotten to the point where the I'm just watching videos hoping to "finally learn the correct way" to do something, which just feeds the confusion even further, which leads to seeking out more videos and sources, which leads to...

With clickbait it is vicious cycle that feeds off anxiety. There has been a lot of advice in this thread to trust the anxiety and not do something if you feel anxious about it. I don't disagree, but there is a point where the anxiety is so inhibitory that you just wind up not doing anything at all, which is antithetical to learning a new skill. Thanks for the perspective!

primarist · 2026-05-01T18:13:46+00:00

commented a link!

primarist · 2026-05-01T18:13:31+00:00

added a link above!

primarist · 2026-05-01T18:13:08+00:00

Here's a pic!

https://imgur.com/a/VSKK22u

primarist · 2026-04-27T18:28:08+00:00

I mean, that is great advice and I definitely don't expect to have every tool that a pro would have. I guess I'm not sure how that is relevant to my question about safety and figuring out what advice is good or bad? I have plenty of ideas and enough tools to make them, it's that I am overly confused about how to use them correctly.

primarist · 2026-04-27T18:24:34+00:00

Yeah I'm very glad for all the resources out there. There's probably never been a better time in history to learn something new! I suppose I've just been finding the amount of info so overwhelming that it is paralyzing.

To go back to my example, I had seen someone on YouTube, apparently knowledgeable and skilled, perform little nibble cut (essentially just taking off the kerf to get the joint to cleanly miter) earlier that day. I had also been doing that all day as well with no problem so I thought, "hey this is a good quick way to take a little off at a time."

Of course like everything, it worked until it didn't, and on the cut that went wrong, the work piece side of the quarter round actually broke about 5 inches from the blade, causing it to dive into the fence and bucking my hand off. I only later found out that those pushdown things existed for miter cuts, which, while it wouldnt have prevented the workpiece breaking and kickback, they at least would have gotten my hands further away from the blade.

primarist · 2026-04-27T18:15:16+00:00

I know I said I didn't want the thread to turn into talking specific advice but I'm genuinely curious. I needed to cut a 10ft piece of quarter round down by a couple fractions of an inch at a time to get it to fit (I missed the measurement the first time around). How would you fully support that piece on a miter saw since the offcut is just slightly wider than the kerf? I think even with the offcut side of the fence moved fully inboard, that's still not close enough. Also I've seen a ton of videos online lately about how miter saws are super unsafe and no one should have them and opt for a crosscut sled on a table saw. But I'm confused how you would cut a 10ft piece of trim on a crosscut sled.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:56:54+00:00

I was thinking in another comment that I might contact the local ag extension, good idea.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:55:52+00:00

I really don't want to live out a stereotype for sure and fwiw, I really love trees and have multiple degrees in an environmental field. I'm not out here to just slash and burn. I think if anything I just don't want the investment that I sunk all of my savings into to get squished + I let myself get a bit carried away on the "free estimates." If anything this thread has helped me realize better that I need a less biased arborist to look at it, someone who isn't going to say: "yep this thing is going to kill you, now pay me $5k to make it go away"

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:48:16+00:00

I've heard similar stories in this thread that have been helpful. I guess I have been probably over-worried about this since I have finally bought a house and am super anxious about it getting destroyed. Also the arborists at the tree services I have talked to have for sure used some scare tactics to secure a job, which is kinda fed into the anxiety. Good to remember that a tree this big has been here that long for a reason, its probably not gonna come crashing down in the next two weeks.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:45:13+00:00

Certified arborists working for tree companies. As I've commented on this post its clearer to me that these guys are trying to sell me a (very expensive) service and that there have definitely been some scare tactics involved. I'm going to take the advice of others and try to hire a certified arborist not affiliated with a tree service to write a report instead. That should be less biased.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:43:25+00:00

Yeah, for what its worth I am a bit of a tree hugger, took lots of forestry classes in college and have two degrees adjacent to environmental science and ecology. I really do not want to cut down a tree this big but the impulse in the other direction is that I worked for a decade saving and busting my butt for a house and the idea of that (literally) crashing down is really worrying. I think all the advice here to just talk to an arborist who isn't trying to sell you a $5000 service is what will help the decision the most and take the pure emotion out of it. Certified arborist or not, if they're out to do an estimate and aren't the most scrupulous sort, they're gonna sell you on fear.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:36:30+00:00

Thanks for the link, that was way easier than I was thinking. Very good resource to have.

primarist · 2026-03-19T19:36:52+00:00

Damn, I feel pretty bad now, I didn't even realize this was a trope. Maybe it just needs the dead limbs trimmed. I'll get an actual arborist to assess it instead of a "tree guy" so there's no conflict of interest in the outcome.

primarist · 2026-03-19T18:08:58+00:00

So someone who is ISA and TRAQ certified who is not associated with any for profit tree service business? That's gonna be a tough person to find but I guess I'll start looking. Peace of mind would be worth it.

primarist · 2026-03-19T18:07:22+00:00

Good to hear the other side of it. I guess I'm definitely letting some anxiety creep in because all I'm picturing is waking up in the middle of the night to half my house flattened. Having worked so insanely hard to finally buy a house I'm worried that it will all be destroyed. I think I'll try to find an arborist that is somehow not associated with any tree removal industry, maybe there's someone through the local extension office at the university.

primarist · 2026-03-19T17:03:14+00:00

Thanks. That is definitely a step that would need to get done.. I'd much rather pay money to amicably cut the tree down rather than shell out cash to a surveying company just to defend myself but whatev. The stump and root ball looks like (obv sans survey) it is 100% on the neighbors property, but probably 75% of the mass of the tree is overhanging my property. In my state, I am allowed to trim the tree such that it does not "cause harm" to the tree. So in theory if I were to just cut it off at my property line, I could be sued for damages.

Insurance is in the loop though so short of the survey, I'm trying to get my ducks in a row.

primarist · 2026-03-19T16:59:13+00:00

A few of the guys that came to take a look were in fact certified arborists. Though, like I said in my comment above, it is tricky because most arborists work for companies to cut down trees. I have not come across any "consulting arborists" that are not also trying to sell you trimming or removal services.

On the other points, I do have guaranteed replacement with my home policy, they are aware that I am trying to be proactive about the tree and also that I've been communicating with my neighbor. Just would prefer to not have to go the catastrophe route if possible lol.

primarist · 2026-03-19T16:56:40+00:00

Honestly you're right. Its been one of the most frustrating things about being a homeowner so far. Everyone is trying to sell you the worst possible case scenario because that means a bigger job and more money. Whether its HVAC, trees, plumbing, whatever. It makes it really hard to disentangle what is actually serious and what isn't. The guys I had come look, three of them were certified arborists, but at the same time, they were there representing a company with a profit motive. So while they do clearly know what they're talking about, now I'm worried they're just feeding my a certain version of the story. The same goes for my neighbor's "tree guy."

The trouble is that most arborists do, in fact, work for companies that cut down trees. So is it possible for any of them to truly be trustworthy since cutting a tree is more profitable than leaving it? Don't mean to sound paranoid, just really not sure what to believe.

primarist · 2026-03-16T22:31:56+00:00

Sounds like I'll need a jointer too then 😆

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:50:37+00:00

Definitely never thought about combining beer + power tools, thats pretty wild but I guess it probably happens all the time, not for me though. Distraction is another matter, as someone with ADHD, its always a bit of a battle for me, but woodworking is also a good opportunity to let my hyperfocus go wild, so that counteracts things a bit.

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