Pin down those small pieces for safety

As a woodturner, I make segmented turnings almost exclusively. I cut many of those segments on a compound mitersaw. The thing is, the spinning blade can suck a small piece right back into the teeth and send it sailing around the shop. To prevent that, I made the small-parts hold-down, shown above.

First, I disassembled a spring-type clothespin and cut off one jaw. I then attached that to a scrapwood stopblock with a single drywall screw. Through the remaining jaw, I drove another drywall screw, then reassembled the clothespin on the stopblock.

The spring pressure and the point of the jaw screw provide enough grip to hold the cutoff in place. If I need a little more tension, I simply drive the jaw screw in a little farther.
—Bob Uding, Homosassa Springs, Fla.