table saw, indian style

table saw, originally uploaded by seamonkeylifeboat.

after supervising conservation crews and being a park ranger for the county government, i can be a bit of a stickler for safety regulations (YOU teach inner city youth to use chainsaws and see how you feel about safety gear!).
it's different here. i have yet to see a man with a jackhammer wearing so much as earplugs. i've seen men welding in casual sunglasses. no respirators are worn, or gloves, when applying toxic fixatives and finishes. eeeep. human life has different value when there are so many more poor waiting for the same job. one of the things we like about the contractor we've been working with is the respect he shows his men. the guy in this photo is the one who gets the hardest tasks lobbed his way and seems to be able to do just about anything with a few tools and his bare hands and feet. there's one little electric circular saw shared among the whole crew and here he is making creative use of it upside down as a converted table saw to cut long L shaped cabinet door pulls.