[analog31]

Though I've never done any fancy or ambitious woodworking, I made a similar jig for my cheap Sears router. I'm not a safety expert, but it seems an advantage of this jig is that your hands are always on the opposite side of it from the blade.

The only open blade tool in my shop is a table saw, and that thing makes me nervous enough.

[jimnotgym]

You need to construct your fence and feather boards in a way that the bit is always covered and feed in from one end using push sticks. In most cases your hand should not be over the table at all. The main risk that can result in getting too close to the blade is a kickback pulling your hands in to the blade. Don't put your hands on that side. Understanding feed direction is critical to router safety. Don't feed work between the bit and the fence, have the bit half in the fence and spinning towards the work. I knew a guy who lost three fingers to a router because it wasn't in a table when it should have been.

Much of that is true of a table saw too. Stay back, use a pushstick, or make a jig. I cringe when I see Adam Savage using a saw with his fingers by the blade, there is no need. When I was an apprentice I would get yelled at for that.

The real risk with a router used properly is to your ears, your lungs, your eyes.

[analog31]

Thanks for those pointers. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have greatly slowed down my woodworking operation. The table saw mainly serves as a horizontal surface. But in addition to what you mention, I've always followed some extra rules: First, I don't design things that need dangerous saw cuts in the first place. Second, my fingers stay away from the blade because I don't cut anything that small. This produces more scrap. Third, I plan and visualize the entire cut before I turn on the saw, and if it's not going according to plan, I just shut it down.