re: Do as I say not as I do AKA Don't do this at home

Whether or not I would free hand a cut depends of whether I was using my cabinet saw or my little Bosch. The former isn’t going to bog for much of anything. The latter can be stalled, in a pinch. Accordingly, I have never free handed on the Unisaw, but have done several such cuts, on long or large pieces.

Of course, I don’t make it a habit of doing these things.