woodchuck

I got this link to U tube in an e-mail. Amazing saw will not cut a finger off.

majakdragon

You did not post the link, but I an guessing it is the tablesaw that drops the blade when a finger (or other "meat" product) is in contact with the blade. Name is Saw Stop. Could be a great item for schools and such but too expensive for my wallet. $4017 for a single phase, 5 HP tablesaw. Once tripped, there is more costs since the blade is ruined and the mechanism is required to be replaced. Just my opinion.

__________________
if you have never made a mistake, you probably haven't done much.

woodchuck

Kerrylib

I agree the price tag is a bit much for me as well. However, what is a severed finger/hand worth to you?

The fact that you have to replace the blade/safety mechanism if it does trip stinks, but how much $$ would you be spending in medical bills otherwise.

There is no way to really put a dollar amount on it, even though the insurance company actuaries do it all the time. Anybody know the going rate to cover a lost thumb?

This looks like airbag technology. Right now it is in it's infancy. Once the big name companies decide that they can afford to include it on their saws and maintain a particular price point, the economics of scale will drive the price down and at some point even cheep saws will have it built in and everyone will expect that as a standard feature on any saw.

Of course I'm sure there's the liability to the companies that if someone does manage to hack off a finger while using one of these because the mechanism failed to operate correctly, that person is going to SUE.

For the time being I will keep my utmost respect for what my table saw can do to thick hardwood and realize that my thumb is nowhere near as hard or tough. It will be an icky offcut almost instantly if I forget the potential of the machine. Even those using a saw-stop equiped saw should assume it doesn't have that feature. Kinda like handling a gun like it is loaded at all times.

majakdragon

I think I will stick with common sense and the safety lessons I have learned over the years. I realize this saw will not cut off a digit, but it WILL cut you. Using push sticks and blocks prevent getting cut at all. I think when you try to automate safety, you give a false sense of security.

__________________
if you have never made a mistake, you probably haven't done much.

s4s4u

Hi. Just getting to looking around and saw this thread. The SawStop is what it is and works fine for what it does. If you are obsessed with the thought of losing a digit it might be worth looking into. I feel that just because you use a tool doesn't mean you are doomed to be maimed by it. Common sense and a reasonable pace are all it takes to stay together. I've been pushing wood through a table saw at some point of every day for the last 15 years, and off and on for the previous 15, and, knock on wood......

What got me a little ticked about SawStop was the inventor(s) tried to get legislation passed that would force their technology into every table saw.

Well, gotta look around, Rod.

handyguys

Yea - I was doing a little research on dangerous tools for an episode of The Handyguys Podcast. It turns out that its pretty rare for a tablesaw to remove a digit. It will make plenty of hamburger in no time flat. There are more TS injuries caused by kickback.

The miter saws and radial arm saws are KING at digit removal.

__________________
The Handyguys Podcast [url]http://www.handyguyspodcast.com[/url]