Sawstop News Update

[Hemsby]

Latest news from USA on Sawstop and their attempt to change safety regulations

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542474093 ... er-drag-on

 

[Doug71]

I am sure one day all woodworking machinery and power tools will incorporate saw stop technology making the world a much safer place for us woodworkers (hand tools will then be banned because they will be deemed too dangerous!).

Until that day Americans could maybe try using crown guards, riving knives and push sticks to reduce the 30,000 annual table saw accidents?

Doug

 

[CHJ]

Awaiting for the follow on product, Official Saw Stop Test Safety Kit. (Doesn't wreck the saw)

and the Company Litigation argument several years and thousands of after market sales later down the line,
You say you didn't use the official test kit before you started cutting with it, Not paying for your injury.

 

[RobinBHM]

I think saw stop technology is good for meat cutting bandsaws.

I cant see it ever being mainstream in the woodworking industry.

It may stop cuts directly from the blade but it wont stop kickbacks which can also cause nasty injuries to hands chest and face.

Anybody that uses a table saw that allows possible hand contact with the blade is not using the saw safely. No hands should be within the danger area, thats what push sticks are for! (yup those Jacob sticks ).

 

[novocaine]

apparently you don't need push sticks, just use hot dogs.

 

[MikeK]

At one of the military bases here, the woodcraft shop has a SawStop saw, but it is restricted to only experienced users. When I asked why beginners can't use it, the answer was the cost of replacing the blade and loss of revenue because of downtime is too expensive. I then asked who was more likely to keep their hands away from the rotating blade: experienced users or beginners. I was asked to leave.

 

[MikeK]

I think saw stop technology is good for meat cutting bandsaws.

I can't tell if you're joking, but the cartridge would fire as soon as the meat touched the blade. :shock:

 

[novocaine]

I think saw stop technology is good for meat cutting bandsaws.

I can't tell if you're joking, but the cartridge would fire as soon as the meat touched the blade. :shock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiRegdech_E

 

[Eric The Viking]

Ugh! I couldn't watch that for more than ten seconds!

Perhaps we should be paying quite a bit more for our meat...

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Personally I think saw stop is a really good idea, and should probably be incorporated into all new saws. That said it does seem weird that our westerly cousins are thinking of making it mandatory whilst having no interest in the safe use of saws without the sawstop technology (if you tube is anything to go by). I wonder do they adopt the terrible practices I see online in industry? I just don't get it, I don't think I've ever seen an American woodworker following the simple procedure of standing to the side of the blade and using two sticks with riving knife and crown guard in placed. The fist step should be to legislate on these simple procedures, particularly banning any instructional videos that do not follow these simple rules.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

I think saw stop technology is good for meat cutting bandsaws.

I can't tell if you're joking, but the cartridge would fire as soon as the meat touched the blade. :shock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiRegdech_E

Blimey , that looks like a dangerous job

 

[MikeK]

I think saw stop technology is good for meat cutting bandsaws.

I can't tell if you're joking, but the cartridge would fire as soon as the meat touched the blade. :shock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiRegdech_E

Interesting! The bandsaw version uses a glove sensor to detect when the operator's hand is close to the blade.

 

[g7g7g7g7]

I'd be interested in finding out where the 30,000 table saw accidents happen, I'd imagine that most would be on construction sites an commercial jobs, I'd also imagine that the bulk of the saws would be cheaper jobsite saws where fitting a $200+ safety mechanism would probably not be economically viable.

If Sawstop want everyone to have their technology then they'd best find a way to incorporate it into a $300-400 machine.

 

[pcb1962]

If Sawstop want everyone to have their technology then they'd best find a way to incorporate it into a $300-400 machine.

Clearly you didn't bother to read the article before commenting.

 

[g7g7g7g7]

If Sawstop want everyone to have their technology then they'd best find a way to incorporate it into a $300-400 machine.

Clearly you didn't bother to read the article before commenting.

It's one thing to say your going to release one, it's another thing to actually bring a product to market at that price point, sawstop has been talking about a "cheap" contractor grade saw for years and so far their best efforts have brought the price down to $1300, we'll see if they can do better than that.

 

[Nick.]

Just for info if you hadn't heard, about 6 weeks ago Sawstop was bought by TTS Tooltechnic (The owners of Festool).

Currently operating as a stand alone company, but it could be interesting to see if the technology is incorporated into the Festool range.

 

[morturn]

This reminds me of when of the American company’s convinced congress that catalytic converters on cars are essential for the planet. They also happen to be the one of only two companies who actually manufacture catalytic converters.

 

[Distinterior]

This reminds me of when of the American company’s convinced congress that catalytic converters on cars are essential for the planet. They also happen to be the one of only two companies who actually manufacture catalytic converters.

A similar thought crossed my mind...!!

I can appreciate where Steve Gass is coming from and it is admiarable to have invented a system that can save woodworkers from serious injury, but after following this story since i first heard of Sawstop and this invention a few years back, I do find myself questioning the direction this has taken.

If every woodworker wanted to have a saw with this type of safety protection on it at an everyday affordable price, surely by now, this would have been taken on board by all the manufacturers, but that has just not happened.

To try to get the law changed (at least in the USA...) to ensure that all saws sold have to have this protection....????...Hmmmm!!

 

[pcb1962]

A similar thought crossed my mind...!!

I can appreciate where Steve Gass is coming from and it is admiarable to have invented a system that can save woodworkers from serious injury, but after following this story since i first heard of Sawstop and this invention a few years back, I do find myself questioning the direction this has taken.

If every woodworker wanted to have a saw with this type of safety protection on it at an everyday affordable price, surely by now, this would have been taken on board by all the manufacturers, but that has just not happened.

To try to get the law changed (at least in the USA...) to ensure that all saws sold have to have this protection....????...Hmmmm!!

And not only does Gass campaign to have the law changed to mandate the use of his system, he has also appeared as a witness for the prosecution in court cases where negligent woodworkers are suing other saw manufacturers for selling dangerous saws. He has a malicious grudge against the other saw manufacturers because they rejected his idea when he tried to sell it to them.

 

[AJB Temple]

Well. my take on this is that if it were to be available readily here I would pay extra to have this technology. I do pay attention to safety anyway, but like many woodworkers much of the time I work alone. Momentary distraction or failure to recognise fatigue can have dire consequences and I would happily pay say £200 or £300 extra to save my fingers - it is like insurance. Indeed I would pay for it on my table saw, band saw and router table (I don't have a spindle moulder unfortunately).

Sure, the inventor has a vested interest. That does not stop him being right about safety. Sure, it knackers the blade. I can afford a new blade much more than I can afford to lose my fingers.