SawStop safety table saw

[Cy Shuster]

Ron, thanks for listing the costs you see.  As an engineer, I'm always doing 
those cost/benefit tradeoffs.  Watch the video -- it's amazing.  Apparently 
it can tell the difference between maple and maple + fingers -- in 5/1000's 
of a second.  (Just for the record, I have no connection to SawStop; I just 
think it's good engineering.)

Yes, every time it triggers, you must replace the brake mechanism ($$).  The 
presence of the brake may make it more difficult to change blades; I dunno. 
Of course, there's a downside to losing a finger, too; and whether anyone 
forces you to use it is another issue.  The best benefit for the cost might 
be to training shops (i.e. high school), although even pros get tired 
sometimes.

http://www.sawstop.com/home.htm

--Cy--

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Nossaman" <rnossaman@cox.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 3:27 PM
Subject: Re: SawStop safety table saw


>
>>Ron, why wouldn't professional woodworkers like it?  What are the 
>>downsides, besides the initial expense?  (Assuming you don't trigger the 
>>safety device a few times a day...)
>>
>>--Cy Shuster--
>
>
> Hi Cy,
> Typically, the first thing the professional does is take off all the OSHA 
> approved guards and toss them in the shed. They tend to want to be able to 
> see the blade so they know where their hands are in relation to it. In 
> this case, the brake doesn't create a hazard by hiding the blade, but it 
> adds extra cost for magic that looks altogether too good to be believable. 
> Professionals tend to get hurt on table saws by kick-backs while sawing 
> something. Can this braking system tell the difference between cutting a 
> piece of maple and cutting a piece of maple AND a couple of fingers? Seems 
> like that's asking a lot, especially to a professional who has spent a lot 
> of years experiencing the limitations as well as the capabilities of 
> machinery. It supposedly can, but how far can it be trusted, what kind of 
> maintenance is required, does it reset automatically, and do you have to 
> risk an occasional hot dog to verify that it is still working? Electronic 
> ignitions come to mind. I've spent thousands of dollars through the years 
> having electronic ignition systems on furnaces and cars repaired 
> (replaced, actually), when I could have fixed something with a standing 
> pilot or gapped points easily, cheaply, and quickly myself. Does it affect 
> changing blades quickly and easily? Maybe I'm wrong, but professionals 
> I've known want simple sturdy precise indestructible machinery that 
> doesn't get in their way, or depend on something they can't see to work. 
> Ah, that's another thing I didn't read. Will a saw thus equipped still 
> work if the sensor dies, or is there a "dead man" switch that shuts down 
> the power? Is it self-diagnostic? Can replacement parts be gotten for 
> self-maintenance, or is the saw down until it can go in to the service 
> center for authorized, and presumably expensive, repair? None of this 
> would look awfully good to the professional. Is there a site that has some 
> detailed practical information?
>
> Ron N
>
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