SawStop safety table saw

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Greg,

My dad was an architect, so I've been around the construction for a huge 
chunk of my life.  I've known a few VERY careful professionals who have 
removed parts of their bodies, including a very good friend, who chopped her 
left index finger off with a miter saw.  All it takes is a bit of fatigue 
and a fleeting moment of inattention.  While I, too, squirm at the thought 
of more government regulations, I'm also baffled at why people don't WANT or 
even DEMAND these sorts of safety features on their equipment!  They're 
similar to the folks who drive without seat belts and leave loaded, unlocked 
guns around for their kids to play with.  They think that accidents always 
happen to OTHER people.

When groaning about the added cost of safety equipment, don't forget to 
weigh that cost against the cost of reattachment surgery, down-time, and 
impaired functionality.  What's the real cost?  What is the fraction of 
people you know, of your skill level and attention to safety, who have 
de-fingered themselves?  Multiply that fraction by ten or twenty thousand 
(or much more) dollars.  That's your estimated lifetime cost of finger loss, 
on average, thinking like a gambler.  Now compare that cost against the cost 
of the equipment.

And that's just dollars and cents.  How much are your fingers really worth 
to you?  Much more than the cost of reattachment surgery?  (Mine are.)

I applaud the technology -- "air bags" for power tools.  You can bet that my 
next table saw will have one, provided it's available.

Peace,
Sarah


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell@ameritech.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: SawStop safety table saw


> Not only that Cy and Ron but the first I heard of this unit, the inventor 
> was pushing to get this as a mandatory thing for all saws sold. Trying to 
> work himself into guaranteed profits it sounds like. Besides even the 
> unseemliness of that do we really need one more level of government 
> involved demanding that we have safeguards on our equipment? When will we 
> learn? Some things are just inherently dangerous. Can't we just understand 
> that and exercise caution without something more being demanded of us? 
> This item would certainly cost more and break down on occasion. I, for 
> one, am not willing to undergo more expense for someone's careless 
> behavior that cost them a finger. Why punish everyone for something like 
> that? As an add on? Fine! As mandatory? I'm against it %1000.
>
> my 2 cents
>
> Greg Newell
>
>
>
>
> At 03:27 PM 12/22/2004, you wrote:
>
>>>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
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
> Greg Newell
> Greg's piano Forté
> mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net
>
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