SawStop safety table saw

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Greg, James,

I was once in an auto accident, and my air bag, which I intentionally 
purchased as an option on my car that cost me extra $$$, deployed.  I came 
out of it with not a scratch on me.  In fact it all happened so fast, I 
didn't even notice the thing had deployed until I was coughing from the dust 
and saw the thing collapsed in front of me.  The energy-absorbing features 
of my little Saturn had also worked just the way they were supposed to, 
sacrificing themselves so that I could climb out of a perfectly intact 
passenger cabin and walk away in perfect bodily condition.  Pictures of my 
car were on the 11:00 news, as it was one of many in a huge pile-up.  I 
cried after the accident, amazed that the safety features of my little car 
had worked so well.  The next day, I wrote a letter of thanks to the 
engineers at Saturn, then a new company/division, and I asked them why cars 
didn't come with airbags for the passengers too.

My car was fairly new and was NOT totaled.  I could have it repaired any way 
I wished, including choosing whether or not to install another airbag. 
(They were still optional at that time.)  I didn't hesitate.  I quickly 
shelled out the $1000 for a new air bag, rather than pocketing the extra 
insurance money and opting for the $150 repair (a new steering wheel cover). 
I suspect most people who have been saved from harm by an airbag replace the 
things.  Of course if this were only a dollars and "sense" decision, and if 
the airbag prevented me from knocking out a single tooth on the steering 
wheel, then it payed for itself several times over.  (How recently have you 
priced dental work?)

So, my friend, if/when that day comes that you grudgingly buy the table saw 
that is $100 more expensive because of the mandatory safety feature, and you 
let your mind and your fingers slip at the end of a very long, hard day, you 
will breathe a huge sigh of relief when you hear a loud bang and notice a 
tiny cut on your finger.  At that point, I'd love to hear back from you, 
because I would bet good money that you will eagerly shell out $100 for a 
replacement, rather than simply removing the safety device and running sans 
protection.

Accidents, even dumb ones, happen to even the most conscientious of pros. 
It's merely a question of when and how serious.

Have a happy and safe Christmas, everyone!  :-)

Peace,
Sarah


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell@ameritech.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2004 9:28 PM
Subject: Re: SawStop safety table saw


>
> Precious few I'd wager. There should be a law ..... :-)
>
>
> Greg
>
>
> At 06:24 PM 12/23/2004, you wrote:
>>I wonder how many people redo the airbag in their cars once they have 
>>fired>?
>>James Grebe