OT: Safe Table Saw

Funny, this has been posted by different people to different newsgroups on a regular basis, every few months. Seems like some sort of underground advertising campaign.

First time I've seen it, thought it was something others might enjoy. I assure you I was not spamming.

DAMN !!!! I think I had that hot dog for supper tonight !!!

']['unez

The demos are impressive, but what they don't tell you is that the braking system is prone to false activations, particularly in damp wood. Every time that happens, the blade is destroyed and the brake mechanism has to be replaced. That means a $200-$300 bill each time! If it saves a finger, it's obviously worth it, but that's a lot of money to pay for nothing. Unless you're the careless type, false activations are much more likely than the real thing. On top of that, their saw is at least

50% more expensive than an equivalent quality product without the braking mechanism.

If you maintain a healthy respect for power tools and take the time to learn use them properly, they're very safe. If you're careless or complacent, they can bite you.

Just plain old spam.

Yes, that and that is just one of the reasons that no major saw maker has, last I knew, decided to include this device in one of their saws. This has been around from some time and isn't new news.

Matt

That safety device has been around a long time and it could save a finger or two. I'm a woodworker but I haven't gotten it yet - knock on wood! :o)

IIRC, there was a move afoot to try to force companies - through lawsuits - to install it on their products. That kind of tactic leaves me cold and I'd never buy a product from a company that would do that. What should happen with a lot of power tools is that American/Japanese manufacturers should adopt some of the superior European designs. Companies like Fein, Festool and Robland produce much safer products that don't rely on electronic gimmicks. For example, Festool's circular saws are a brilliant design. European table saws incorporate splitters that rise with the blade, a feature that is vastly superior to the goofy, tacked-on "anti-kickback" crap on domestic saws. The problem with American market power tools is that the manufacturers are stuck in the past and don't want to fundamentally update their ancient designs, some of which haven't changed significantly in over 50 years. Someone should buy them a few "clean sheets of paper" so they can start from scratch and do it right.

Amazing technology, but not practical.

However, that probably won't stop the gummint from shoving it down the manufacturer's and consumer's throats. -

Bob

Actually, it's proving to be practical enough. Not without some nuances of its own, but not impractical. The inventor of the product and founder of the company actually tried to force this upon everyone by going the government route, after no manufacturer of table saws would come to terms with him to license his technology. So far he's been unable to persuade Big Brother - thankfully.

There's two major problems with the system....

Wet wood will cause a false activation. Probably real expensive to recover from.

If you aare wearing gloves - as you should be when operating power tools - it would seem that it would take longer to detect that your conductive finger is in the teeth for the saw. Also, wearing gloves prevents a good contact for the electrical return through your body in the event that your finger contacts the blade. Let a little pine tar (read insulator) build up on the blade, and it's got to take a bigger bite out of your finger before there's enough current flow to trigger the stop mechanism. I like to see him put the hot dog in the glove, and post the video of the repeat of the demo.

Here's just one of the many patents.....

There is a bypass switch if you care cutting wet wood. If you are making furniture, that is a rarity and you certainly know if it is wet. .

You should NOT be wearing gloves using a table saw. It is unsafe as the glove is more readily snagged and causing an injury. Even if you are dumb enough to wear gloves, it is only a millisecond to cut through them to your finger. A little leather or cotton is not going to obstruct a saw blade.