New gadget - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

arturjhawk · 11-13-2007, 12:01 AM

A Table Saw that won't cut Your fingers

The spinning teeth on a table-saw blade move at about 120 m.p.h. This makes them very useful for cutting wood; unfortunately, they're also very good at cutting fingers. This table saw comes equipped with new sensor technology that can tell when the blade comes in contact with soft human flesh. Within a few milliseconds the saw blade stops and drops below the cutting surface, so that any errant digits come away with just a nick. Horror movie averted.

www.sawstop.com

Spectatorz · 11-13-2007, 12:15 AM

That is Very Cool !!!

How Great is That ?

Excellent Information.

BuildingHomes · 11-13-2007, 08:42 PM

This was covered in FHB and a number of other places last year. Neat device. He originally tried licensing the technology to other companies but apparently that didn't work out. So he made his own saw.

From what I read some of the other companies had concern over it being released and being sued because their saws _didn't_ have it.

Whenever it goes off you need to replace the cartridge that drops the blade and apparenly that's not cheap, especially if it dropped because of wet wood.

**Nathan** · 11-13-2007, 08:46 PM

+ YouTube Video

closeenough · 11-20-2007, 01:58 AM

A salesman at the local dealer of sawstop told me that the inventor ran his own hand into the thing at a trade show to demonstrate it effectiveness. Talk about faith in your invention. According to the salesman the inventor only needed 2 stitches to close him up. Now remember that this is coming out the mouth of a salesman so take it with a grain of salt....

**joasis** · 11-20-2007, 05:46 AM

Wonderful invention...but as seen in the video, poor operational skills would lead to accidents like that. I never elevate the blade higher then "clear" of the material being cut, and push stick go where you want to place your fingers. After 35 years of being around machine tools, and woodworking equipment, it all comes down to personal safety and your own skills. And face it...some people should not touch machinery.

I applaud the saw stop gadget...what I do not want to do is be compelled to buy it, or forced to retrofit our job site saw. As pointed out, wet lumber will trip the device, and we rip PT wood, which sometimes is wet, .....and then what?

**Cole** · 11-20-2007, 10:31 AM

Wet lumber should not trip the saw.

Quote:

The SawStop safety system includes an electronic detection system that detects when a person contacts the blade. The system induces an electrical signal onto the blade and then monitors that signal for changes. The human body has a relatively large inherent electrical capacitance and conductivity which cause the signal to drop when a person contacts the blade. Wood has a relatively small inherent capacitance and conductivity and does not cause the signal to drop.

localtradesman · 11-20-2007, 10:36 AM

After all these years in the business.....I have never had a close call!!! When I use any saw, I always know where my hands, fingers, and dink is at all times!! I have no need for a saw that gives you room for error!! Just asking for trouble.....I am thinking??? Nice feature for idiots that need this saw, and I have seen these guys with the missing finger or two before!! COME ON!!

jiffy · 11-20-2007, 05:50 PM

The inventor did run his hand through the saw and it was real. He has done it many times. It leaves a slight nick in the skin that is far better than losing digits. It is a great invention and in a few tests they said it was one of the best cutting saws out there. It is not cheap though.

kklick · 11-21-2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole

Wet lumber should not trip the saw.

Cole,

You may need to dig a little deeper in the faq.

Quote:

16. Does the system react to wet/damp wood?

Cutting wet wood is not really an issue. The system is designed to shut down the motor if the moisture content is too high. The vast majority of non “finger save” cartridge activations are caused by metal contacting the blade.

It is not advisable to cut wet pressure-treated wood with the system active as this will likely cause the brake to activate. If you are unsure whether or not a particular piece of material can be cut or not, you can test it by making a couple of test cuts with the saw in bypass mode*.

Bypass mode disables the brake, but the detection system is still active. Therefore, when the cuts are complete, you can view the lights on the switch box. If the red light is flashing, the brake would have activated if not in bypass mode. If the red light is not flashing, the material can be cut safely without using bypass mode.

I've been to a few trade shows with demos and all of the reps I've talked with have recommended putting the saw in bypass mode for wet pt wood.

I think the idea is spectacular. I run a production shop and usually turn through 3 or 4 different flunkies a year. Its a scary thought to let some of them near the table saw. If someone in my shop gets hurt I can be held liable for the injuries if they claim they didn't have proper training.

I can also see a great advantage for schools. I can't imagine the pressure of a school shop teacher to try and teach 20 somes kids at a time to use a table saw. Most of which have never been around any type of power tool before.

My tool salesman says some of the insurance companies are getting on board now. I guess there are some incentive discounts being handed out to companies using the saw. Imagine the savings for the insurance company. Its a lot cheaper to put in a few stitches or a bandaid then it is to try and reattach some fingers.

I wouldn't be surprised to see OSHA getting involved with this in the near future. With all of the other strict saftey guidelines they set I can see them trying to make everyone comply to some new table saw standards.