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Wait, so is it a one time function? Can the wire be reset?
One of them did require a resharpen though.
I can't help but wonder if a big part of the reason the number of incidents is so high is because we're intentionally hyperbolic about risks when it comes to warning labels, for liability reasons. As an example, many appliances will warn that you can never operate them with the covers off and doing so can cause death or serious injury. Okay fine, sure, it's not necessarily safe, and perhaps you could indeed kill yourself by accident doing so. However, in practice it's bullshit. People do this all the time, and you pretty much have to sometimes. How the hell are you even supposed to troubleshoot without being able to see what's wrong? Just guess?
So sometimes when it comes to warnings it's easy to empathize with the person who didn't take them very seriously, as we're pretty much conditioned to take warnings like this with a grain of salt.
Though honestly, when it comes to using a table saw, the thing I'm actually afraid of is kickback. Amputation risk is still very serious of course, but I feel safe enough with the many layers of mitigations I already use. I don't want to fall into complacency, but I also don't think I'm going to lose sleep over not having a SawStop table saw either. (I am not using my table saw often enough for it to be a terrible concern anyways.)
Mostly unrelated, but I don't think SawStop is releasing its patent anytime soon like the article states. That SawStop press release was the CEO saying they would do so if the CPSC rule was passed, but the rule wasn't voted on. And even then they were only releasing one of their hundreds of patents.
Wait, so is it a one time function? Can the wire be reset?
It _may_ destroy the blade. I've had mine for about 10 years, and have had two false triggers in that time (both times, dumb mistakes on my part). Neither time has the blade been destroyed. One of them did require a resharpen though.
Does making tools more expensive really benefit anyone other than the companies which own the patents which make them more expensive? Of these 30,000 injuries per year, how many happen when the blade guards are removed? How many happen when a push stick is not used? How many happen when a person stands in the direction that a piece of wood will be thrown by kickback? Once all those are subtracted are there enough inj…
You're not required to purchase them if you don't want to. Personally, I have a stopsaw. It has never triggered, so beyond initial purchase price, it hasn't cost me a cent extra, but in the unlikely case where I do something dumb or have an accident, I feel better knowing it won't be life altering and all I'll need to do is replace a blade and a $99 cartridge. That's worth it to me.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It _may_ destroy the blade. I've had mine for about 10 years, and have had two false triggers in that time (both times, dumb mistakes on my part). Neither time has the blade been destroyed. One of them did require a resharpen though.
What did you do that caused it to false trigger?
A few weeks later I needed some scrap for something, grabbed the piece closest on hand, pushed it into the blade and immediately triggered the wet wood alert and the blade spun down slowly. I knew that the wood wasn't wet, so started the saw up again and pushed it straight back into the blade only with more force, triggering it straight away.
Second time was due to cutting a lot of pitch heavy pine over an extended period of time - it built up on the cartridge and after a blade change that I didn't check the clearance on, it bridged the brake with the blade (i assume) and triggered on start up. (It comes with a tool to check this clearance after a blade change - I of course did not follow the instructions).
Does making tools more expensive really benefit anyone other than the companies which own the patents which make them more expensive? Of these 30,000 injuries per year, how many happen when the blade guards are removed? How many happen when a push stick is not used? How many happen when a person stands in the direction that a piece of wood will be thrown by kickback? Once all those are subtracted are there enough inj…
The saw manufacturers all blew off SawStop because they were worried that they would now be liable for any injuries which still occurred. Simply make table saw manufacturers liable for any injury from the saw and this kind of mechanism will instantly become default.
There is supposedly woodworker opposition.[2] "Many woodworkers argue that the implementation of SawStop technology has disrupted traditional woodworking practices. Some feel that it has altered the craft in a negative way by making it less reliant on skill and attentiveness, instead placing an emphasis on technology to prevent accidents. This shift in focus is seen as a departure from the fundamental principles and values of woodworking." However, no actual woodworkers are quoted, and the author has a tool store, so this is probably astroturf PR. That web site is addressed to people with a semi-religious attitude towards woodworking, not to working carpenters or cabinetmakers.
(Having used circular wood saws, I am all in favor of blade-stop devices.)
[1] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr8181/text
[2] https://www.woodworkcenter.com/why-do-woodworkers-hate-the-i...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What did you do that caused it to false trigger?
I sometimes mill my own lumber from windfall on my property - in the first instance somehow I managed to put a single piece of near green lumber (~40% moisture) in the same rack as some lumber I knew was dry. A few weeks later I needed some scrap for something, grabbed the piece closest on hand, pushed it into the blade and immediately triggered the wet wood alert and the blade spun down slowly. I knew that the wood…
Mostly unrelated, but I don't think SawStop is releasing its patent anytime soon like the article states. That SawStop press release was the CEO saying they would do so if the CPSC rule was passed, but the rule wasn't voted on. And even then they were only releasing one of their hundreds of patents.
> Despite previous litigation against would-be imitators of their safety brake, SawStop has committed to dedicating its original patent to the public when these new regulations go into effect.