You folks ready for the other shoe to drop?
I predict that, once SawStop-type products are mandated, it will become
either flat-out illegal to resell old tablesaws (Unisaws, etc.) that don't
have that feature,
or corporate lawyers will recommend scrapping them out, rather than exposing
themselves to that liability. I also predict a sharp near-term rise in the
price
of Old Iron, thereby preventing me from ever being able to afford even a
used one.
(However, I might buy a SawStop for the local school, and donate it in
exchange
for their Unisaur, if I can write off the difference...)

(Oh, and Dr. Dave -- I'm amazed you see that stuff and still do
woodworking...
Nothing like a constant reminder, huh?)

"Chip"

"David" wrote in message
. ..
I've lurked long enough. . . .

I agree with almost everyone above - that this is a great safety
feature, yet that it shouldn't be forced on individuals. I agree that
the company's goal is to line their pockets, but I can't begrudge
someone a few bucks for what can save a lot of grief.

I am a hand surgeon in a suburb west of Cleveland, and have seen a
minimum 2-3 woodworking injuries a week over the last 15 years, many of
which end up in the OR. They range from close calls and nicked nails,
to devastating life changing and career ending injuries. Almost
everyone one of them is a table saw related injury (with a smattering of
chop saws, circular saws, drills, and the occasional router or jointer),
and every injury of significance involves contact with a moving (under
power or coasting) blade. While most admittedly represent some error in
judgment (poor outfeed support, small workpiece, blocking kickback,
fatigue, lapse of concentration, etc.), they happen to the experienced
woodworkers probably more often than to the inexperienced.

The best safety remains the guard and splitter (I'm ready for the
assault! - but I've still NEVER seen a table saw injury that needed to
see me when the guard was in place), but for people who feel better
without it, this could be a great thing. (Although even SawStop
recommends the guard and riving knife.)

Twenty (maybe 10?) years from now, some variation of this technology
will be as standard as the on-off switch, at least in the industrial
environment, and yes, it will likely be legislated. As individual
woodworkers today, our best bet is to learn the technologies and
encourage them, in the hope that, as Upscale said, the negative
impressions will fade away when the cost decreases.

David S.

sweetsawdust wrote:

I would think that the 55,000 TS injuries a year might be a little low.
This week I have had 3 injuries from my table saw, bumped into it once
and
hurt my leg, laid down a stack of boards and mashed my finger, had a
piece
of wood (large) fall from the table and hit my foot. None of these
injuries
occurred when the saw was running, Total loss of time 5 min at most
while I
was cussing my own stupidity, cost to business $0. Will the saw stop
help
with any of those? they seem to be the most common type around my shop.
"George Max" wrote in message
...

Reposting a message I found in ABPW:

(FWIW)

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:47:54 -0500, 25th Century Quaker
wrote:


Safety Innovator and SawStop Founder Stephen Gass to Meet With CPSC
Head; Open Meeting Held to Discuss Proposed New Safety Rule

9/5/2006 10:23:00 AM
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=71705

To: National Desk

Contact: Joe Householder, 713-301-0733, or
, for SawStop

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On Wednesday, Sept. 6, Acting
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chair Nancy Nord will hold
an open meeting with SawStop founder Stephen Gass to discuss a
proposed new safety rule that could save the American economy billions
of dollars each year and prevent thousands of workplace and home
injuries. Gass is the inventor of the SawStop technology, which
drastically reduces the risk of injury in the use of table saws.

According to the CPSC, there are 55,000 table saw injuries each year
with an estimated cost to society of $2 billion. Many of those
injuries occur when an operator's fingers or hand comes into contact
with the rapidly spinning table saw blade. These injuries are often
devastating, ruining careers, putting families into emotional and
financial turmoil and disrupting businesses.

"So many of those injuries can be prevented," said Gass. The proven
SawStop technology stops a table saw blade within milliseconds after
it comes into contact with human skin, in most cases resulting in a
small nick, rather than an amputation.

Presently, CPSC staff is developing an Advanced Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking which, if it ultimately becomes an official rule, will
require all table saw manufacturers to ensure that blade contact
injuries result in a minor injury.

"The proposed rule under consideration by the CPSC would prevent
thousands of life-altering table saw injuries each year," said Gass.
"It would preserve jobs, reduce costs to employers, cut worker
compensation claims and ensure that families don't suffer the
emotional and financial devastation that these injuries cause."

The meeting, which is open to the public and the news media, will be
at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6. It will be held in the hearing room
at CPSC Headquarters, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, Md., 20814

For more information about SawStop and this innovative technology,
visit its Web page at http://www.sawstop.com.