"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , "Leon"
wrote:

Think about that for a sec, if the blade simply fell below the surface
and
continued to spin,,,, do you think a blade that is spinning against a
finger
and moving down 1-3 inches would cut you?

No, I don't.

Remember that the lower the blade is, the farther the cutting edge is from
the
front of the saw -- hence as the blade drops, it also moves away from your
fingers horizontally as well as vertically.

I think it would be imperative
that the blade stop spinning and perhaps not drop below the surface as an
alternative.

I don't think I agree. Watch -- carefully -- the slow-motion video at
sawstop.com, the one titled "How it Works". Pause it at 0:20 and step
forward
a frame at a time, watching as the blade contacts a finger. It appears
that
only one or two teeth actually touch it before the blade begins to drop.

Note also the manufacturer's statement that the blade stops in 5 msec.
A 40-tooth blade at 3450 rpm is moving 38.33 teeth per second, or 26 msec
per
tooth.


I have not seen the video lately but will take your word for it. Still, I
think I would trust a blade that actually stops over one that moves out of
the way.