On Mar 22, 12:16*pm, Glen wrote:
On 3/21/2010 9:52 AM, dustyone wrote: All,

Isn't it possible that if allowed to stand, this judgement would drive
other saw manufacturers to adopt this technology? *Cost would likely
be more, at first, but with wider use, the cost would necessarily get
lower over time. *Wouldn't this be an improvement in safety for us
all?

Curt Blood

Improvement in safety is important, but something must be said for
personal responsibility. *Unless the saw itself malfunctioned in some
way, the onus for safety rests with the operator. *The greatest
"improvement in safety" would be to ban the use of all table saws. *Saws
would then be 100% safe. *I don't see that as a practical solution, however.

At work, I teach HS woodshop, we use a SawStop. *Considering some of the
kids I get in my beginning classes, it was a wise investment. While I
still am an "absolute *******" about safety in school, I do breathe a
bit easier having this particular saw there.

At my home shop I use a more traditional saw. *Safety is my
responsibility. *I have a good guard that I use, I have push sticks of
various configurations and most importantly, I know and utilize good
practices of saw safety. *Having been in the business for a long time,
and having worked with my father for many years prior to that, I have
met many woodworkers (some of whom, unfortunately, have also been
woodshop teachers) missing one or more body parts. *I can safely state
that every individual with whom I have ever spoken who has lost a digit
to a saw knew full well that it was his own fault, and not the fault of
the manufacturer. *I accept the fact that, perhaps, some of you may know
of some digitless operators who blame their tool, but I personally know
of none.

Perhaps it is everything that I currently see around me of individuals
placing the blame on outside forces, but I, for one, am growing tired of
this. *If I choose to work when I am tired or inebriated, that is my own
stupidity. *If I do not know how to operate a saw safely that is my own
stupid choice. *The manufacturer did not force me to operate their saw,
I chose to operate it, and I must be willing to take responsibility for
my decision. *Even with the SawStop, there is a key that turns off the
safety mechanism. *Should I turn it off, should I be able to sue them
for providing this turn off mechanism?

I believe that there are some countries that do not allow the use of
dado blades on home saws. *(Limits on arbor length?) *This, as I
understand it, is to make saw operation mor safe. *Maybe I am strange,
but I don't want the government telling me that I can't use a dado blade
because they believe that I am too ignorant to use it safely.

I try to avoid "****ing matches" on the rec and I don't mean to start
one, but I had to have my say.

Glen

Glen, you make some interesting points. I would hope that we could
all agree that if blade stop technology were available on all table
saws, we would be able to work more safely. One other point in this
discussion is that there are times that, despite our expertise and
care, accidents do happen. It would be little comfort to know that it
was nobody's fault that I now had only nine digits. So, I wouldn't
mind having the added security of knowing that this technology was in
place. As I see it, the whole personal responsibility/lawsuit thing
is a separate issue. There will always be people who will want to
place blame for their mistakes on others, as well as lawyers who will
represent them. Not much to be done about that. Greed on the part of
the Saw Stop people is also a major factor in this, especially if Mr.
Jaques is correct. It would seem to me that the inventor would have
made a killing with a more modest per unit fee over a broader market,
and this technology would indeed be on nearly every saw.


Curt Blood




Larry Jaques
View profile
More options Mar 22, 8:46 pm
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:57:42 -0700 (PDT), the infamous
scrawled the following:

The inventor, a Speaking Weasel (lawyer) had offered the licensing to
other saw companies for a set fee per unit plus EIGHT PERCENT OF THE
SAW'S PRICE. That raises a cabinet saw's price by OVER THREE HUNDRED
DOLLARS. With the amount of money it would instantly give to him I
can't see why he'd withdraw the offer.
If the idiot had said "A couple grand for the license and a buck or
two per unit." the devices would likely already be on every single
new
saw coming out of all factories. But the #%^&%^&*! wanted more, a
lot
more.
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