All, I was waiting to say anything about this until I could provide some, hopefully, relevant information. The system was reviewed in Fine Woodworking's Tools and Shops 2005 issue, pages 66 & 67. The website for the company is www.sawstop.com. The system is not available as a retrofit on any saw but is only available on the SawStop brand saw which, in the article, is listed at "$2,499 plus fence" (a new Delta Unisaw appears to be going for about $1,800.) Once the system has been activated, the blade and the cartridge (10" blade, $59 and 8" dado, $69) must be replaced. Further, the system can be disabled by a keyed lock in case you're sawing a material (such as green or wet lumber) that might activate the system inadvertently. The inventor and his partners "submitted a petition to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to initiate a ruling that would declare the technology a performance standard." There are also some very interesting figures on injuries from tablesaws in the article which I won't copy here. In our shop, all guards, etc. are required to be in place as well as proper safety attired worn. The bandsaws we use are larger than many of those used by butchers. The routers and even Foredom or Dremel tools spin at exceedingly high rates. Chisels, planes and knives (in our shop) are very sharp. In addition, since this is not an add-on, can be disabled and requires an action on the part of the user to replace the cartridge after activation, I can see many instances where yet one more layer of legislation makes someone feel like they've done something without actually making a real affect. We can't make everything in our lives foolproof and we have to accept the responsibility for learning how to use tools properly, maintaining them in proper condition and paying attention at all times. It's easy to start at one point saying, "We'll remove all danger!" but the reality pretty soon precludes this approach as we're suddenly unable to tune pianos because of the danger of hearing damage, unable to drive due to the chance of a wreck, unable to cut or plane a piece of wood or even plug in a lamp (lots of danger in the bad design of power plugs and outlets.) There's a wonderful warning in toward the front of every issue of Fine Woodworking that reminds us of the inherent dangers of the craft. It might be a good idea for us all to post that on our shop walls. I'm all for due care, technological advancement and safety first but trying to initiate something by fiat will only cause more problems than it solves. Merry Christmas to all and may you have a safe, productive and happy New Year! Allan L. Gilreath, RPT Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc. PO Box 1133 Calhoun, GA 30703 allan@allangilreath.com 706 602-7667 -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Nossaman Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 1:03 PM To: Pianotech Subject: Re: SawStop safety table saw >There is a big debate about this as certain quarters want the feds to >mandate this devise on all table saws. >James Grebe My guess is that those lobbying for it aren't professional woodworkers. Ron N _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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