Any woodshop guys out there ???

[Steve Rizza]

You must check out this video....Amazing !!



If only Three Finger Mike (my old school shop teacher) had one of these.
http://www.sawstop.com/media/Table Saw - WMV high.wmv

 

[Rich Stern]

I've seen that demonstrated and it is amazing. But, like a safety on a gun, you never want to depend on it to save you.



I give my cabinet saw mucho respect. Mucho.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Safety has no quitting time

 

[JD Johnson]

I cain't see the video, it no play on my machine.

 

[Larry Harp]

So I guess it's now safe to put your weenie on the table saw.:lol:



Seriously, I read an article about this in one of the trade magazines 2 or 3 years ago. The saw blade is hooked up to a sensor that detects the differance in the electrical resistance between a piece of dry wood and something more moist like a weenie.....or a finger. I don't remember exactaly but the blade stops in a remarkably short time...something like 1/100 th of a revolution which could mean the differance in a band-aid or a trip to the emergency room.



In my years of selling to cabinet and countertop shops I had two customers that got their fingers in the saw real bad. The interesting thing is both were the owners of the shop with many years of experiance and both were pissed off at an employee...one for not showing up for work and he was having to do is work, the other was argueing with the employee about something the guy had screwed up. Moral of the story...don't go near the table saw when your not 100% in the game.



Harpo

 

[Lamar Gilbert]

It's my understanding that if it activates, the saw locks up....permanently....have to replace most all moving part of the saw. Might be cheaper to loose a finger!!

 

[Larry Campbell]

I can tell you from experience it would be cheaper to replace the saw. I have been around woodworking all of my life, my dad was a trim carpenter, and have used a table saw more than I care to remember. I don't do carpentry for a living, but still do woodworking around the house. About two years ago I was ripping some stock and when I reached back to get piece off the saw I ran my right hand over the blade. I cut the flesh away on the index finger and nicked the tendon. I nearly cut the tip of middle finger off, but luckily I stopped when I heard the "ting" as the blade broke the bone and nicked the tendon. Needless to say I ended up in the ER and later had to have two surgeries to repair the damage. They had to suture my index finger to my palm and then do a skin graft to get enough skin to cover the open area. Now that finger is a lot smaller at the tip than the one on the other hand. I think it ended up being around $16,000 for the surgeries, but my part after insurance was only about $1200. The only lingering damage is I have no feeling in the end of those two fingers and it still feels like they will come off if I am lifting something heavy. Before anybody asks, yes I still work on the table saw. I am a lot more cautious, though. Harpo's statement "Moral of the story...don't go near the table saw when your not 100% in the game" is very true and very good advice. On a side note, if anyone in the OKC metro area needs a referral for a good hand surgeon, email me.

Larry

 

[Larry Harp]

Lamar... that's not quite correct. The saw does lock up but all you have to do to get back in operation is replace the cartridge, which costs $69. Only reason I know all this is I went and checked out the Saw Stop .com website earlier today. Pretty interesting. This product has come a long way since I read about it a few years ago.



Larry... sounds like you had quite an ordeal. I'll never forget seeing the ER pictures of one of the customers I mentioned with the three fingers laying on a green hospital towel. The surgons sewed them back on but he couldn't bend them and they were a bad color. He said what really bothered him the most was he couldn't pick his nose with that hand anymore.:lol:



Harpo
http://www.sawstop.com/how-it-works-overview.htm

 

[Rich Stern]

Since we're on the topic, which woodworking machine scares you the most?



For me, it's radial arm saws.

 

[Larry Harp]

For me it was always the countertop saw...kind of like a radial saw but with a 12" blade with no sign of a guard, the operator would line up the countertop and push a button and that blade would come shooting out so fast that it would take an arm off like cutting through a carrot. I hated going within 10 feet of that thing.



Harpo

 

[SCOTT GARDNER]

For me rick it would be the jointer sence it toke half of a finger and a part of an other.The strange thing about it it did not hurt one bet when i diid it. How i new to go to the er was when blood shot from my funger about 2 ft every time my heart would pump.