Why a Safer Table Saw May Not Good for America

[ptradmin]

We live in a highly litigious country. So when a Boston jury awarded $1.5 million to a Malden man who injured his fingers on a saw I wasn't terribly surprised. What did surprise me was that this case was actually the first to claim that the standard design of American table saws is defective. Considering that Carlos' fingers should never have been anywhere near the blade, this lawsuit - and others like it - should never have seen the light of day. Construction professionals, journeymen and homeowners should prepare for the onslaught, because if this ruling represents the tip of the iceberg, there is no telling where this judicial intrusion will end.

Discuss "Why a Safer Table Saw May Not Good for America here.
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[David WW]

If I may respectfully offer another view, the 125 year safety record of table saws is simply beyond horrible and we are going to greatly improve it -- in the very near future -- even if that means the courts will play a hand in forcing the issue. Sawstop is not the only answer and if you Google or YouTube "flesh sensing technology," you will be shown my Whirwind Tool system patent-pending prototypes for table saws which are under development here in my shop. More advances are on the way from us and no doubt from many other inventors and product developers as well. Maybe it will take the courts to impress upon machinery manufacturers that the time has come to deal with this issue so that everyone will benefit and they, the manufacturers, will henceforth not have to bear such a liability burden from totally frivilous lawsuits

SawStop should get credit for drawing widespread attention to the issue and although I do not favor any sort of monopoly or government mandate for flesh-sensing technology from any one or more companies, I do believe it is a technology many table saw users will take advantage of when more such products are on the market and the price is right.

My perspective comes from 60 years of experience with table saws and most woodworking machinery without suffering a serious accident and I still have all my fingers. I hope to help many others beat my record.

Best regards to all,

[Everett]

Thanks for contributing, David. I appreciate additional safety options and certainly there are improvements that could have been made earlier (the new 2010 UL requirements are one example).

I just don't think the legal system is the way to go to get these changes made. The law of unintended consequences is in play here and rulings like this open the door for a veritable waterfall of lawsuits all brought by people who essentially utilized unsafe practices on their table saws which are already clearly warned against by manufacturers.

These types of technology are welcome options - I just don't want everyone forced to pay for them - the same way I don't want to be forced to buy ABS on my car. If your solution is more of a "seat belt" solution then great, but the SawStop is certainly more advanced and will result in a higher priced product with additional operation costs that are not necessary in my opinion.

[Piranga]

What is the whole story?

Was Osorio properly using all guards and safety devices the saw came equipped with, or had he removed them? Was the saw properly set up and secured?

Was he tired? Ill? Under the influence of prescription or non-prescription meds/drugs? Not properly medicated for a health issue (e.g., diabetes)?

Was he rushing to get the job done? Working with proper lighting conditions?

Why did Osorio not purchase a SawStop saw instead of the OWT product? Trying to save some $$?

I have been using power tools since I was about 8 years old, chain saws since about 12. I still have all my fingers. If I mangle my hand using my General International or my spouse's or woodworking instructor's Deltas, I won't be suing those companies, I'll be hitting myself over the head with a 2 x 4 for doing something stupid!

Saws don't jump up and cut people. People make mistakes and get their hands in the way of saw blades. That does not mean manufacturers should be hit with big lawsuits.

[bryan187]

Face it folks if you cut your self with ANY saw under ANY circumstances it's YOUR fault. The only time someone should have any part of their body near the blade is when changing or cleaning a blade WITH THE POWER DISSABLED. That means unplugging not just switching off or locking out the power switch. I'm lucky to still have my thumb after not following that rule...and it was my fault, not the saw.

[Dreamcatcher]

As a professional carpenter and admitted tool junkie, I visit several different carpentry/tool blogs daily. Lately I have read many articles concerning SawStop and this court case in particular. It seems to stand that there is a lot of irrational promotion of SawStop out there, generally spouted either by carpentry hobbyists who have been hurt already, woodwork enthusiasts who are safety anal (some lawyers), and even the occasional MD/WW who has stitched up casualties. In all cases, the discussion is closed-minded and only point to SawStop as a seemingly finite answer to table saw safety.

I applaud David with his impeccable safety standards and resulting lack of injury. I too have a clean record. I approach the table saw similarly to the manner David does in his video with a safety check; my rule #1 has always been "do not put fingers into spinning blade". But when in forum discussion with those SS devotees mentioned, some have actually wished me harm for "gloating" about my safety record.

I have a saying about SawStop and similar tech..."If you think you need it then you DO need it". That is to say, some one who is scared of a table saw is more likely to approach it with trepidation, loose grip, and wobbly knees. Their focus is not on the cut but on the fear: the vibration of the machine, the blur of the blade, and the roaring sound. They have substituted fear for caution and will eventually become a casualty because of it.

I could go on as this is one of my favorite tool subjects, but I may just digress further.

DC

[Greg]

Originally Posted by Dreamcatcher

my rule #1 has always been "do not put fingers into spinning blade".

I'm not sure if that's my number 1 rule (might be, "No matter what she says or how much she claims to want to know the truth, she doesn't look fat in that dress"), but it surely is up there. Great post and welcome to the board.

[Dreamcatcher]

Thanks for the welcome, Greg.

After posting, I ventured over to the SS website and found a gallery of "Finger Saves".

It disturbs me that so many people do this, do they become less careful because they know a mechanism will save them from their own ineptitude?

DC

[Larry]

Quite a few years ago I first saw the SawStop technology demonstrated @ an IWF show. The inventors were trying to get table saw manufacturers to buy it. They tried to sell it to almost every one making a table saw, to no avail. Only then did they design their own saw. They designed a better all around saw with their excellent stop system. I've got a small shop with 18 employees and after watching how my employees would take the guard off the Unisaw all the time because it was poorly designed I decided t buy a SawStop. Turns out it is a much better design in addition to the brake system. They actually thought about how saws are really used. Today for the 2nd time this year an experienced employee got a thumb in the blade. Lost so little skin it didn't even bleed! He also learned a valuable lesson without paying the cost. For all you guys that are so perfect you never make mistakes go ahead and dismiss the technology. For the rest of you the SawStop is a bargain. Less than the hospital cost of one finger.

[pickled_up]

I don't think anyone argues that it's not cool tech. The argument centers around why one company gets to collect all the money and essentially force the price of every table saw up by $150 or more. It's a pandora's box - open this up and lawsuits are going to go crazy. They've already started in fact.