It is never too late -- SawStop

[Tapper]

From another forum (extract):

"So I decided that I would NEVER buy a saw with Sawstop technology on it, at least until another company developed a similar product independently.

Then, on October 1, all that changed. In a brief 30 millisecond lapse of concentration, I got the pad of my left thumb where it should not be and cut it all the way down to the bone.
16 stitches, IV antibiotics, tetanus shot, and pain pills later and I am now mending again.

So, for those of you who think you are charmed into not hurting yourself, I urge you to reconsider and "do as I say; not as I do" LOL. Go get a Sawstop ASAP."

This fellow is an experienced woodworker and tablesaw accidents can happen to anyone.

Simon

Simon,

Thanks for sharing yet another story of a good reason to consider buying a SS tablesaw.  You've probably gathered from at least some of the responses here that some people think they are "bullet proof" and do not need this catastrophic preventing safety device. They will rail against it until all their digits are gone, come hell or high water.

In one response I heard the same old refrain that the most important safety device is the one between your ears. I couldn't agree more. For those who can afford it and haven't pulled the trigger as yet, use that device between your ears and order a SS tablesaw - you'll never regret it!

Doug
SS PCS driver 

[pdb]

I worked summers for a general contractor back in high school and college. Standard practice was to hold a 2x4 across your thigh with your left hand and cut it with the circular saw, held with your right hand, so the saw was pointed down, parallel to your leg. Let gravity pull the saw through the wood. Seemed to me to be terribly dangerous at the time, but once you learned it, it was a quick way to cut boards 'to length' when you were framing. And of course, the guards were removed from the saws.

It's not hard to imagine how somebody might cut his thigh doing this quickly, at the end of the day.

Funny, though, the only accident I saw was when a guy put the saw down before it stopped spinning. Since there was no guard, the CS ran like a train right over his hand, which he had also put on the table. I don't remember how many fingers were amputated in that one.

[bruce2]

I've owned a SawStop for 10-12 years and have read countless times that this technology is not needed.  Just don't stick you fingers in the blade seems to be a common response.  I shake my head each time that I read this.  I wish that all my tools had safety brakes.  This is a hobby for me and I'm super careful but never want to get hurt.

My wife purchased my SawStop saw as a gift.  One of the best gifts I have ever received.  Great saw on top of the safety features.    I've never triggered the brake.

[Steve N]

I think he was holding one end of the board up, cross cutting it, end of the day, he was tired, using big saw (wormdrive skilsaw), something got away from him and the spinning saw blade somehow came down on his thigh.  I wasn't there so I didn't see exactly what happened.

He's been a contractor for a long time and knows better.  

My other FIL a retired contractor, has never had a power tool injury in over 50 years of construction.  When he's tired he calls it quits.  He does somethings with a circular saw, I'd never attempt.

For guys who have the knowledge about how to do it correctly it's usually rushing, or a shortcut that bites them. Most of the rest have to go down as stupid, untrained, never had the correct training to know how to properly use woodworking equipment and so many more, but from talking to a lot of these guys right after it happened in the ER, "I dunno" is the most common answer, maybe I'm too jaded, but I have to give the nod to stupid whenever I heard that.

[meackerman]

he admitted he was tired at the end of a day and rushing to get what he was doing finished up.

This was late last year (or early this year), he's since retired.  In his mid-60s, he figured it was time to let the younger generation handle building stuff.

[Johnbro]

[quote pid='7373657' dateline='1477519090']
There are occasions when you can't put a guard on as the guard will get in the way: use a cutting sled or ripping thin strips (1/8" e.g.). The Grr-ripper system handles the ripping of strips well and safely, while the SawStop offers added insurance. When a guard can be put on but is not used, the operator is playing Russian roulette and if he is lucky, he can get away with it -- to the very last day of his woodworking life.

SawStop or not, it is a personal choice. Even using a kitchen knife can cause injuries, let alone, a bandsaw, mitersaw, etc. I recall seeing a report that says tablesaws accounted for most woodshop injuries recorded by the emergency room (hence the "1 tablesaw injury every 9 minutes. 10 tablesaw amputations every day" claim).

If I remember correctly, the woodworker who shared his saw accident story also revealed that his injury was not covered by any insurance which just ran out before he had a chance to get one. Really when it rains ...

I am sharing his story not to convince those who have decided not to get a SS (for whatever reason -- it really doesn't concern any of us) to get one, but to alert those who are on the fence and who can afford the SS (different price entry levels) to make up their mind -- the sooner the better.

I have had the saw for more than five years and it has been well used because not only it offers added safety (including reducing/preventing kickbacks) but it also cuts with excellent results. Above all, I really like its overhead dust collection system, the best of all I've used.

Simon
[/quote]

Worked for me and thanks for posting. For various reasons this post put me over the top--sold the PM66 and got a 3HP PCS and I LOVE it. Really well built saw, little details well thought out, fit and finish is better than anything I've seen short of Festool. Since I sold the Powermatic for more than I paid for it 10 years ago it wasn't too painful to make the jump, and I'm kicking myself I didn't do it earlier. Just the improvement in DC is almost worth it.

[Handplanesandmore]

Thank you for letting me know. Your decision was wise and yesterday, I saw a trim work guy who has no thumb and index left due to a tablesaw accident. Not everyone can afford a SS, but those who can would be doing themselves a favor by getting a SS. It is like a choice between getting behind the steering wheel with the seat belt on vs off.

Yes, its above-the-table dust collection is simply the best out there.

Simon

[Tapper]

Thank you for letting me know. Your decision was wise and yesterday, I saw a trim work guy who has no thumb and index left due to a tablesaw accident. Not everyone can afford a SS, but those who can would be doing themselves a favor by getting a SS. It is like a choice between getting behind the steering wheel with the seat belt on vs off.

Yes, its above-the-table dust collection is simply the best out there.

Simon

Sorry, but this argument that "not everyone can afford a SS" seems a little hollow to me. If you're going to be in the business of using a tablesaw to make a living, I think you cannot afford NOT to have a SS tablesaw. It winds up being a very cheap insurance policy against losing your digits, which are vital to your trade.

If you have just one catastrophic accident (as you described above) it's well worth the cost. With today's health insurance costs, even the deductible would probably be more than the cost of the least expensive SS. If you have no insurance, you're paying hospital and medical bills for a long, long time - think about it.

Doug