Table-Saw Technology Aims to Save Fingers

[markct]

so then sawing wood that was damp or green would probably trigger it too, and what about static from stuff like cutting plexiglass, and what happens if you cut aluminum plate on your tablesaw like some do, cant do it with this new device, i think i will just use my own finger saving device on my tablesaw, my BRAIN! it works with any table saw, and i already own it so i might as well use it rather than buy some other safety device. the 14 inch delta bandsaw we own has a sticker on it that the previous owner attached to the upped wheel cover, it says "this machine has no brain, use your own"

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> "this machine has no brain, use your own"
</font>

There is a lot of truth to that statement!

I've read about the "hot dog" test in the past. And I believe in safety procedures and all that.

I wonder if the manufacturer backs up his product with a "will replace your blade" if there is a malfunction policy? Myself, I doubt it. But I have not read the sales literature for a while.

In the past I concluded that I would rather just follow safe procedures, using push sticks and so on, keeping my body parts away from the blade of the table saw.

In days past, I once learned and came to belive that the most dangerous tool in the shop was the wood chisel. Just because it seemed so innocent. What device is there to protect ourselves against the wood chisel?

Somehow I just can't help but hear "bang!" and see my $100 plus blade head towards the trash can. Because of a false trip of the system. Can't happen? Well maybe not if you don't live in the real world.

Still ten false trips is really worth more than one finger.

So in the end, we all need to evaluate and make our own decision.

I doubt one of these things will ever find its way into my woodshop though. I'll just make my push sticks and other aids a little longer/larger.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JimR]

Here is the number one thing to remember about any type of power tool. Pay attention and don't daydream or else you will pay the piper. I know a few people that have lost fingers. All were on Radial Arm saws. I don't know of anyone that chopped one off on a table saw.

 

[RonR]

Many years ago, my father in law scared the stuffin out of me. We were making a bird feeder or something using my table saw. We were cutting a 2 x2 inch piece of pine and he's got his fingers within an inch of the spinning blade.

I tried to get him to do something else using push sticks and such, but he wouldn't. I told him I'd wait outside since I didn't want to see a bunch of blood!

He was ok, but I never appreciated what he did that day.........

Ron

 

[keeney]

My uncle cut off his entire right hand on a radial arm saw. They were able to re-attach it, but he has no movement or feeling in it.

One of the contractors working on my house cut his finger pretty bad on a table saw (went to the emergency room and had stitches) and he said "don't worry, it doesn't happen too often".

Saws do cause a lot of minor to moderate injuries, but they generally don't kill people the way cars and tractors do. If people really wanted to be safer, they would worry a lot more about the drive to and from the store to buy the saw and the wood.

- Rick

 

[ELMO67]

Yeah, but what about the hotdog, I hope they were still able to COOK it afterwards- I think I'll go to lunch now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[hosejockey2002]

Here's a thought, keep your body parts out of the blade and they won't get cut. How you do that should be up to you, not the saw manufacturer. The same goes for chain saws, chippers, PTO shafts and any number of other machines that can and will kill or maim you if you fail to respect them. We can put all the safety devices under the sun on machines, but the ultimate responsibility for safety lies with the user, and no one else.

 

[BrettW]

Been woodworking for 18 yrs now, still afraid of the saw a bit and I do stupid things like wearing my ring and sometimes I catch myself wearing baggy clothing if it is cold in the shop. I would have bought the new tech if it were available long ago. It only take on mistake over a LIFETIME of woodworking to wish you'd spent the extra money. I suspect that to be able to market the saw, the problems of wet wood, metal cutting, plastic cutting have been solved. or no one would buy it.
m2cents worth, bw

 

[markct]

i wouldnt count on all those problems having been taken care of, many products go to market and the consumer is the guinie pig, i dont see how anything that detects a finger by electricity can work cutting metal, maybe in wrong, but if your pushing a plate of aluminum thru the saw then you and the aluminum are electricaly the same. i would hate to go to cut a piece of aluminum and hear a kabam and the blade stop instantly.

 

[BB_TX]

Don't be too quick to condemn something just because it doesn't sound practical. They have bullets that can detect whether it is hitting metal or meat. If it hits metal, it stays intact and punches a clean hole thru plate steel. If it hits meat, it mushrooms and explodes that piece of meat. They also have bullets that can fly a programmable distance and explode downward killing someone behind a wall. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif If they can do that in a small bullet, detecting flesh to stop a saw blade would not surprise me at all. New technology is great sometimes, scary sometimes.