SawStop again - law of unintended consequences?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Eric The Viking

Established Member
Joined
19 Jan 2010
Messages
6,599
Reaction score
74
Location
Bristle, CUBA (the County that Used to Be Avon)
I'm posting this only because it informs what is becoming quite a heated debate. I don't have a firm view either for or against SawStop as a technology, although the current owners of the intellectual property seem to be rather agressive in their defence of their IP. I have, however, always liked the cabinet saws as they seem excellent quality. These folks have come across an expensive "issue" with the system (possibly). Easily fixed, but expensive currently.

Given the other thread started by SunnyBob, it's slightly ironic that this particular saw is in a commercial shop without a crown guard! Yes, it is America!

Gerstner & Sons make excellent engineers' toolchests, and have done for more than 100 years. Adam, the camera operator is an excellent machinist (some of his own channel's videos are superb): this is a visit he made to the factory.

The SawStop discussion starts at around 14'20" in...

https://youtu.be/NDB0kMO-80U
 
If they had just used two push sticks on the ruler to measure the distance from the fence to the blade this could've been easily avoided.
 
Trevanion":1zkunmmi said:
If they had just used two push sticks on the ruler to measure the distance from the fence to the blade this could've been easily avoided.

Nope. :) Nope. :) Nope :) . I just verified with mine, if the metal touches the saw blade and the table even if pushed in using "Jacob's wooden fingers" the warning light flashes and lets you know it would fire the brake. The answer is a wooden rule. ;)

Pete
 
"..... it's slightly ironic that this particular saw is in a commercial shop without a crown guard!...."

I'm not endorsing what they are doing but understand why. On the extension table to the right there are two mitre gauges with auxiliary wood fences attached. They have a lot of notches in them from being used and then moved to fresh wood when the opening wears. So that saw is used for repetitive cuts, probably buried. That won't easily allow for the stock blade guard so they aren't using it but they do have the riving knife in. If they weren't using the SawStops they would probably be using table saws in exactly the same way, sans the riving knife, because that's the way they have always done it. Replacing a few brakes a year is fluff all for a company like that and would be way cheaper than the higher workman's compensation rates, medical bills, rehabilitation, replacing workers with fingers etc., that they would be facing. I don't work that fast so it isn't an issue for me. You can also see that dust collection isn't high on their priority list either. ;)

Pete
 

Latest posts

Back
Top