Uh oh... the safety police are here...

[riot_nrrd]

Sucks to lose a finger, but was it really Ryobi's fault for not having SawStop technology?

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/25130/man-wins-big-money-in-tablesaw-lawsuit

Hopefully, this doesn't slow down the PowerPro... maybe this is one of those "new technologies have been introduced that we've been able to incorporate into the PowerPro" that Folkerth was talking about?

RiotNrrd

[tkhudson]

Someone is STUPID enough to put their finger where it dont belong... why is it anyone else's fault? Sounds like his Mama didnt teach him something about responsibiity!

[lv2wdwrk]

Here is another discussion on this subject.
http://handymanclub.com/community/forum ... ts&t=49402

[Ed in Tampa]

The guy that invented the Sawstop is a lawyer (enuf said?) and this is just what he was waiting for, a lawsuit to set precedence. Now he is in the cat bird seat, if a manufacture of a saw produces a saw without the technology the claim will be they put profit ahead of safety. Let us hope the verdict will be overturned in higher courts.

The minute I heard this guy was a lawyer I knew this day was coming. He tried to sell his idea that didn't work. He tried to have his techology legislated and that failed. He tried to sell his idea the end product ending up costing many times over his initial claim that the technology would add less than a $100 to the average saw cost. So now he is trying to use the courts to force every manufacture to buy his product. Talk about bottom feeders.

If I were a saw manufacture I would close up before I paid this guy a penny for his technology.

My guess were are seeing the end of table saws as we know them. Smart money would be on developing new methods to cut wood quickly, efficiently and safely. In large production settings "saws" have been almost totally replaced with CNC and self feeders. In medium and small production settings were are seeing simpler ans safer CNC and guided saw systems.

Look at this way if saws aren't being produced perhaps the market for older existing machines will soar.

If I were getting into woodworking today I would not buy a table saw, not with all the options that are out there.

[heathicus]

I've heard that in Europe, table saws have almost been regulated out of existence already and that the bandsaw is the primary tool used for cutting wood.

Because of his thuggish business practices, I hope the Saw Stop guy fails. I'd much rather see the Whrilwind Braking System that someone here linked to previously, or some other alternative, have the leading market share when everything settles.

Of course, "safety" devices like this are not always able to substitute for common sense.

[dusty]

I've heard that in Europe, table saws have almost been regulated out of existence already and that the bandsaw is the primary tool used for cutting wood.

Because of his thuggish business practices, I hope the Saw Stop guy fails. I'd much rather see the Whrilwind Braking System that someone here linked to previously, or some other alternative, have the leading market share when everything settles.

Of course, "safety" devices like this are not always able to substitute for common sense.

Maybe what is needed is for someone with a SawStop to cut into a piece of wood that is moist enough to trigger the safety detector. A little press about that might slow the trend.

[riot_nrrd]

I wonder if this might be why ShopSmith is selling the PowerPro as an upgrade first? Since they are just putting a new motor in an old machine, it might not be considered as needing any sort of safety upgrade. Hmmmm...

I would not mind having either technology on my tools (SawStop or Whirlwind), but I think it should be up to the buyer to decide how much risk they are willing to accept.

I'm not quite sure how you would adapt either technology to the ShopSmith. On the SawStop, there would have to be a new lower saw guard developed that had the braking mechanism. I'm not sure exactly how that would work.

On the Whirlwind, I'm thinking that I would no longer be able to use my Grrippers (so I'd be getting closer to the blade with my fingers!), featherboards might be tricky, and in would probably be a lot more difficult to cut very small pieces with jigs and such.

For both of them, it would have to be made so the ShopSmith could operate with the system disengaged (so you could use all the other tools... all the SPTs would have no conductivity between them and the technology).

Of course, the engineers at ShopSmith are brilliant, so maybe they have a plan. Or maybe they have better attorneys now than they had in 1968.


RiotNrrd

[shipwright]

IS NOBODY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING ANYMORE? I'm with tkhudson on this one big time. It seems these days that everything is someone else's fault. The simple fact is that many of us have no use for this stuff and have spent a lifetime using dangerous tools safely. A competent craftsman can safely operate very dangerous tools but I'm sure an idiot can cut his arm off with a vacuum cleaner if he has enough time. Don't get me started.

Paul M

[riot_nrrd]

Here is the actual complaint -

http://www.scribd.com/doc/27961064/Osorio-Complaint

My favorite line:

"13. On or about April 19, 2005, Plaintiff, while working for his employer, PT Hardwood Floor, was operating the subject Ryobi saw with all due care when the Ryobi Saw injured Plaintiff."

OK, so much wrong with this (should he be suing his emplyer for not providing him with a SawStop saw?), but the one that gets me the most is the implication that he was just minding his business when the saw suddenly attacked him without provocation. What an @$^*!!! lawyer.

RiotNrrd

[curiousgeorge]

This is the type of problems you get with the "Welfare Society and Political Correctness" attitude in the US now. It's never my fault, big brother knows best and you owe me...