Hot Dog Saw Tested on Finger

[Steve Barker]

Of course those publications like the saw. They got paid to put the article there.

[RicodJour]

Sigh. So, since there were a number of different manufacturers' saws, they all paid? Whoever paid the most won top honors? And they did that for however many magazines? Are there any other nefarious woodworking conspiracies you'd care to share?

By your logic, any magazine that accepted advertising would be barred from reviewing any of that manufacturer's products. That's a good business model. Start a magazine and let me know how it works out.

R

[Ed Pawlowski]

"keith" wrote

As soon as someone comes up with a competing technology the patent is useless and the price drops hard.

[krw]

There is no "competing technology". He has the IDEA of a sensor detecting a person's digits tripping a brake that stops a blade, patented. The patent is pretty basic to the problem at hand. The inventor is a patent lawyer. You don't think he's covered his bases?

Everyone trusts "technology" to cure whatever problem there is. That's why we have the leftist morons whining for more solar and wind power.

[JimT]

I didn't watch the whole thing. He actually sticks his finger in it? Balls!

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Steve Barker" wrote

Lee Valley has replaced saws in every store and shop with Saw Stop. Some cabinet shops have done the same, as have some schools. If you think there is a lot of downtime to replace a cartridge, check the downtime after a serious accident.

Take a peek here. I was shocked at the number of accidents. Give the average age, I'd say these were people with experience too.

2003 the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that "93,880 saw-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms". Of these 52,000 (55%) involved stationary saws (table saw 38,000 (73%), miter saw 7,640 (15%), band saw 4060 (8%), and radial arm saw 2,300 (4%). (Data summarized from: Injuries Associated with Stationary Power Saws, May 2003, Propit Adler, Directorate for Epidemiology, Division of Hazard Analysis, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

The average age of injured party was 51 years old. The average size of the work piece was 2 ft long x 6 in wide by 1 inch depth. The vast majority of accidents occur while ripping. There does not seem to be a correlation on the type of blade being used at the time the accident occurred.

Oh, don't forget our friends, the lawyers

9 minutes a person in the United States is injured using a table saw. Ten people everyday suffer amputations. The impact of the injury begins immediately and last forever.

Nice photos for the family album too

[The Daring Dufas]

I want all tools, vehicles, consumer items, etc to be as dangerous as possible and lawsuits for injuries outlawed. I want vehicles to explode and burn to a pile of ash that blows away in the wind leaving little or no trace if there is an accident. I want Darwinism to run rampant in this country until all the dumbasses are gone or significantly diminished. I don't know if I'll survive because they surround me. 8-)

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Every carpenter I've ever met on a construction site will tie back the blade guard on a power circular saw. They have to set it upside down after using it. I've seen a dumbass put one down and it took off across the room because he forgot the guard was tied back.

TDD

[aemeijers]

My connection is too slow to watch videos. Does he come at it from top, leading edge, or the side near the hub? The latter wouldn't frighten me too much- friction burns would be the immediate risk.

[aemeijers]

Stupidity should be painful, but hopefully not fatal. Best cure for industrial accidents is training, not working when tired or otherwise impaired, and a hardass foreman that rips a new one for anyone he sees not following safety protocols.

[JimT]

He carefully, slowly moves his middle finger and just barely touchs the blade like he's feeding a board but slower. Straight in. It looks to me like, if he fed it in at the speed of shoving a board in, it would cause more damage. But impressive anyway. He says he just feels a tickle of the blade. No cuts or blood.

[The Daring Dufas]

Remember the guy who lost his finger because he stuck it in a hole in a machine? The safety people took the idiot back to the machine and asked him to show them what happened, the moron promptly stuck his other finger in the same hole and lost it too! 8-)

Stupid people shouldn't be allowed to breed, we wind up with, well, you know......... the whole country screwed up.

TDD

[Ed Pawlowski]

wrote

If everyone has your negative attitude, then yes, there never will be. Give the recent jury award for an injury, I'm sure other companies are looking into a different method of stopping saws. No matter how complex a puzzle, patent, or secret code may be, if one man can make it, another can break it. Let's talk again in 3 to 5 years.

[Stormin Mormon]

It would be like being in a public place, surrounded by homicide bombers with bomb vests. You and I will have to stay home that day.

[keith]

My bet is a pretty high percentage are unmodified. I haven't seen the need to disable the dead-man switch on mine. It easily restarts so it's not a big deal. Mowers aren't like they were thirty years ago. OTOH, the backwards thing is a PITA.

Why?

[keith]

You *obviously* don't understand patents. He has this one locked up tight. It has nothing to do with "technology", rather "function". A better brake wouldn't get around the patent, nor would a better detection device. It has nothing to do with "attitude". Sorry, but that's the way it is.

[RicodJour]

Perhaps it is not so cut and dried, as you imagine.

post down.

Gass was not the first or only one to think up a saw brake, he was just the first one to patent one and get it to market. Note the number of patents his patent references:

R

[salty]

Patents can be found invalid for many reasons.

I remember a case where a guy had patented swiveling handgrips for a wheelbarrow. Somehow the patent ended up inadvertantly giving him a patent on the whole wheelbarrow. It was struck down in a court case, and he lost his patent. I'm not sure if he was ever able to resubmit for a new patent for just the handgrips. It's not a quick or cheap process.

His patent may not be quite as "Locked up" as you think.

Besides, a patent merely gives you standing to sue. It's still up to you to defend your own patent at your own expense. You can't just call the cops and make a complaint. If you lack the financial means to initiate and fight lawsuits, your patent won't do you ANY good.

I'll bet Ryobi or Dewalt have a lot more resources than this guy. One of them might decide to produce a saw with the same feature done differently, and go in understanding he might sue them. The little guy occasionally wins those sorts of battles, but it's rare.

[Jon Danniken]

It was the first thing I did when I put the engine on my current mower. I use an old Snapper body (aluminum) from an era before the deadmen, so I removed the mechanism on the engine.

Jon

[Douglas Johnson]

If I were shopping for a new saw, my wife would insist I buy the Saw Stop. I wouldn't fight it too hard.

But I just struggle along with my 15 year old Unisaw.

-- Doug