The Saw Stop Dilemma

I was around at the IWF woodworking show in Atlanta when SawStop introduced their new invention. To say it was a showstopper is an understatement. (Many a hot dog were just barely nicked in that event.) 

Since that time a lot of sawdust has flowed through the collectors and over those years, driven by the realities of the woodworking business world, SawStop the saw manufacturing company came into being. (The early effort to simply license the technology to existing manufacturers failed for several reasons.) 

I have owned and used SawStop saws for many years, and I can say that in addition to their finger saving technology, they make a good table saw overall. I know the folks at SawStop, and they are good folks and I believe that the company operates with integrity. 

Saved by SawStop technology, the author triggered the brake while ripping thin stock.

But since the advent of the safety breakthrough, there has been the question: Shouldn’t this gear be on every table saw? In fact, SawStop itself brought the issue to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (in a bit of a self-serving effort) to require that to be the case. 

Recently the topic has come up before the CPSC again which was reported on by Ben Blatt in the New York Times. Of course, it would be a best-case scenario if everyone had the protections of the SawStop or similar technology, but the bugaboo is the cost. It would raise the cost, especially of smaller worksite or consumer models, significantly. Perhaps as much as 50%. 

Even so I should report that at the CPSC hearing, SawStop made a generous promise to make one of its key patents available to any manufacturer – which is something to be praised. That action would make it cheaper for other saw makers to develop their own safety gear. 

But is the regulation necessary or even reasonable? There are many thousands of table saw accidents that severely harm or even amputate fingers each year. But there are already inexpensive safety products (some supplied with the table saw some aftermarket) that would prevent nearly all of them. As would proper woodworking techniques. 

The existing safety gear and techniques are regularly ignored by woodworkers every day. (Many can’t even find the blade guards that came with the saw.) For many woodworkers they simply do not care enough about safety to take care of themselves (I would include myself in the cadre.)  

My recommendation is that the CSPC leave well enough alone. While SawStop products are more expensive than other machines, they are available. And fingers can be protected with less expensive means and education. Companies like Micro Jig and Rockler Woodworking and Hardware have developed affordable products to keep delicate digests from harm. 

For an in-depth look at this topic from another point of view, check out Stuppy Nubbs where James (link below) does an excellent deep-dive into what he thinks is at stake. 

 BOMBSHELL testimony changes the whole SawStop narrative! - YouTube