Dennis Meltron, Portland, Oregon
“It was lunch time. All I wanted to do is get a few strips cut. Guys already went into the lunch room. I was pushing with a push stick. Everything was going good, the wood bound up, push stick broke. I fell forward, trying to get my hand straight up. It was too late.”
“I didn’t want to look at it. And I decided if had to cut that off, it would hurt a lot worse. So I did take a look. Hand up here, suck into here. I saw bone marrow, a ring of bone, index finger was dangling down here. I picked it up and grab it.”
“Twenty three weeks off work, seven days in the hospital, four operations. The first one, they re-attached the thumb, put the index finger, pin both of them, dried out. Two days later, thumb died, index finger had been moved to the thumb. I got out on Thanksgiving Day, and this is what I have left. ”
“I like to work on cars. I got a small pickup with a V8 in it now. And I got my commuter car that I use. Right now I got a feel filter. I can’t get down to with this hand. I can’t wrap my hand around two wrenches, pliers, difficult to use. The thumb is supposed to flex like that, but it doesn’t.
When I got back, I found that they replaced four saws. All four of them, SawStop. The best thing they could have done. It gives me the peace of mind that even though I do things right, and something happens, the saws got my back.”
Dennis Mihalka, Redding, California
“I remember exactly when it happened. It was July 3rd, 4:30 in the afternoon, on Thursday. Thursday is my time to start relaxing and take a break. So I like to work in my shop. I was pressing a piece of melamine board through the sob very carefully, and when I got into the end of the cut, I must have relaxed my hand just enough that the blade cut underneath the board and shut it behind me thirty feet and it pulled my hand with it. I didn’t want to look at it. I just closed it up into a ball and help my other hand around it and walked into the house.
The saw cut through the root of my thumb, through the thumb and half the thumbnail, splintered off part of my middle finger, went right through the index finger, all the way through splitting it into pieces, shattered all the bones, the nails, all gone. Leaving just a powdered bone and a split finger
It was late at night they flew me on LifeLite to hospital in San Francisco that specialises in microscopic surgery. And the placed a pin through my joints, sewed it up through my fingers, put a temporary nail in there, and basically told me go heal. I’m a dentist and my hands are critical to my profession. I was being very careful. I had the saw blade a quarter inch above the wood, and as I was pushing through it, literally sliced finger in half.
It’s my hand. It’s my profession. I had patients I had finished treating, more patients waiting for treatment, my team was without a job. I won’t be able to practice and I won’t be able to do the things that I enjoy such as working my hand building boats. It really changed my life.
What I tell people is if you can’t afford to lose a finger, you can afford the SawStop.”
Keith Dier, Oregon City, Oregon
“Work in the morning, it was about 8:30. I was splitting some 1×3’s in half, and can’t believe I did it. I grew up around the cabinet shop my grandfather owned, cut wood all my life. I probably cut my first piece of wood on a table saw when I was 10. I have never cut myself before. That morning I was splitting a 1×3, reaching down to get away the wood from the blade, I got distracted by a car in the driveway and got my finger on the blade.
The first thing I did is look at my finger. Saw that there was just a little cut on it. Wow, so it really does work. People at SawStop call that the finger save.”
Stephen Gass, CEO, SawStop
I’ve started working with a table saw by the time I was big enough to see the top. And I’ve always loved to build things. But one of the things that you learn as a woodworker is that it’s a dangerous hobby. People get hurt. It’s one moment of inattention, one small mistake and you have an accident that’ll change the rest of your life.
Accidents like these happen about ten times a day where somebody amputates a finger on a table saw. And there’s hundreds of people every day who are sent to the emergency room. For the people involved in these accidents, it costs oftentimes tens of thousands of dollars, months of recovery, physical therapy. I can remember talking to people who’d come up to me and they would have their hand in their pocket. They’re embarrass to show me what had happened to their hand. They felt maimed by the accident. And they never felt the same again.
We made our contractor saw to expand the number of people that could have the access to this technology and the protection it provides. To get it out there on the job site, to get it into people’s garages. This technology is important to me because it prevents people from having life changing accidents. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
A key component of every SawStop saw, the patented safety feature is made possible by a sophisticated mechanism. But the concept is actually very simple.
The blade carries a small electrical signal. This charges continuously monitored by a digital signal processor. When skin contacts the blade, the signal changes because the human body is conductive. This change in signal triggers a quick release aluminium brake. A heavy duty springs forces the brake into the teeth of the spinning blade. The teeth dig into the aluminium stopping the blade cold. The blade’s momentum forces it to retract below the table and the motor is automatically shut off. All of that happens in less than five thousandth of a second, ten times faster than a car’s air bag. All without damaging the saw.
It takes less than five minutes to replace the brake assembly. Just slip the cartridge in, put a new blade on, and you’re back in business.
Versatility
The SawStop contractor saw combines SawStop’s patented technology with many new features. It can be configured to meet your needs. On the job site, the contractor saw blends mobility and stability. Whilst in the shop, it provides cabinet saw-like performance with premium features.
The job site cart offers multi-terrain mobility for use on the job. A rigid steel mobile base provides superb manoeuvre ability in the shop. Cast-iron extension wing and 36-inch or 52-inch systems provide versatile options for both hobbyist and professional.
Mobility
Made of durable powder-coated steel to resist rust and corrosion, the SawStop job site cart enables mobility across uneven terrain whilst providing a stable platform during saw operation. With fully-welded quarter-inch steel construction, high grade wheels and casters, and one-foot operation, the mobile base helps make it easy to manoeuvre the saw around the shop. And the saw’s legs rest securely on the ground when the mobile base is disengaged.
Precision
A good fence is essential to accurate cutting. Standard to a 38-inch contractor saw, SawStop lightweight aluminium fence travels smoothly for easy adjustment and clamps tightly when you’re ready to cut.
SawStop’s T-glide professional fence comes standard with 36-inch and 52-inch configurations. The fence and rail system is made of heavy gauge steel which makes it rigid and accurate. A magnified indicator lens makes it easy to see measurements down to a 30-second of an inch. Widely-spaced glide plate and an infinitely adjustable rail provide flawless travel along the extension table.
The elevation system operates on a vertical slide. This unique design provides consistent and precise blade alignment at all elevation levels. Not only does this improve the accuracy of your cuts, it also reduces the risk of binding and kickback.
The zero clearance insert supports the wood throughout the cut and reduces tear-out and chip-out.
When it comes to safety, SawStop accepts no compromises. That’s why we included a host of additional safety features to somplement our patented safety system. It’s always safer when a blade guard is used and SawStop’s low profile blade guard gives you added protection and visibility on cuts as narrow as three quarters of an inch.
The riving knife minimises kick back and provides protection during non-through cuts. And since inconvenience is often the enemy of safety, we’ve made it easy to switch between blade guard and riving knife, with our tool free quick change mount – allowing you to change blade guards quickly, minimising disruptions to workflow.
A diagnostic self-check runs continuously to ensure all systems are ready to detect an accident. A safety bypass switch allows you to cut conductive material without activating the safety system. The bypass function must be engaged each time the blade is turned on, preventing unintended use of the saw without the safety system enabled. And you can easily disable the main power switch entirely by removing the yellow key. Finally, the large start-stop pedal provides hands-free shutoff allowing you to safely stop the blade even when both hands are busy.
Sawdust isn’t just a nuisance, it’s also a health hazard. The SawStop contractor saw features an all new, innovative dust collection system that traps more dust than many enclosed cabinet saws. The saw can be attached directly to a 4-inch dust collection tube or to our optional dust collection panel, which has both 2.5 and 4-inch ports for compatibility with the variety of dust collection systems. The heart of SawStop’s dust collection feature is its specially-engineered shroud beneath the table, which funnels dust out of the saw, keeping it out of your lungs and away from the saw’s internal systems and moving parts. As a result, the SawStop contractor saw allows 90% less dust to escape into your work environment.
Durability
With a 1.75Hp motor, the contractor saw delivers the power you need in a compact package. The Poly-V ribbed belt transfers more power to the blade for better cuts with less vibration.
Powder-coated steel resist rust and corrosion, ensuring lifelong reliability. In fact, the SawStop contractor saw is stable and solid through and through, with considerably, more cast iron for reduced vibration.
The SawStop contractor saw – versatility, mobility, safety and performance that sets it apart from other saws. From job site to woodworking shop, it’s ready to help you get the job done.
You can learn more about the Sawstop contractor saw by visiting our website.
The post Be Amazed by the Safety Features in the Sawstop Contractor Saw Demonstration appeared first on .