Wood shop projects typically center around a table saw. Most woodworkers wouldn’t think of working without one nearby. This tool, however, brings with it great danger and risk of bodily harm. Tom’s HomeShow Pros at Circle Saw introduced us to a device that can reduce the risk of these dangers.
Table Saw High Speed Danger
Circular saws, whether they’re hand held or table saws, spin between 3,000 RPM and 5,000 RPM. Anything moving that fast can quickly become a safety risk. With a table saw, kickback is the most common cause of injuries. In fact, the Journal of Trauma estimates 31,400 people with table saw injuries are treated in emergency rooms annually.
Table Saw Kickback
Kickbacks are the most common source of table saw injuries. A kickback happens when wood suddenly gets thrown backward toward the person using the saw without warning. While this often causes head or torso injuries, the sudden nature of a kickback allows the operators hand to wind up going into that spinning blade.
Which Table Saw is the Safest?
Easy answer: SawStop. While there’s no fool proof way to make table saws perfectly safe, SawStop goes a long way in that direction. Since launching in 1999, SawStop has prevent thousands of injuries, saving countless fingers.
How SawStop makes a Table Saw safer
A SawStop table saw sends a small electrical signal through the blade. Should skin or a finger come in contact with blade, the current changes. That’s because the body is conductive. Just like a GFCI turns off power, this change in signal stops the blade.
The stop is immediate. In less than 5 milliseconds, a break springs into the blade, stopping it cold and turning the motor off.
Your choice: lose your finger or replace a blade?
SawStop saves your finger, but destroys the blade. Small tradeoff for safety. To get your saw rolling again, simply replace the break cartridge and blade. It’s a process that takes less than five minutes.
You can see SawStop in action in our video or at Tom’s Certified HomeShow Pro for tools, CircleSaw.
