Originally Posted by
Alan Schaffter
If you read the SawStop literature, website, etc, somewhere (maybe in an email I got from Dr. Gass?) it says to get the short response time they wanted, they needed both the blade break and the blade drop. If you look at the arc of the blade and the path it follows- the movement of the blade is AWAY from the the leading edge (away from the hot dog). So the response time relies on both actions. A nice bit engineering without the use of explosives.
As a serious tinkerer and designer, I am convinced however, there is a way to achieve the same or faster response time, WITHOUT destroying the blade, using a combination of drop away and a brake that contacts a companion gear instead of the blade. It will still require a sacrificial brake cartridge and special trunnion.
There is no new ground-breaking technology, engineering, or electronics in the SawStop. They were just the first to put it all together in this manner and make it work. They took a chance and bet that safety might sell- as far as I can see they won the bet!
I don't own a Sawstop and unless my retirement income is significantly increased, I probably won't replace my 12 year-old Uni.
Has anyone filmed a Sawstop "hot dog test" where the dog was moved into the blade very quickly, instead of at a snails pace? What amount of damage was done?