untrained operators? No, please no.
For me, safety is one of the primary concerns, which is why I have a sawstop. I don't really know much about sliders, so keep that in mind.
So, what are the primary safety concerns with a saw? Most people are immediately worried about hand blade contact. For this, SawStop seems to come out on top. From the rhetoric I hear, I assume that the slider is designed to keep the hands away from the blade. I am unsure how this works for people running "small" things through the saw. I can't imagine that a slider helps a lot with this, but, I am ignorant for a slider. For a regular table saw, the answer seems to be a sled. With a SawStop, you probably have some legal protection since there should not be a serious issue unless there is a hardware failure in the machine or some extra creativity on the part of the user (or running wet stuff with safety features disabled).
How about kick-back? My uneducated guess is that kick-back is more common than hand to blade contact. On the SawStop, a user can still remove safety guards that help prevent kick-back. Does a slider reduce kick-back risk?
Dado blade..... It is my understanding that in the EU, they do not allow this, but I could be mistaken. How is this done on a slider? I think that Derek mentioned an attachment that you can use.
Based on this article (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4154236/) the most common injury is related to cuts from the blade. I would be more inclined to say that the most common injury that is serious enough to go to the hospital is related to cuts from the blade. I guess that most injuries from kickback do not require a doctor visit.
http://www.finewoodworking.com/2010/...lesaw-injuries
I just spent all night keeping someone asleep while a surgeon attempted to reattach virtually every important structure in someone's hand who had a table saw accident. I sadly have to do this multiple times a year.
I bought a SawStop for myself. Was a total no-brainer for me. The Felder guys tried to talk me into a slider, which was impressive, but when my own money and hands were on the line, I chose the SawStop.
- After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
- It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.
Hi Andrew, yes sliders can have dado capability, mine does, and yes it can be used in the EU as long as the saw still meets guarding and blade braking time parameters with a dado cutter mounted.
Small stuff on a slider is often done with a "Fritz und Franz" jig on the sliding table which holds small pieces keeping your fingers away from the blade.
The slider often uses clamps to hold material so blade contact is minimized, and many sliders also have the capability to use a stock feeder........Regards, Rod.