Who's buying all these StopSaws?

[Lane Mabbett]

Its the human condition to become complacent and therefor less careful when the risk is removed. It cannot be avoided and its a 100% guarantee. Now a $5000 pushstick, that is something to see.
Id give the HoooTayyy sign ceptin Im missing my thumb and index finger.....on both hands.

There's no absolute guarantee that the safety mechanism is going to fire as designed, so you're never any less vigilant than if you were using your table saw.

[Ken Milhinch]

The one thing I do not understand is why the people that do not own one hate them so much. I will never force any of you to come use mine, but I love it and to me it was worth every dime. I am a spend thrift by nature and I have never even given a second thought to what I spent for it....

James, I don't think we hate them, its just the evangelical attitude of some of the sawstop owners, who seem hell bent on converting us all. I don't even have access to one in my country, yet I dislike the brand already.
I also find the arguments disingenuous when they start talking about the sawstop having a riving knife, as if no other saw has one. I would point to the PM2000, and on the PM you get to use the blade guard and the riving knife at the same time, which you can't do on a sawstop.
No doubt it is a very good saw, but plenty of other saws have flat tables and cut wood accurately.

[Kevin Scott]

I have limited space in my shop and finances are also a bit limited right now. I am planning on buying the contractor model Sawstop later this year when they are released. Until that time, I won't be using my Craftsman tablesaw. I experienced some nasty kickback a few months ago that really scared me. I have decided that using the saw isn't worth the risk and am using my bandsaw and/or other tools to currently fulfill my needs.

[David Giles]

Who buys Sawstops?
- people with excess cash. Thriving professionals or hobbiest with good jobs.
- WW who are learning. Many don't have mentors, instructors or any guidance as to what is safe or not.
- People with jobs that really need their fingers or they lose their incomes.
- People who saw in the evenings when they are tired after a full day of work.
- Shops and schools that have liability for others. Parents and grandparents included.

Who doesn't buy a Sawstop?
- folks on a tighter budget.
- WW with 5 years of experience and safe work habits.
- people who are confident that accidents will never happen to them.
- people with European sliders, automatic feeders or other high end safety equipment.

I've probably missed a couple of categories.

[Glen Blanchard]

Its the human condition to become complacent and therefor less careful when the risk is removed.

Hogwash, I say!!! I wonder if the opposite might be true in the case of the SawStop. That is to say, that perhaps those who have paid a premium for a safety feature in recognition of just how dangerous a table saw is, are actually more likely to remain diligent so as to never to test its efficiency.

[Ken Milhinch]

Hogwash, I say!!! I wonder if the opposite might be true in the case of the SawStop. That is to say, that perhaps those who have paid a premium for a safety feature in recognition of just how dangerous a table saw is, are actually more likely to remain diligent so as to never to test its efficiency.

Judging by the number of people who sawstop claim (on their website) to have saved their digits, I doubt that is true either. Probably neither argument really holds water.

[Ken Milhinch]

shouldnt one just test it with a hotdog before each use?

[Matt Lentzner]

shouldnt one just test it with a hotdog before each use?

Isn't the blade wrecked when the stop is engaged?

[Don Bullock]

Spencer, with all due respect, that argument is getting very old. If you don't like the SawStop then I'd suggest that you not buy one, but avoiding one just because you think that a push stick will make someone more careful and safe is ridicules. There isn't a 100% garuntee on anything being safer or less safe.

[Matt Lentzner]

Spencer was just taking the ----.

OK, I get the joke now, but there is a valid concern beneath it all. How do you know the mechanism is working? The one demo I saw stated that both the stop mechanism and the blade have to be replaced when the feature is enabled.

I am in general favorably inclined to safety features in general and the SwStop in particular. The big issue for me is whether it will work 5, 10, 20 years from now, and that you know if it doesn't. Possibly there is a positive test you can run that lets you know it is working without the attendant mechanical carnage.

Admittedly, I don't know that much about it, but I am interested for sure. $1000 is pretty cheap insurance for something as valuable as your fingers, but you also need to be 100% sure it's going to work if you ever need it to.

Matt

[Eric Wong]

I am in general favorably inclined to safety features in general and the SwStop in particular. The big issue for me is whether it will work 5, 10, 20 years from now, and that you know if it doesn't. Possibly there is a positive test you can run that lets you know it is working without the attendant mechanical carnage.

Matt

The saw has test circuitry built into it. You have to turn the saw on, let it run through its tests, then you can turn on the actual blade and start cutting. Of course, its always possible that the test could give you a false OK, but it seems unlikely. Who knows about 20 years from now....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hey guys......You are starting to drift from the subject of the thread....Who's buying all these Sawstops.......

I don't own a Sawstop........I've got no axe to grind......

If you think you're safer with a Sawstop buy one......

If you don't want one....don't

This thread is about Who is buying them.......

[Andrew Williams]

I am going to buy one. My woodworking has gradually turned into more than a hobby for me and my gut has told me to buy one. I always go with my gut.

Personally, I don't care very much for some of the remarks that have been made over time against the Sawstop, and people who choose it. As if wanting an extra measure of safety were something to be embarassed about. On the contrary, it is something to be proud of in my opinion. I was the recipient of a finger injury due to an accident far from any woodshop, and my career was nearly terminated as a result. I have been fortunate that the nature of the injury (and the subsequent operation and recovery) made it possible to continue my successful career as a musician, albeit with a few changes in technique. I will be reminded of that day for the rest of my life. Every time I write, try to open a bag of chips, feel around for something that fell under a table. Even the simple act of holding hands with a woman is different now, and even occasionally painful.

Sawstop does not guarantee against injury. If it did, I would seriously re-consider, since I do not believe that any intelligent and thoughtful maker of a tool designed to cut wood could possibly make such a guarantee. What is does is add a measure of protection. You use all of the different measures of protection you have. Your brain obviously, guards, jigs, and perhaps a decision to use a different tool for a specific job. The brake system gives you better odds if something goes wrong. Something went wrong for me several years ago. It was my own fault for not paying attention, and there would not have been (and could not be) an option like a Sawstop for the nature of my accident.

My point is that, since I am a careful person, I acknowledge that I am not perfect and try to do everything I can to limit risks. That means that every time I climb on my tractor with the ROPS up, I put on my seat belt. Even if I am not going to drive the tractor a long distance, or over rough terrain. I just do it. Many people choose to ignore this and drive ROPS tractors without a seat belt (an action which actually increases your chance of injury since now the roll bar becomes a person-crusher). That is their choice. I care not one little drop for machismo or any of that sort of thing. What I do care about is quality of life, and that means doing what I can to ensure that I have complete use of my body for as long as possible.

[Rick Moyer]

I have a question and it is only a question for information purposes only; not to condemn or condone one way or the other:

IF you stop the saw by your finger,hotdog,etc. and the blade stops,retracts,...
How does it reset? Do you have to purchase,reset,fix something? Or do you just crank it back up into position and restart the saw?
The demontration videos don't seem to address this.

Thanks for the info.

[Joe Chritz]

It is interesting to say the least.

Anyone remember when anti-lock brakes started to become popular and regularly available? I have had several (maybe a dozen or so) performance driving classes and to start with everyone hated anti-locks. Now you can't even find regular production cars without them.

As for the Sawstop, the decision is, as always, yours and yours alone. The information you will find here that is useful will be on the quality of the machine itself. Universally it appears to be a quality built machine, as good and any other cabinet saw.

From there it is up to you. I do expect to see more and more of them in applications where liability is a driving factor. Time will tell.

Joe