Thursday, July 26, 2012
Is DeWalt Working On A Saw Stop Mandate Work-Around?
Tool-Rank.com: If you have done any reading on the purposed Saw Stop mandate, you have probably noticed that most of the article writers are against it. It is not that we are against safety, we just don't like being told what to do, let alone by politicians that have probably never even used a table saw. And since we have the inventor of the Saw Stop to blame for these new safety regulations,
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4 comments:
I for one can't wait for DeWalt to release their own solution. At least in this particular field, more competition is definitely needed. SawStop has been unchallenged thus far in table saw safety measures, so it is pleasing to see other manufacturers coming up with their own solutions. I welcome increased safety measures, just not when it creates a monopoly and hurts the end consumer. Hat-tip to DeWalt for coming up with an original solution and coming up with a competing product to SawStop!
After just reading an article on how the SawStop was going to be required in shops all over, I am happy to see some competition forming to combat the expensive SawStop. The new requirement would have lead to a monopoly, but if DeWalt can pull this off then there would be an end to that. I hope that DeWalt are successful in their attempts because the SawStop is very expensive and I like to see competition.
There are a few things here that are interesting. First, along with the law, I don’t think that there should be a company specific mandate that lets sawstop gain a monopoly over the market, but I do like what it is apparently doing to the other saw manufacturers, causing them to rethink their safety mechanisms and install new ones, all which will benefit workers and consumers. The second point that this article makes is the new way in which cuts could be prevented, as they are detected in a similar way. I have a few concerns about this. First I wonder if any damage could come to your hand by being pushed away from the saw at the speeds that would be necessary to prevent injury. Also I wonder whether suddenly jerking the hand away from contact with the blade could have any negative effects such as a more severe or damaged wound. Since after an accident with a sawstop tool, the user can put a bandaid on their finger and go back to work, I think that anything that causes a more severe injury will not be popular. I personally believe that instead of pushing the blade away or the hand away, stopping the blade suddenly with a reverse current is the way to go.
DeWalt's "work-around" for the SawStop mandate may be a plausible idea for shop workers who feel that a mandate on using the patented SawStop is too invading. I see one downside, though, which is the defense mechanism in the proposed patent. The shield that comes up when a finger or other part of the body is sensed can cause the user to be startled, which in turn can cause reflexes which may lead to further injuries. In addition, whatever piece of material the user is cutting will be lifted away from the blade which might end up resulting in a throwback-type situation. However, more options definitely creates a better feeling than a forced safety precaution limited to one patent.
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