NPR: One day about 20 years ago, Tom Noffsinger experienced every woodworker's worst nightmare: One final cut on his table saw before knocking off for the day turned into a trip to the emergency room. It was afternoon, and he'd been in his shop since morning.
"I was a little tired. I should've quit," Noffsinger says. "I ran my hand right into the blade and nearly cut my thumb off."
5 comments:
Now I know why that opinion article about hard hats was on here. Anyways, table saw injury is one of the scarier injuries I’ve seen the outcome of. At one of the theatres I interned at, I lived above the scene shop, and one morning I woke up to the screams of our Technical Director. He ran up to our apartment and was bleeding profusely from where he’d sliced the tips of his fingers on one of his hands. We were lucky that the other intern living there had medical training on how to handle something like this. She got his hand wrapped, kept it above his head, and he was rushed to the ER. He didn’t lose his fingers, though he did leave the industry not too long after that incident. The SawStop would be a much safer alternative, and while a new table saw with this technology on it is more expensive, it would save money in the longer term. The company I was working for lost quite a bit of money since they had to hire multiple carpenters (some of whom professionally built furniture) in order to get the show built in time.
I have always been scared of table saws, but I think to a healthy extent. I have no issues using them, but I am just overly aware and have to really think about exactly what I'm doing before I do it because I have heard so many horror stories from them. I think mandating safer table saws is a very good idea as it is far too easy to get injured on one, but at the same time, people need to realize that technology like SawStop does not make a table saw completely safe. Issues such as kickback are still very dangerous, and users should not get overconfident and ignore these issues or else they risk significant harm. I think many more inexperienced woodworkers, such as students, underestimate the danger of the tools they are using and just how easy it is to become significantly injured or even killed by using them.
I think the technology of the SawStop is so cool and I agree that all tables should have a SawStop so long as they still have an override feature for special circumstances like brute forcing through plastic staples. I liked the article's comparison of the SawStop to air bags in a car because airbags aren’t just there in case the driver is a bad driver, but because anyone skilled or u skilled at driving can make a mistake or become the victims of another person’s mistake. I think the argument about small businesses is valid but also if the 840 is released on contingency of the mandate going through I think companies who can’t afford to make the safest version of their tools shouldn’t be in business. I think a big downside is if it’s triggered the blade becomes unusable. However, buying a new blade is probably cheaper and less painful than paying to put your fingers back on.
I have been lucky enough to only work in shops that have had SawStop table saws, and knowing the history of accidents that happen on table saws without a SawStop I will hopefully never have to use one. The table saw is one of the most dangerous tools in a shop, and if there is any way to make it even a little bit safer then I think everyone should make that investment. I understand that personal woodworking shops with one or two people may not have the resources to buy a SawStop, but I believe strongly that any high-production shop should have no problem making the investment to make it safer for employees to work. A $4000 investment for a company is nothing in the long run, and I would definitely pay $4000 to make sure I still have all of my fingers when I go home at the end of the day. It doesn't matter how skilled you are as a woodworker, all it takes is one moment over the course of your work life and then you get hurt. SawStops are rightfully becoming the industry standard, and I'm interested to see what other tools in the future have this technology.
After just saying that leaving room in safety regulations is a good thing, I would say that I agree much more with this article. The sawstop is a technology that doesn’t interfere with the cutting power or anything that would annoy the consumer like a guard usually does. This also means that it will remain enable much more than guards remain on the saw. It’s one of the most useful safety features that I know of and I actually agree that it should be required. Or at least required above a certain size of tablesaw. While yes it may cause saw prices to go up across the board, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. And I’m sure the same thing was said about airbags when they became required, and backup cameras, etc. Just because the price will go up to make it safer doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. And just like cars, if it’s a really small table saw it shouldn’t necessarily need it, just like how golf cars that aren’t as big or go as fast don’t need airbags.
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