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And If We Did, Would You Pass the Test?

Whether or not the Consumer Product Safety Commission should mandate the inclusion of “flesh-detecting technology” in new table saws has generated much debate. When the article in USA Today appeared on Wednesday, I questioned some of the numbers being used, and asked CPSC for the source. In response, I received documents and memos used by the commission, and the facts and statistics about table saw accidents surprised me. Before we can intelligently decide what society should do about table saw injuries, we need to understand who is getting hurt, and why. I’m not advocating that the government require training and licensing to be able to purchase a table saw, but the numbers involved make a better case for that scenario than for mandating additional safety equipment.

It’s also important to recognize what we don’t know, and that starts with the number of tables saws in use in the United States. The best estimate is between 6 and 10 million, including benchtop saws, mid-range contractor saws, and cabinet saws. That estimate is based on numbers of saws sold, and a guess at a useful life of 10 to 15 years. Over the last 10 years, accidents to users of table saws requiring emergency room treatment have averaged about 38,000 per year, with about 10 percent of those injuries requiring amputation of some form. Those 3,800 amputations aren’t detailed further; the loss of a fingertip is counted
the same as the loss of an entire finger or hand.

The first surprise was the number of injuries incurred in home shops in comparison to professional shops. You might think that because pros have more exposure to saws, they would have more chances of injury.
The vast majority of injuries, 95 percent of table saw accidents, happen in the home, not at work. One of the reasons CPSC is looking specifically at table saws is that the amputation rate, as well as the hospitalization rate, is higher for these injuries than for other consumer products. Of injuries, 83 percent involved contact with the blade, and 94 percent were to fingers.

Table saws account for more injuries than other types of saws. Of total power saw injuries reported, table saws account for 73 percent, miter saws 15 percent, band saws 8 percent and radial arm saws 4 percent. This doesn’t mean other saws are safer; the difference can also be explained by other factors such as more table saws in use more often than other saws.

So who are these people heading from home to the emergency room after a table saw accident? Ninety-six percent of injuries occur to men, and the average age is 51 years. Fifty-six percent of those injured were 51 years of age or older, and 25 percent were 65 or
older. These demographics are similar to our magazine’s readership. Eighty-five percent of injuries happened to the owner of the saw, and 20 percent of saws involved in injuries were 1-year-old or newer. In two-thirds of the cases, the hands were pushing or feeding stock at the time of the injury, with kickback pulling a hand into the blade accounting for around one injury in five.  The blade guard was reported in place on twenty-two percent of table saw injuries.

So what is it about woodworking as a hobby that accounts for these rates of injuries? This is addressed in a CPSC memo from June 2006 that provides a “human factor” analysis and compares hobbyists to
professionals. The memo notes that almost all home woodworkers have a table saw and there is no requirement or training required to own one.

The basic cuts are easy to accomplish, and that builds confidence in using the saw.  But stepping beyond the basics is where many injuries occur. This quote from the memo sums it up well: “Inexperienced
or untrained home users may not comprehend their lack of  nowledge or experience in operating their table saw. They may discover dangerous or difficult operations only by actually experiencing near accidents or problems. They may have no or little knowledge about how to properly set
up and operate the saw to perform more complex types of operations. Typically, they will have no training or oversight by experienced woodworkers.”

Age and environment are also elements that are just as important as the saw itself. On age the memo says, “Safe table saw operations require healthy vision and depth perception, well-functioning eye-hand coordination, complex decision making, accurate memory, hearing, and, at times, moderate or greater strength.”

To put it kindly, many of us over 50 face some challenges in these areas. And we tend to work in cramped, poorly lit areas in garages and basements where we may be interrupted at any time by an innocent spouse, child or pet. It only takes a moment of distraction to stick a hand into a spinning saw blade.

The memo also addresses the issue of guarding systems, in particular the fact that poorly constructed guards, or guards that are difficult or time-consuming to remove and replace, tend to go unused. There is an element of wishful thinking in the memo that guards are more likely to be used in professional shops than at home, due to the threat of an OHSA
citation and fine. In my experience in professional shops, the clunky guards also go unused, but they stay close to the saw so they can be put on quickly if an inspector walks in. The exception to this is European-style guarding that is well-designed, doesn’t get in the way and is easy to remove and replace. New saws introduced after 2008, and all saws on the market after 2014, will need this type of guard to get UL approval. Improved guarding is a step in the right direction, but it isn’t the total solution.

We can get up in arms and debate what the government or industry should or shouldn’t do, but that sidesteps the real question: What can each of us personally do to keep ourselves safe, and how best can we help new woodworkers stay safe? Leave a comment or send an e-mail with your thoughts.

– Robert W. Lang

Click Here to Read the CPSC Memo on Human Factors in Table Saw Injuries

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Showing 32 comments
  • Chales King

    I am 84 years old. Been using Table Saws for 72(yes,72) years. NEVER A NICK! Only careless IDIOTS get hurt with power tools. Guards are a JOKE! On "skil saws, two TRIGGERS is stupid.
    We have too many Government "SAFEGUAERDS" already!
    Just use common sense and keep all 8 fingers and both thumbs.

  • Ric Washburn

    I have only been a professional woodworker since 2007. However, I have used several different saws with various types of safety systems.

    My personal experience has been that poorly desined and constructed guards are more dangerous than no guards at all. The anti-kickback pawls on my small benchtop saw are a perfect example. After having them jam the wood against the blade in such a way that almost caused me to run my hand into the blade for the 5th time, I finally got wise and removed them. The exposed blade is for me a constant reminder of the danger of using it.

    I have also used a European style saw with the "best" guards installed. After having the guard trap the board aganst the table multiple times (which results in the desire to just shove it harder to get it to feed) I am not sure that they are the best answer either.

    I do like the riving knife on the European saws but even it needs some work to make it better as you can only use the saw if the blade is cutting clear through the wood, i.e., no tennons or rabbites.

    The best guard system I have used is the over head style, but you can not cut anything smaller than about 4" wide with it in place, so cutting smaller pieces, which are inherently more dangerous to cut, requires the guard to be removed.

    Having used a SawStop (not mine) for about a year, I am not convinced that they are all that great either. I have seen multiple times (5 times in one year) where they tripped without any "human flesh" being involved at all, and at $400.00 a pop that adds up fast. Also the safety claims for them cuase many users to rely on the machine to keep them safe rather than their brain.

    Every demonstation of the SawStop I have seen used an extremely slow "feed rate" rather than what would be a typical accident "feed rate". Falling or kickback type approach rates are typically so fast that you can not react in time to stop before you hit the blade. The demonstraions have always used a feed rate that is about 1/3 to 1/2 or less those typicaly used to feed a board into a saw normally, instead of what would happen in an accident.

    As a former electronics repairman, I know how likely electronics are to fail. The safety circuit is supposedly checked every time you turn the saw on and will not let you use the saw if it isn’t working, however, I also know that any safety circuit can and will fail eventually. So it is only a matter of time before someone loses a finger to the SawStop.

    To put it in perspctive, even when funtioning correctly, if you are using a 40 tooth 10" blade on the saw, in the 5 milliseconds that it takes to stop the blade, 13 teeth have passed the contact point (and yes the blade is retracting as well, but . . .). If the contact point is at the front of the blade, it might not cut you much, but you could still end up needing stitches. If you are falling onto the top of the blade, the injury will most likely result in needing stitches, but losing a digit is not as likely. So, yes it is "safer" than other saws, but relying on it to keep you from getting hurt is unrealistic.

    In my opinion every person that uses a table saw is responsible for their own safety while using it. If they do something stupid, injury will result, but that is no body’s fault but their own.

  • dino makropoulos

    Bob, It is very hard to separate my thoughts and roles. As a carpente/cabinetmaker for 25 years, as an inventor and a licensed woodshop teacher and now a maker and a seller of tools that we invented to solve problems.

    Back to the issue at hand?
    The tablesaw was invented after the panel intro.
    It was never intended for the diy market.
    There is nothing that we can do to make it right.
    Much easier to start allover and make new tools that they confirm to the Dead Wood Concept.
    I can’t Imagine a milling machine without a vise.

    I think that we ( woodworkers) can save the trade and hobby that for many people is a simple need.
    Right now woodworking is the most expensive and the same time the most dangerous hobby and trade.
    If we can make it safer and affordable instead of few Normalites we will have million(s)? new woodworkers every year.
    Imagine the huge market that we’re forcing away from us?
    IImagine the benefits of keeping the woodshops at the schools and the kids safe and busy making stuff instead of looking for answers in drugs?
    thanks

    dino
    eurekazone

  • Bob Lang

    Dino,

    I’m letting your first comment stay for now, but your second one crossed the line and has been deleted. You’re welcome to discuss the issue at hand, but it isn’t appropriate for you to promote your product in this space. I’ll be happy to put you in touch with our advertising people.

  • dino makropoulos

    Hi guys.
    Keep in mind that we use equipments invented before the panels…later we included sliding tables to the wrong tools to move the panels against a blade and a fence. working against all forces instead of working with them.

    We like to design tools that offer the safety and quality of the dead wood concept.
    The idea is used in heavy duty industrial machinery for ages. Imagine feeding planks of 4" white oak lumber in a 40 HP gang rip saw without the overhead pressure rollers? Instant death.

    The diy market works with the wrong tools and we need to stop the bad reputation of woodworking and re-open the trade schools.

    Most woodworkers think that the dead wood concept is bad for woodworking. No Table saws. No injuries.
    No macho man? Instead af cattering to few brave Normalites…why not telling the public that we can have safe woodworking and we can re-open the trade schools if we start to think and learn how the beam saws and gang rip saws work?

    the latest answer to the problem was invented few months ago.
    The ripsizer. Here is a videoshowing 4-5 cuts in less than 4 minutes? The bridge applies pressure against the wood and the saw slides on the track/clamp. Cleaner cuts and very accurate using rip stops instead of binding fences.
    Enjoy and feel free to send me an email at ezsmart@gmail.com and I will do my best to help your cause. After all, you guys have the power and the know how to "talk".
    I;m only a carpenter who loves woodworking and the trades. Thanks.
    dino
    eurekazone inc. Enjoy the dark video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5XTTGqR0Sw

  • Lee Reiners

    Any power machine with sharp fast moving parts is dangerous. Ripping with a 3 TPI blade on a bandsaw can also be dangerous. Radial arm, portable circular, and miter saws all use the same type of rotating blades. I run chainsaws for my tree service and they can be even more dangerous and any homeowner has access to all of these tools without any license or formal training. Butcher shops contain the same type of dangerous equipment, designed specifically to cut flesh. This all comes down to personal responsibility and common sense. Open the manual to any of these tools and the first several pages are dedicated to safety and proper operation.

    Sawstop has changed the field with their technology and anyone is free to buy one. Perhaps their competitors can come up with their own technology to compete with Sawstop. I also fear that some people will get a false sense of security and become even more careless with an additional safety device in place.

    I am not at all against Sawstop. Both my father and I have received hand injuries on the same saw, due to our own neglegence. I have since purchase a guard for the saw on E-bay, and it is always in place unless the operation calls for the guard to be removed. I just don’t believe our government has any business mandating that everyone use a patented technology that favors one company. If the government was that concerned, perhaps they should have denied the patent to Sawstop as being too important to restrict to one company (not likely to happen).

    Just my two cents on the matter. Be safe everyone!

  • Matt

    Dean wrote: "I have to believe that with additional brands of table saws offering this solution [flesh-sensing, auto-stop technology (FSAT)] that the prices will come down, and if there are such intelligent entities in existence that can make the solution affordable, then this solution could be offered across all table saw models all the way down to the least expensive."

    And:
    "Even better would also be a retrofit solution, at a reasonable price, for existing table saws."

    As to point 1, I agree that it is only a matter of time before others offer similar technology, but the price precedent has been set and few sawyers will junk their saws and invest thousands to upgrade, which is the situation today.

    As to point 2, this seems a more likely scenario and I hope manufacturers are burning the midnight oil working on this one.

    Personally, I have a healthy respect for my tablesaw (okay, I am a bit afraid of it because I have acquaintances who have had accidents with them)so I like to think I am extra careful, but that is no guarantee. I look forward to affordable FSAT, and obviously, the sooner the better.

  • JR Allen

    I have 2 questions
    1. How much alcohol was involved in these accidents?
    2. Would an inexpensive splitting guard stopped most of the kick back accidents.

    I have been a woodworker for 50 years ( started on a Shopsmith) with my dad at the age of 10. We built a boat. I ran my hand though the saw one time. Luckily no amputations. But that was and has been the only accident I have had. A sharp Blade is one of the best tools for safety you can have.

  • Chris C

    Issues w/ SawStop:

    1. Large tool companies are likely wary of licensing
    from a small company w/ a technology they do not understand.

    2. The (possibly false) implied liability issue. Many
    vendors are afraid that if they install such a
    device it suggests that the saw is "safe" and then when
    the user gets hurt anyway(a fluke, or more likely from
    a kickback) they are liable.

    This is the same logic that causes the NFL to not mandate concussion inhibiting helmets for players.

    3. Cost. Like somebody pointed out, the cost difference is
    WAY more than 10-20%.

    4. The device is not practical for smaller saws.

    5. I have heard rumors that there is some momentum for
    an industry standard "flesh detection" system. Perhaps
    vendors are waiting for this to be viable to free them
    from sole source licensing.

    Solutions:

    1. Use your guard whenever possible.

    2. Buy a saw with a good riving knife if possible.

    3. Buy a SawStop if practical.

    4. If you have ANY doubts about a cut, walk away. Find
    some other way to do it.

    5. Use the right jigs, and hold downs for the operation
    at hand to control the stock.

    6. DON’T stand right behind the blade. Move off to the
    side.

    7. If you are tired, angry, distracted, etc get out
    of the shop or just use hand tools.

    8. Use hand tools.

  • Jeremy

    Is license really necessary for table saw? This is very ridiculous… How about the government strengthen their drive against firearms and the like not diverting to a simple household tools. This issue is really very funny.

  • AL ONDIC

    Bob enjoyed your post.

    Assuming 8 million saws (a figure midway between the 6 & 10 million, in your post) and looking at the stats documenting 38,000 injuries. This equates to .475% for 8 million saws, or roughly one injury for every 200 saw owners. I personnaly do not believe this percentage which is 1/2 of 1% warrants gov’t involvement, regarding this issue.

    Lets assume the gov’t gets involved, and dictates
    SawStop or equal for all future saws. Table saws are not cheap to begin with, with the likely outcome that table saws would end up costing considerably more, I can see where some % of people would say possibly
    do something along the lines of mounting a circular saw to the underside of a table. Wonder what that will do to the injury stats, it will not reduce the injuries, in my opinion.

  • Greg M

    Just as a point of fact, SawStop’s are considerably more than 10-20% more expensive than the alternatives. The SS contractor saw is about $1,600; competing models from Delta and DeWalt run about $600-800. That’s more than double.

  • John Tran

    I’m baffled by all the strong opinions regarding Sawstop.

    1. Cost, yes it costs more, but this same sentiment isn’t there for Festool or other European power tool companies. Sawstop is 10-20% more than a comparable saw. Festool and the european companies are routinely 100-200% more, but people buy them like hotcakes.
    2. Not made in America. Lots of brands aren’t. But it IS an American company. Plenty of woodworking brands are not american companies or made in America.
    3. Politics. The same level of politics being used to push this technology on to all saws is the same type of politices existing companies pulled to reject this technology. From a business perspective wouldn’t you think Gass would prefer to license his technology rather than getting all the capital to start an industrial tool company?
    4. Machismo. I know someone who made it a point to take a stab at my Sawstop several times, noting it was not necessary if the user properly used the saw. A month later, he cut his finger off. For the second time in 10 years. Machismo has no place in woodworking, especially in regards to safety.

  • Bruce Jackson

    I saw the EZ-One. At $1300 for something that any of us can easily make for ourselves … all I can say is "Yikes, it doesn’t get any worse, does it?"

    Festool, if I recall correctly, has something very similar in concept to go with their circ saws and routers. And then there are panel saws which also allows you to use your circ saw and router.

    One thing I found nice about the circ saw and router is that, as you do with your jackknife, you can point the business side of the tool away from yourself, minimizing the risk of severe injury.

    Thus, sorry guys, I begin to think the classic table saw configuration with the stock between you and the tool and the spinning blade forever pointed menacingly at your hands, arms, etc., has always been a brain-dead idea. I’m all for doing something safer and just as effective.

    Excuse me while I boot up Sketchup to design a knock-down horizontal panel saw / router …

  • Bob Strawn

    There are other alternatives to the Saw Stop. I for one, do not like safety or backup systems that cannot be regularly and immediately tested.

    The Ez-One, http://eurekazone.com/content/ez-one , is one such alternative.

    My personal preference is to use hand tools whenever possible. Dust and noise are just not the same issue without power tools.

    Bob

  • GMan

    What’s next? Licenses for lawn mowers!

  • David

    A table saw is inherently dangerous, but when it is manufactured to an appropriate standard and used correctly in accordance with recommended practises it is safe to use. A license like most other government controls tends to encourage those who were most likely going to do the right thing anyway, and those others will most likely not, and continue to have accidents.

    If table saws are to be licensed and controlled is this a greater priority than other issues with significant risks e.g. firearms, raising & education children

  • Frank V

    Interesting stuff and well presented. Thanks Bob.

    A couple of observations…

    On the 22% thing. One way to view it is to consider that if 100% of people used guards, then 100% of accidents would occur with the guard on. So the 22% doesn’t reveal much because we don’t know what percent of operators use a guard. If we knew that 50% used guards and 50% didn’t – and that 22% of accidents occurred with guard and 78% occurred without guards – we would know that guards really work at reducing risk.

    There is a huge market for small, inexpensive, lightweight table saws. The starting price is around $129. None of these are going to work with a blade-stopping technology like Saw Stop. To handle the forces of stopping the blade, I think you have to be at the high-end contractor/hybrid/cabinet saw level. I can’t see fitting saw stop into a saw selling at $500 to $1000 – forget about putting it in a saw that sells around the same price as a good 10′ blade. SawStop’s entry model Contractor saw sells for about $1600 and is a heavy duty saw.

    Were the safety technology to be mandated, virtually the whole line of "retail floor" saws would no longer be viable. Look at the saws that sell off the floor of Home Depot, Lowes or Sears next time you’re there. Most of them are horrible, unsafe, and inaccurate. I bet they make up a large percentage of overall sales for table saw manufacturers and they are worried about losing that revenue. I also bet these saws are involved in a large number of the homeowner accidents.

    Frank

  • Paul

    Don’t ban high performance saws, ban low performance saw operators.

  • Fred West

    Bob,

    Just two quick comments. First I would also like to know how the 22% happened with the guard on and secondly can we not assume from the numbers above that if 3800 amputations a year happen and 94% of all saw accidents happen to the fingers that 3572 of those amputations are probably fingers?

    Knock on wood but in 11 years I have never had even a near accident with my tablesaw blade and I use it daily down in my basement where my shop is. However, I took two classes on tablesaw safety when I first started and that really helped me.

    Fred

  • Dean

    Is Stephen Gass the only one alive that has enough intelligence and education to create a flesh detection mechanism, or a functional equivalent, for a table saw? I have to believe that on the staff of the major table saw manufacturers, are men and women who can “invent” a proper solution to the problem. So what is the disconnect? Liability? Not enough profit? Momentum? No one can slow down long enough to spend time to create a solution.

    Once the other manufactures of table saws come up with a credible solution, then the playing field is much more level and we now have choices. I have to believe that with additional brands of table saws offering this solution, that the prices will come down, and if there are such intelligent entities in existence that can make the solution affordable, then this solution could be offered across all table saw models all the way down to the least expensive. Even better would also be a retrofit solution, at a reasonable price, for existing table saws.

  • Dreamcatcher

    Robert and Glen,
    These two recent table saw posts are great. I get so fed up with statistical reporting in the news; the type that uses hyped up numbers to inspire fear. I sincerely hope that these two blog posts can combine into an article in the magazine to debunk some of the mainstream media hype.

    DC

  • Merlin Vought

    Sorry no law to stop carelessness and stupidity has been all that successful. Personal responsibility is the only answer.

  • Mark Maleski

    Bob, Excellent article, thanks for continuing to explore this important and potentially incitive issue. Without advocating one position or another, I too think of the analogy to seatbelts. Seatbelts protect the user, not others (an exception to Steve’s point that "…almost invariably, the reason for [Government’s] restriction is the damage that you can do to others"). Since the potential CPSC mandate focuses on manufacturers vice users, it’s seems analogous to the ruling that all car manufacturers must install seatbelts…this increases the cost of the vehicle but makes it a better/safer product. The user didn’t (initially) have to use the seatbelt, but it had to be available in every car; the woodworker can bypass the flesh-sensing technology, but perhaps we’ll see a day when it too must be available on every saw.

    Along a different line of thought, do European-style sliders present a viable alternative to flesh-sensing technology?

  • Jeff Dickey-Chasins

    My frustration is that because the ‘big’ manufacturers have fought Sawstop technology tooth and nail, they’ve limited my options to buying a safer saw to only vendor: Sawstop. That’s ok, but in the capitalist/competitive system that we theoretically live in, I should have a bit more choice, eh? Even with SawStop’s significant price penalty, they’ve done incredibly well in the marketplace. If I was a competitor, it seems that I would want to jump into that apparently large and growing market, rather than fight it. Anyway, if everything stays as is, a Sawstop is on my purchase list – I know I’m not infallible, and even though I’m a very safe user, I also know that I might work too long, get distracted, or simply do something dumb. At least this saw will help limit the downside of my ‘humanness’!

  • Bob Lang

    It surprised me also, but the number of accidents with the guard in place is in line with results of the survey we did about a year ago. Guards won’t prevent an accident, they will mitigate the damage when one occurs. A lot of injuries happen when the operator isn’t paying attention to his hands in relation to the blade. While a guard will keep your hand away from the blade if it’s moving down and from the side, there isn’t anything to prevent a hand from traveling under the front of the guard along with the wood and into the path of the blade.

    The guard on a table saw is like wearing seat belt or having an air bag in your car. Assuming the presence of the guard will keep you safe is like assuming your car’s air bag will prevent you from driving into a tree.

  • Bruce Jackson

    I’m as puzzled as Jason is about the 22% of the injuries happenng with the guard in place. And I read the memo.

    The thing I share with Josh B above is not owning a table saw. I make do with a band saw (no kickback), two skill saws, a jig saw, and a chop saw. At 56, or five years past the average, I just have to remember to ride my back every other day or so to maintain some semblance of agility, particularly in my lower back and legs while cutting sheet goods to size on 2x4s on the shop (garage) floor.

    Oh, occasionally I think wistfully about getting a table saw and then remember we have to park the car in the shop at night. Not to mention coming up with a crosscut sled and a tenoning jig for my much safer band saw.

  • Steve

    There are quite a few things that do require one to have training and/or licensing to use, but almost invariably, the reason for the restriction is the damage that you can do to others (or the property of others), not to yourself.

    You can look at the numbers a different way: If a tablesaw lasts an average of ten years, and there are ten million in use at any one time, and there are 38,000 amputations over that ten-year period, then that says that only one in about 250 tablesaws is ever involved in an amputation.

    And that’s why it’s so hard to get people to take the problem seriously: While an amputation accident is devastating to the victim, it’s also pretty rare, which lulls people into the "it won’t happen to me" false sense of security.

    People are notoriously bad at risk assessment: "…I’ve been using tablesaws for thirty years and never had an accident, therefore tablesaws are perfectly safe…"

  • Jason M

    The part that I don’t understand is how 22% of the injuries occurred with the guard in place. Do they explain that?

    Also, I think it’s interesting that they consider ripping "an increasingly complicated operation." If I had to guess, I would say that I rip on my saw more often than anything else. But to their point, I recognize that it can be dangerous and always pay attention to the woods relation to the back of the blade. It would be nice if guards would better accommodate ripping. I always remove the guard and put my trust in a splitter alone. I see that some of the new guards have sides that move independent of one another. I haven’t used one, but it would be nice if one side could sit on the fence (literally), and leave the other side down to protect your hand.

  • Scott Turner

    The key point to me is this: If SawStop was free, who would turn it down? Nobody. So this isn’t an argument about principles, or government interference. It’s an argument about money.

  • Josh B

    Bob,

    This is exactly why I don’t own a table saw and work primarily with hand tools. I’m a hobbyist and I work alone. My high school didn’t offer wood shop and none of my friends or family have ever been into woodworking. When I got serious about this hobby I didn’t really have anyone to show me the ropes on table saw safety or watch over me as I worked and learned my way around the tool. My teachers have been internet message boards, blogs, magazines, books and DVDs. I also started woodworking in an apartment and my present garage is cramped enough I’m not sure how I’d have room to work on a table saw safely even if I wanted one.

    I’m not saying that table saws can’t be used safely, or even that they can’t be used safely at home, just that I don’t feel safe operating one. From what I’m taking away from the stats you just presented it sounds like my gut reaction to table saws – not safe for me to use at home unsupervised – is backed up by the accident reports. Though I’m twenty years younger than the average table saw victim that passage from the memo you quoted is still spot on for me.

    My worst accident in the shop was with a handsaw, I was cutting a short section of 12/4 ash with a big ripper and just as I was starting the cut the saw jumped out of the kerf and into the thumb of my off hand, which I was using to steady the blade while starting the cut. It was my fault and due entirely to working too late while fatigued. That injury shattered a good part of my fingernail and tore a nasty trench into the tip of my thumb. I went to the doctor the next day and was fortunate that all I needed was a tetanus shot, gauze and wound care instructions. A similar lapse on a table saw would have cost me the whole thumb or worse and required an ambulance ride to the ER that night.

    Cheers,

    Josh

  • Larry Eiss

    Well Bob, you have changed my perspective. I still don’t want to see Saw-Stop or anything like it mandated by law, but I do have a clearer view of the real numbers behind all this and I can see that it isn’t just a bunch of hype. Thank you for the follow-up article!

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