The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Is this the safest table saw on the market?

Sawstop ! I cant watch videos i am on dial up , saw at the show in north carolina , they are slick !, amazing technolegy !
we looked at em an decided they weent for our application all our table saws have a 3 to 6 wheel speed feed mounted on em that covers the blade , we use industrial table saws for ripping material ,now for a personal shop or small buisiness they would be perfect and teh replacement cartrige that shuts down the blade isnt that expensive if you consider loosin a finger or 2 ..
but it was just amazing to watch the product work !

I work in an industrial shop and that hot dog video is amazing. Not a bad price compared to loosing body parts.
Dan

What a great video!! What a finger saving invention. I have a delta unisaw that I have used for 20 years, but this looks much safer and better.

Yes they are indeed a safe saw.I updated to a Delta Unisaw a couple of yrs.ago.The Saw Stop was out of my price range.The Unisaw was expensive,but only about 1/2 of what a Saw Stop would cost.I am very careful when using any of my power woodworking tools.Hey,Coach Frank,I looked at a 50 yr.old Unisaw a couple of yrs.ago,would have bought it for the right price,but I was not going to get involved in a bidding war.That 20 yr.old saw you have is still a very desirable saw.

wow ,how cool is that?but hows a fella supposed to cut his hot dogs in the shop?

Yep!! Thanks Dale. I love the Delta. I think I spent $800 for it when I purchased it. It is a 5 HP with the extended table. I have another table to the left of the blade at the same height. It makes it much easier to cut a large piece of plywood. Most of my other large machinery pieces are Grizzly. They make a pretty good product for being made overseas. At least they use to anyway, I haven't purchased a large piece of machinery in at least 7 years. I hope to do alot more woodworking now since I retired this year.

Pretty amazing. Now if they could only apply that technology to what I always felt was the most dangerous saw around: the radial arm saw.

I saw it on an episode of Ask This Old House. Pretty handy but it left me with a question about normal usage. They showed someone slowly pushing a hotdog into the blade. Most times when I use my saw I don't push the stock that slowly. I'd like to see how much damage is done to the hotdog if it's fed into the blade at a more "normal" feed speed.

In my circles that is known as a 'meat saw'...it stops when it feels meat! I have been told it will fault on wet wood occasionally too. This is not a bad thing except I have also been told the new brake module is quite $pendy, and must be replaced every time it trips.

In a high school wood shop environment, the poor old brake doesn't stand a chance!

The safest saw on the market is any saw with a safety conscious operator running it.

Stuart

Cant understand why people think the radial arm saw is dangerous.They are only dangerous if you dont use them right.The radial arm saw is no substitute for a table or cabinet saw.I use my radial arm saw for crosscutting only.Any power tool in your woodshop is dangerous if you dont have the common sense to use it properly.

Yeah Frank,5 horse thats a whopper of a saw..Mine is a 3 horse,left tilt with a 52 in.extension on the right.I also built a 4 ft.by 4 ft.outfeed table which makes it nice for ripping long stock.Matter of fact,I should be out in the woodshop hooking up some new lighting,instead of sitting here in front of the puter.

Agreed, but I would bet if you ask a doctor/surgeon what they see as an origin of more fingers being cut off a radial arm saw will have a high frequency because of its tendency to pull your hand under the blade.

Common sense and using a table saw properly would also preclude you from having your finder running over the blade so that comment really doesn't hold water either. ANY tool used correctly won't cause injury.

:o I was cutting a 5" maple newel post in half lengthways about 3 weeks ago and I touched the blade .I was going real slow and just barely cut my finger so it wasn't so bad.I've gotten way too comfortable with that saw and have been slightly more aware since then.

It all depends on what we're cutting/doing but I have found that a "push stick" with a special little notch cut in it works well on the table saw but weather I use it depends on width/length I'm cutting. I'm not into the woodworking professionally but I still have the same Craftsman bandsaw,arm saw,table saw and routers that I have used since 1986 when my plant closed and I had to eat! I have a steel case belt sander that is a 1973 model and second to none. I'm gonna hate when I have to replace it. Now speaking of safety, you guys would go crazy if you seen me router wood while holding it....even small pieces. I have never owned a router table! (yes, I still have all fingers)

Robin58,just like I said.You have to use common sense to use power tools.These guys having accidents with the RA saws are not using common sense and using the saws properly.Table saws and radial arm saws are two completely different pieces of equipment.In my woodshop each one is for a specific type of cutting.I use each one very carefully,and have for years.I have never seen a radial arm saw pull someones hand into the blade.In fact on your post is the first time I have even heard of such a thing.

Not to go off topic here but I am very surprised you've never had a RA pull a piece of wood into it. I've built cabinets and grandfather clocks for over 25 years now as a hobby and have on a number of occasions had closer misses with a RA than a tablesaw. You do not need to explain the difference to me as I am fully aware of what purpose each one serves.

The point I was trying to make was purely that this same technology would be great on a radial arm saw as I am sure it hurts just as damned much if you were to cut your finger off with a radial arm saw as it would if you simply ran it through a table saw. No?

In technical terms, the severity and pain associated with a cut of this nature has a lot to do with the blade rpm, sharpness, type width, and most notable the direction of blade rotation. The radial arm saw blade is gaining on the material while rotating, thus creating more severe injury, if contact with the blade occurs.

In any case, flesh is no match for even the dullest blade. Be safe and play nice!

Tony

Professional woodworker of 20 yrs here , Radial arm saws used properly are just as safe as any other wood cutting tool ALL WOODWORKING TOOLS ARE MADE TO CUT AN THEY DONT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WOOD AND FLESH ! Training of the operator is the key ! , In my yrs as a Supervisor I have seen more fingers smashed than ever cut on the Radial Arm , from an Operator not having his material against the fence when he makes the cut or trying to cut too fast on thick material .
I have personally ran Radial's made by OMGA , 480 volt units run 20 hrs a day for yrs with no injuries but ya get a inexpierienced Operator an he will hurt himself in 2 minutes , Moral of the story : PROPER TRAINING OF THE USE OF THE EQUIPTMENT and ALL WOODWORKING TOOLS ARE JUST AS SAFE AS ANOTHER .

SW_Radial,now I can agree with your post,on power tools.Explains the situation very good.

Woodworking as a hobby and took my time buying a new cabinet table saw. If only I'd waited a few more months when the saw stop came out. I'd have bought one in a heart beat. The guy tried to sell the technology to Delta and other manufacturers but they declined so he started manufacturing his own machine. Even the safest guy in the world could have an accident. Totally worth the money.

Guys I work with told me about this saw right after I cut my finger off in February of this year with my table saw.

Bad timing!

~Ron

Seems like they will soon have safety saws of all kinds. This was the response I got from them:

One more comment on the Radial Arms.

Used properly, like any of these tools, they are fine, but I would guess that at some point they will be replaced by sliding compound miter saws.

As as far as the old saws, I don't think they can be beat by much of anything. I was drooling over some old Powermatic stuff recently. I didn't go after it because it was 3 Phase. Still kicking myself!

MikeE,

Don't let the 3 phase glitch foil anymore of your bargain tool purchases...static phase converters are real cheap and a dime a dozen. I have a 7 1/2 HP Uni-Saw running on one in my shop. My drill press, lathe and Bridgeport all run on AC frequency drives...all on 3 phase. This is a residential shop with residential power!

Stuart

You can always change out the motor, too.

Stuart and MN,

Thanks, I will do that! I got some bad advice about the converters.

The search resumes!

Mike E,yes the RAs are fast becoming replaced by sliding miter saws.However a lot of us continue to use the RAS.I have a very good miter saw in my shop,but it is not a slider.I bought my RA used a few yrs. back for a good price.To buy a good new slider you are gonna spend about $600.to $700.So I will probably continue using the RA for crosscutting and a little dado work.On my RA,I make sure the stock is flat against the fence,and and cut into it very slow.

dale ,
you got it ...pay attention to your work an do it right ..the RA is NOT a Monster ...it just needs respect an proper use ..an it can be your best freind at times.
just my 2 pennies

Wouldn't the same principal apply to any tool? For example if all saw guards are in place, there should be no way you could physically get your fingers anywhere close to the blade on a tablesaw.

Used correctly every tool is safe. Short cuts, failure to pay attention, removal of fences, guards, etc can cause issues as can not paying attention to flaws in the wood you're cutting, drilling etc.

Robin58,yeah,any tool in the hands of an unsafe user is dangerous.Even a hammer or a screwdriver.

Several high school agriculture shops in Arkansas are now using the Saw Stop table saw. I am a ag. teacher myself and I wish I had one. The teachers I know that have the saws in their shops do not tell the students what it does. You would have kids wanting to "try it out" all the time. I believe the replacement fuses run about $60 if I remember correctly. After a couple of years of use they say the saws are holding up well to the students.