nateswoodworks Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 Last year I bought a new cabinet saw and because I have 2 future woodworkers I was really torn about buying now or waiting and getting a sawstop, but a great deal on mine and the choice was easier. The being said I have seen it in action at a couple shows and I was truely impressed. At one show they moved it through the blade fast, real fast. I would hope by now most schools would have one, our school district desided that woodshop wasn't important Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trace Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 When I was a kid (100 years ago) Burma-Shave had signs along the roadside with some kind of sayings, usually witty. The one I remember best went as follows; No matter how beautiful, No matter how new, The best saftey device, In your car is you. I believe that that adage applies to all of our tools, both hand and power. I've had some stitches, and keep a first aid kit in the shop just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gina Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 I activated the brake today. Now I can't get the blade off the saw. Has anyone else had any experience with how to get it to move after this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Hi, Gina, welcome to the forum! I had it fire when I was dumb enough to push my Incra miter fence into it. It tends to be a little difficult to remove because the brake is pressing against the blade pressing against the arbor. Take the arbor nut off and the washer. Undo the brake's pin and remove it (the red one). Wiggle the brake to remove it. After it scoots over a bit, I'd put the blade wrench behind the blade and gently pry it. I've had to do that with my dado blades when I first got them as they were really tight on the arbor. Once the blade starts to move you should be okay. If you have more problems, though, give SawStop's technical support line a call. They are very very helpful. If your brake fired because it hit your finger, you can find out from them where to send it in. If you send it in, they send you a replacement brake if you hit flesh. (The want the old brake since it records what happened at the time of the firing; with that data, they can improve the algorithm so for your trouble, they send you a new brake). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrust Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 One of my co-worker's sons just last week witnessed a fellow student cut off one of his fingers in shop class. (on a table saw) They found the finger in a pile of sawdust halfway across the room. Took it to the hospital with the injured student, but the doc's were unable to reattach it for what reason I don't know. The powers that be at the school are most likely considering purchasing a Sawstop now, and are wishing very much that they had done that much earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gina Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Hi, Gina, welcome to the forum! I had it fire when I was dumb enough to push my Incra miter fence into it. It tends to be a little difficult to remove because the brake is pressing against the blade pressing against the arbor. Take the arbor nut off and the washer. Undo the brake's pin and remove it (the red one). Wiggle the brake to remove it. After it scoots over a bit, I'd put the blade wrench behind the blade and gently pry it. I've had to do that with my dado blades when I first got them as they were really tight on the arbor. Once the blade starts to move you should be okay. If you have more problems, though, give SawStop's technical support line a call. They are very very helpful. If your brake fired because it hit your finger, you can find out from them where to send it in. If you send it in, they send you a replacement brake if you hit flesh. (The want the old brake since it records what happened at the time of the firing; with that data, they can improve the algorithm so for your trouble, they send you a new brake). That is pretty much what happened to me guess I'd better build on an ancillary fence for the miter gauge out of something other than aluminum, huh? Solved the question of whether it works or not though. I can't find the scratch on the fence. I can get the brake off, but the blade just won't move more than a third of an inch or so. I'll just keep fiddling and prying and talk to the sawstop people. As a doctor I guess I don't get the whole "Oh I'm so safe nothing could ever happen to me" line of argument about this saw. First it's a great saw. Then it is a lot less likely to chop off my fingers. A very good thing. But it isn't fair that we can't get it on a cheaper saw for those of us that can't afford a really good saw. I've known too many good careful people who have suffered immensely when automatic safety equipment could have saved them, be that in cars or on saws. Those airbags are amazing things. Now if we could just hook up an alcohol meter and a teenager lockout my ER guys would have nothing to do.:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 But it isn't fair that we can't get it on a cheaper saw for those of us that can't afford a really good saw. In the reviews I've read, the top of the line SawStop compares well with other saws in the same price range, ignoring the brake. So, the brake isn't a big part of the cost. From what I've read and seen, the SawStop brake needs a saw that is manufactured to close tolerances with heavy duty construction. Otherwise after each "event" the tolerances would be knocked out and it might not work correctly the next time. So, you can add the brake to an expensive, heavy duty saw, but you can't put the brake on a light-weight, inexpensive saw. At least, that's my guess based on what I've read and seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usacomp2k3 Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 do you drive wilder now that your car has an air-bag and seat belts? yie-haw! punch it, Cooter... I will honestly admit that I drive slightly more aggressively in wet conditions on my new car with ABS than my old one without because I feel more confident that I can stop in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 I will honestly admit that I drive slightly more aggressively in wet conditions on my new car with ABS than my old one without because I feel more confident that I can stop in time. And I cut thinner pieces of wood using a GrrRipper knowing that I can safely control the wood without endangering my fingers. The Saw Stop equivalent would be, "I drive slightly more aggressively in wet conditions on my new car with airbags because I know that if I hit something, the airbags reduce the risk of injury, but guarantee a few hundred dollars in expense to replace the airbag module (not to mention body work)." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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