Had an idea and just wonder if it makes sense, it came from the insert posting.
What is to stop a manufacturer or after market supplier providing an insert having a linear pressure sensitive strip each side of the saw blade linked to the power, so the blade does not rotate until a very short time before work approaches the teeth, and then stops again as soon as the cut is complete?
The main switch would be used to power up, when, say, LEDs would flash near the blade to indicate danger so there was a clear indication to keep hands away. There could be an audible warning and the top guard is there.
With strips close to the blade sides it seems to me that the chances of an accident would be reduced. Does anyone see merit in this?
Please forgive the title but marketing rules.
Replies
I'm sure this would be easy to do, but I doubt it would prevent most TS accidents. Of all the stories I've heard of accidents, I don't ever recall hearing of an accident that did not occur as the user was actually cutting a piece and lost control of the situation for one of a million reasons.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Do you mean an electro-mechanical clutch like on an automobile A/C compressor. Something like that could be adapted to the motor. Lets go a little further and make it a limited slip clutch so it won't kickback. Boy is this far out. Watch! Somebody will patent it and we'll loose millions.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Edited 2/26/2007 9:19 am ET by BruceS
That would probaly work, but I can already envision someone leaving the switch on and using the pressure switch to start/stop the saw. Then, it's just a matter of time until someone sits something on the saw table and the saw starts all by itself.
Dave, you would use the strips to start/stop the blade by passing the work over the strips. I visulized the strips about one centimetre either side of the blade slot so it would take a stupid jackass to energize the blade manually
Would this be the same stupid jackass who touched a moving blade while not even trying cut wood? ;-)To the man with a hammer, all the world is a nail.
Take one stupid jackass
Add 180 lbs of shyster lawyer
Mix well in the vicinity of a tool manufacturer with loads of insurance
(Are you getting my drift?? - lol)
I would bet serious money that a great many woodworkers would use your device like I described earlier. (i.e. the switch would be left on and they would just slide the wood up to the blade to start the saw and let the workpiece clear the blade so the saw would stop). Even 1 cm strips would be big enough to eventually cause an accidental start.
The only thing you need to do to stop all tablesaw accidents, other than kickbacks, is to not feed stock with your bare hands. Use a pushstick or stock feeders for rip cuts. Use a wide, solid crosscut sled for crosscuts. If not using stock feeders, always use featherboards for rips.
I'm not aware of one person who's ever been nicked while using a decent pushstick.
And use a short european fence, a splitter and a guard. Many just do not bother.
Interesting idea, but I don't see how it would make the saw safer. I think the deliberate act of turning the saw on is benificial. I have to reach through the large "Off Paddle" to get to the start button. There really is a thought, I'm turning on the saw now lets get ready to actually cut.
The second issue is how would you turn the saw off if a problem occured? I suppose you could have a manual override on the system, which would make sense.
The final issue is the moments it takes the saw blade to come up to speed.
This did giove me one idea, perhaps a sensor on the blade that measures if the blade is cutting or just running. If the saw sits idle for too long (no cutting), it cuts the power.
Mufti
Interesting idea, but I am one of the stupid jackasses that sometimes works from above the blade, lowering the work into the spinning finger-eater. I do it with care and I do it when I need to, which is regularly. At times like this, the blade is totally unprotected by any type of guard or splitters and it is only my attentiveness to safe work habits (an oxymoron in this case) that has permitted me to still continue scratching where it itches with 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.
Cutting cove mouldings can also be an issue, unless the sensor senses from the side.
Please modify your design so that I can also avail myself of an automatic on-off switch and end up forgetting where the real manual switch is.
Now, do we really need this new and improved system of powering on a machine?
PS The title of your string got my attention. That should make you smile a little. JL
jeanlou,
What you describe scares me beyond words. I'm not scolding, it's just that I couldn't bring myself to do that with any amount of coercion.
Rich
Rich
I regularly cut tenons, in thickness and height and width, on my table saw. I regularly make templates in masonite or other sheet materials with cut outs both square and rectangular using my table saw and also cut outs in plywood for various applications. Am I the only one that does?
PS I would never twist anyone's arm to do this, boys and girls. JL
No.
It's just the description of lowering material onto the spinning blade that gives me hives! Ugh!
Edited 2/26/2007 5:53 pm ET by Rich14
Rich
It must be done with "sang froid", understanding of all the possibilities and great respect & care. It is no different than some jointer planer activities I have seen - case in point: FWW April 2007 volume #190, page 55, image titled "bevel the thin strips".
I rest my case...wait a minute, there is no case to rest!
Work and play safely everyone. JL :-)
Remember,
I'm the one who bought an expensive Austrian sliding table saw so I could push stock through the blade with my hands 4 feet from the action!
Is that the reason Rich? I thought it was so you could be perfectly square, or 45ed or 22 1/2ed...you know what I mean. JL
You are not alone: but I bet you pay attention to the work, have it clear in your mind what will happen if certain things go wrong and have placed your fingers and other parts out of the way of potential harm. I refer to those "one off or few pass cuts", not a mass production scenario which is a different ball game.Philip Marcou
Thank you Philip!
You say it exactly as it is.
I do it with awareness and respect for all the dangers involved...and place my hands and body accordingly. JL
JL I would not dream of calling anyone a moron, even someone in an oxy state.
Mufti
You didn't call me a moron...did you call me a moron? Judging by Rich's reaction, moron doesn't even begin to cover what he just pictured in his mind's eye. :-) JL
Edited 2/26/2007 5:52 pm ET by jeanlou
Edited 2/26/2007 5:54 pm ET by jeanlou
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