Got me a Sawstop!

[96Pirate]

I finally splurged on a new big tool and picked me up a Sawstop tablesaw. I have been in the market to move up from my contractor saw and wanted something that would last the rest of my days but be the safest tool I could get. So this was it. I am sure most of my online woodworking friends will know what I am talking about but for everyone else that is not familiar with this tool I will explain.

Sawstop is a cabinet based saw but has safety technology built in where the blade carries an electrical signal, and since skin is conductive, if the skin touches the blade, it disrupts the signal and the blade immediately stops and drops below the table top. Thereby turning a potentially serious injury into at worse a minor cut. You can find many videos on YouTube showing a hot dog test and in some cases a finger demonstration.

Beyond this the fit and finish of this saw is superb. If you are in to woodworking, in the market and have the funds I would highly recommend this saw.



Here is a pic of the saw blade with the cartridge below that springs into the blade.

 

[John Mcpartland]

I finally splurged on a new big tool and picked me up a Sawstop tablesaw. I have been in the market to move up from my contractor saw and wanted something that would last the rest of my days but be the safest tool I could get. So this was it. I am sure most of my online woodworking friends will know what I am talking about but for everyone else that is not familiar with this tool I will explain.

Sawstop is a cabinet based saw but has safety technology built in where the blade carries an electrical signal, and since skin is conductive, if the skin touches the blade, it disrupts the signal and the blade immediately stops and drops below the table top. Thereby turning a potentially serious injury into at worse a minor cut. You can find many videos on YouTube showing a hot dog test and in some cases a finger demonstration.

Beyond this the fit and finish of this saw is superb. If you are in to woodworking, in the market and have the funds I would highly recommend this saw.

View attachment 68321

Here is a pic of the saw blade with the cartridge below that springs into the blade.

View attachment 68322

Do not cut wet wood without useing the override. My neighbor just got his and we did a project last week and he went thru 3 brakes and blades until je figured it out. $300+ lesson learned

 

[Scottintexas]

the technology is amazing,

I've got a friend missing two fingers after using saws for 30 years, end of the day, tired, last cut, 1/10th second not paying attention...now your nickname is "stuby"

 

[96Pirate]

Do not cut wet wood without useing the override. My neighbor just got his and we did a project last week and he went thru 3 brakes and blades until je figured it out. $300+ lesson learned

Yeah, that’s a tough lesson. At least he knows it works. Also watch out for aluminum used in jigs. Remove a little more for more clearance. I made a new panel sled and before I decided against it I was going to add an aluminum track with tape measure to it and in the planning phase I was making notes to remove more of the track where the blade would come through.

 

[96Pirate]

the technology is amazing,

I've got a friend missing two fingers after using saws for 30 years, end of the day, tired, last cut, 1/10th second not paying attention...now your nickname is "stuby"

Exactly why I got one. My old saw didn’t have a riving knife either and I had 2 kickbacks over the years. And each was at the end of the day. Neither were serious but absolutely could have been.

 

[4x15mph]

Awesome saw. I like the youtube video of the demo where they use a hot dog.

 

[96Pirate]

Here is a great demonstration. Talk about owning your own work.

 

[Jgorm]

My buddy cut the tip of his finger on a table saw. Never push part the blade with your left hand. I have a delta x unisaw with the 52" bessi fence, but that setup is expensive to justify. Someday maybe, but push sticks and feather boards work for me.... Until

 

[Bruce]

@96Pirate, have you stuck your finger in there to test it yet? If not how do you know that it works?

 

[J-RAD]

NICE! I upgraded to one a year ago in my cabinet shop from the old delta. We added the slider extension to the side. It is a awesome and much safer addition to the shop. We kept the delta and set it up with our dado set. For the times we need to do a lot of cutting we can always swap blades and run both saws.

14 years in the cabinet business and I still have all my fingers. It's a expensive saw, but it's cheap insurance. Word on the street is that the parent company of Festool (TTS) has bought Sawstop. So we may be seeing the technology translate to other tools.

 

[96Pirate]

@96Pirate, have you stuck your finger in there to test it yet? If not how do you know that it works?

Yeah, I thought about it. I might be tempted to do the hotdog trick but not my finger. With my luck I will run my finger through and I will have the only saw with a defect with the brake.

 

[96Pirate]

NICE! I upgraded to one a year ago in my cabinet shop from the old delta. We added the slider extension to the side. It is a awesome and much safer addition to the shop. We kept the delta and set it up with our dado set. For the times we need to do a lot of cutting we can always swap blades and run both saws.

14 years in the cabinet business and I still have all my fingers. It's a expensive saw, but it's cheap insurance. Word on the street is that the parent company of Festool (TTS) has bought Sawstop. So we may be seeing the technology translate to other tools.

The sliding table is awesome but I cannot justify the price on that upgrade for a home shop. Your shop, definately. I am sure that save you a lot of time.

I would love to go through the rest of my life having never tripped the thing. But I agree it is cheap insurance if anything were to happen. Not a cheap tool but definately worth it in my opinion. Other big name brands are right there in price and do not have the safety feature. So since I was upgrading anyway, why not go with the safety aspect. Some will say the fit and finish is not as good as a Powermatic and maybe that’s true, but I am happy.

The guys at Woodcraft said the deal with Festool’s parent has already gone through. So yes, we might see some more safety features in their tools as well.

 

[biglar155]

VERY nice! I'd love to have one of those, but alas it's a bit out of my price range.

For the time being at least, I simply approach every cut like it was my last. When the saw is running I go into "the Range is HOT" mode. Every movement is considered and calculated just like on the range when I'm handling a firearm. It's not always easy to do, but the habit comes with repetition.

Saw-Stop or not, I'd strongly recommend "The Grrrripper" from microjig: https://www.microjig.com/ I got one for Christmas a few years ago and it completely changes the way you use your table saw - it's MUCH safer.