dust collection/safety guard ( look out sawstop)

[RCOX]

Just saw a new overblade safety guard with dust collection. It is in the testing/developement stage and waiting on a patent. (Phil, you know what a hassle that is).

The web site is www.whirlwindtools.com. Looks very promising. It has a contact strip on the bottom edge of the guard the stops the blade if touched by your hand. It uses an electrical force instead of a brake that locks and drops. You don't ruin a blade and you have no cartridge to replace, just reset and restart your saw. It also has some LED lighting over the blade. The good thing is it is a retrofit setup, you don't have to buy a new saw for the safety feature. Hope it comes on the market so we can check it out.

I bet sawstop throws a fit but in my opinion it is enough different operation that there shouldn't be a problem. If I remember correctly, sawstop was originally a retro but no saw companies jumped on the bandwagon so sawstop made their own saw.

This may not be the correct forum for this info, but thought I would put it out there for all of you.

Raymond

[bbain]

the URL you posted for this is wrong, it should be http://www.whirlwindtool.com you added an "s" by mistake.

Very interesting technology, hopefully it is able to make it through the patent process without "the other guy" putting them through a silly lawsuit.

[Don_Z]

That is the kind of product that has the potential to cause more harm than good. Something like that would be completely useless to me as I need a complete view of the material as it enters the blade and fence for hand placement not to even mention the various jigs that I use almost constantly would never permit me to use that device with any usefulness. Personally, I think it promotes laziness because if you think about it, every tool in a woodshop can and will kill you if you are not paying attention. This is not a profession or hobby that allows for one to be goofing off at the machine. Ever let your mind wander at the lathe or while running a router?

[RCOX]

To each their own. I personally still have/use the guards on all my tools. Yes, they can be troublesome at times but they are a reminder for me. I do not have to work so fast that they slow me down and who knows, someday they may prevent me from doing something stupid. I made an overblade hood/dust pickup for my tablesaw. I will not call it a guard, just a reminder.

I too have wondered if these "safety devices" will make people complacent or not. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong very quickly. At one time, I was a night shift production manager in a cabinet shop. I saw one person from the day shift about 15 minutes after running the side of his hand through an 8" jointer. 1 person on my shift about 2 weeks later ran a forstner bit from a door hinging machine through 2 of his fingers. I took that person to emergency so yes, I am very familiar with the potential injuries. I am just saying being careful is not always the only answer. Sometimes, mechanical intervention is necessary to overcome that minute distraction.

If you do not want to use a sefety device that is indeed your choice but I think you are doing a disservice to try and convince others to follow your lead.

Just call me 10 fingers intact.

Raymond

[Don_Z]

@RCOX- I am definitely not trying to convince anyone to follow my lead or be unsafe by any stretch of the imagination. But Shop class 101 teaches the importance of paying very close attention to where your hands are at all times when operating any piece of machinery. Those devices hinder that and prevent the tool from being used at its maximum potential. I have had my share of close calls and stitches, however they all happened because I was NOT paying attention and not because of a lack of safety guards.

[RCOX]

I will fully concede that the best safety mechanism is the gray matter holding your ears apart. It just appears that some people don't have enough and have to be helped a little.

As has been stated, it is lack of attention or a distraction that causes most accidents. That is why, when I am in the shop and have on hearing protection (damn but I wish I had started using it sooner) my wife waits until I see her before she says something so she doesn't surpise me and cause an accident.

Dumbest thing I ever heard of was the lawsuit where the guy admitted to removing the guards and using a portable tablesaw in a very unsafe manner, cutting off some fingers and the jury awarded him a lot of money because the saw didn't have a built in safety device to protect dumba---.  Prime example of the jurers being dumber than the injured idiot. Kind of like the little ole lady spilling hot coffee in her crotch. It says HOT right on the side of the cup.

Nuff said.

Raymond