Featured Tool: SawStop Table Saws

I had a minor accident with my table saw last winter, whereby I cut through the tip of my left index finger down to the base of the nail. It was an incredibly scary incident, but could have been much worse (the finger healed slowly and after several months I got 95% of the feeling back). I personally know at least three people who have cut off one or more fingers with a table saw, but luckily they were all able to have the fingers re-attached.

I came across this video tonight via finehomebuilding.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3mzhvMgrLE&feature=player_embedded. This table saw uses a special blade and stopping mechanism to prevent cutting accidents like these. If the saw blade detects electrical conductivity (such as that provided by human skin), it stops the blade within 1/1000th of a second; otherwise, the saw operates as usual since wood is not very conductive. The video is an interesting watch; at the 3:02 mark the creator of the saw uses his finger to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology.

Plus, the SawStop website actually has a page dedicated to "finger saves". Imagine coming close to losing a finger, and walking away with a cut barely the size of a paper cut.