Woodworm65 Loc: Lombard, IL

The Saw Stop was invented for the school wood working shops to prevent young people whose minds wander and not pay attention during performing projects in school, and it is true if it does trigger your 100 dollar blade and the cartridge needs to be replaced, it was also invented for production woodworking shops due to the many accidents a normal saw can cause do to not using proper common sense, part of the cost is due to its claim to not remove digits liability insurance protection is it worth the cost not really if you use common sense and push sticks and keep your mind on what your doing you will be just fine.

allan catt Loc: gillingham,kent,uk

I use a Elu flip over saw ,had it many years good tool,but likes to chop off the end of fingers ,had 4 stitches and finger now a little shorter .🇬🇧👹

home brewer Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

The $1,400 is less than the co-pay at the er. I still have my 1975 10" craftsman tables saw. I know that one late tired night my finger got way to close to the moving saw blade; I either touched the teeth of felt the wind off the blade while in a rush.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

As a hospital pharmacist who works with replantation staff, I wish more woodworkers would buy and use the Sawstop saw. Many people come to the Emergency Room with severed fingers. It’s very simple to understand. You are pushing a piece of wood into a moving saw blade. You are supposed to use a tool, but many forget or that it is “too cumbersome!” Huh! The Sawstop is a wonderful invention that sends an electric current attached to a Ground Fault Circuit Breaker through the blade. A small differential current loss usually by a non-woodlike object stops the moving blade and sends a metal brake into the saw stopping immediately.
The next part is not for the faint of heart. Before you read anymore, throw away your old table saw and buy a Sawstop.
Patients are brought to the emergency room with one or more fingers separated and wrapped in a t-shirt or other not necessarily sterile cloth. The medical team assess the damage and the likelihood of a successful repair. An operating room is staffed and ready for the repair. Muscles, tendons ligaments and bones are repaired. The most difficult to repair is the blood vessels. Large ones are first. Stop reading now if you are faint of heart.
Several “sterile medicinal leeches” are applied and bandaged onto the surgical site. Yes, you read that correct. The leeches digest the blood and plasma left from the swelling of inflammation. They allow smaller blood vessels to perfuse with blood and hasten the replantation. For a short time about a month, antibiotics are prescribed prophylactically and the replanted fingers may appear dusky when bandages are removed. The replanted fingers generally fair well as time passes but their dexterity will suffer.
As a pharmacist, my responsibility is to care for and keep alive these leeches. But now that if you weren’t convinced before to buy Sawstop, I hope you are now. Yes, it does cost a boatload of money. Think about the hospital bills that follow. By the way, I kept this description as easy for all to read. There is a lot that I left out.

Pass-Go Loc: Brunswick Oh

Bought delta unisaw in 1980 served me well, still have all my fingers. 2020 December bought ICS sawstop, best investment (for myself) I made . Not getting any younger (67). Piece of mind for me . Beautifully made saw. Kept unisaw for dado work only. Won't be disappointed.

Just Shoot Me Loc: Ithaca, NY

Jerry,
It's a bit over done for my liking. As you, I too have 45 years woodworking experience and still have all my digits intact. My blades are anywhere from $85.00 to $125.00 each not to mention the new cartridge for the brake and the down time to reset everything. Sounds like an expensive proposition to replace "push sticks and common sense." And if it has a lockout for wet wood and metal, what good does it do then!
A friend of mine had his go off twice in 1 day (sensitivity issues) the next day it was on Craig's list.

Ron

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

If I were running a school shop class or a production operation and needed a cabinet saw, it would likely be my first choice, but there are many, many ways to get hurt in a woodworking shop other than putting your finger(s) into the blade, so if safety isn’t at the top of your list, then maybe choose a different hobby. I could make a list of table saw safety rules (and used to have one over each machine when I was teaching my son), but the one near the top of my list for many machines is: where will you hand(s) go if the work suddenly disappears?

JBRIII

Basically same question as Texas event, low probability effect, costly to avoid, but really costly if it occurs.

MikeJ Loc: North Georgia USA

Jerry,

Been using my Powermatic cabinet saw for 30 years without losing a drop of blood. I never use the saw without a blade guard or riving knife either. The inventor of the Sawstop tried to force all table saw manufacturers to use his device, no doubt so he could collect royalties. Keep in mind that if it activates it will destroy the blade in use and require replacement parts to get the saw going again.

Mike

bamfordr Loc: Campbell CA

As far as I know, that’s still the case. Blade and stop cartridge must be replaced. But that beats an ER visit!

billmck Loc: Central KY

As a kid, my dad had a Craftsman 10" table saw, 6" jointer, Delta drill press and Delta band saw. I learned to use them all, and when I got married I bought a Craftsman 10" table saw and drill press. That was about 1969. In 2006, I decided to step up to better equipment and bought Powermatic products. I love my Powermatic saw, even though it doesn't have the safety feature of the SawStop saw.

JBRIII

I believe the blade literally fuses to the stopping clamps, stopping a blade turning 3600 rpms? in a micro-second = friction=heat.
Someone said it can be turned off, I wonder how many do so after a few wet wood instances?

rmcgarry331

I work at a Woodcraft store, where I sell machines and (until Covid) teach woodworking skills. I have used all flavors of Sawstop saws in demos, teaching and working around the store. I recommend Sawstop saws at what ever level. The builder’s saw the OP referenced, not only has the safety mechanism, but it has a superior fence system and better dust collection systems compared with other builders’ saws. The downside is it is double the price of most other premium builders; saws like Bosch, DeWalt, Skilsaw and Metabo. With that in mind, it is still the superior saw.
Where Sawstop becomes more price competitive is in cast iron saws. In fact, Sawstop is the largest selling manufacturer of cast iron saws in the United States. Sawstop’s 3hp 220V Professional Cabinet Saw Is less expensive than comparable models from Delta and Powermatic.
One advantage that Sawstop saws have is they come standard with a zero clearance insert, and they are the only saw I know of on the market that allows you to set the blade to a bevel with a zero-clearance insert in place. They are also the only saw that I have ever set-up that does not need calibration as it ships from the factory. It is true that when the saw fires you must replace the brake cartridge $80, and likely the blade. And yes, I have tripped the mechanism both for demo purposes and inadvertently. Be wary of metal around the blade. If dealing with wet wood, you can disable the brake feature. The saws will take up to a ¾” x 8” dado, but you need a dado brake $100 and a dado insert $30 on a jobsite saw.
Like all power tool manufacturers, increased demand and decreased supply due to covid has resulted in many backorders. Currently Sawstop is running 7 weeks behind on shipments. With the way freight is going plan on 8-9 weeks until you receive your saw, unless you happen to find a dealer with one in stock.

Bill_de Loc: US

I have the 1 3/4 hp cabinet saw version of the Saw Stop. The inventor was frequently on the woodworking sites and we pestered him for this version. We didn't need a bigger motor, but didn't want the motor hanging off the back. I ordered mine even before they started shipping, and no regrets.

I have never tripped the safety mechanism, but it is nice to know it is there. If you do trip it by flesh touching the blade, you need to replace the blade and (at least they did) you can get a free brake replacement.

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Alafoto Loc: Montgomery, AL

A miter saw will give you nicer edges.