SawStop

[JPG]

Guys you are missing the point the verdict is in, OWT the maker of Ryobi is on the hook for 1.5 million dollars and there are now 60 other case pending. There are 55,000+ injuries a year. How long do you think it will take for the ambulance chasers to start contacting these people with the promise of easy money. If only a small percentage of them win the industry will be in terrible financial shape.

Add to it with the current economy Tablesaws aren't selling all that well as it is, who do you think will sell tablesaws. .

With a little 'luck', some idiot will get injured using a saw stop saw, and pursue 'poetic justice'.

[backhertz]

Ed,
60 cases are a lot. I have learned a few more facts in this case and I am further disappointed in this so-called legal system of ours. But companies might be limited to making hand saws or very expensive table saws which no one can afford. I see these $99 specials in the Home Depot and they are of no use to me. Not enough power!

[charlese]

This is just a guess, however most (if not all) cases with large judgments always require at least a few years for appeals, settlements, someone to die, etc.

It's going to be a while until any money actually changes hands resulting from this case. Maybe the verdict will even be overturned.

[mickyd]

The lawsuits due to personal mistakes are ridicules. The SawStop concept however is in my opinion excellent. Don't know how often it would trigger with no flesh detected but if it was 0%, I'm all for it.

[Fla_Jim]

The "Saw stop" episode is symptomatic of the dumbing down of the populace.
One just has to look at the ridiculous amount of warning labels on everything these days.
When I was a kid my Dad had a Delta tilt table, bench saw. Absolutely no guards what so ever, either on the blade or drive belts. I don't remember a warning label one.
You just learned to be very cautious around the machinery. I bet the accident rate wasn't any higher then today.
When I bought my Shopsmith new in 1973, it didn't have any guards. (I did buy a retrofit kit when my kids got old enough to start using it).
All the caution is being legislated out of us.
I looked at a "Sawstop cartridge" the other day at the Woodcraft store. It looked very well made. BUT!! It's a electromechanical device, as such it's subject to failure. Sawstop hasn't been around very long. I wonder if over a period of time is some environments it won't function properly. After a while the operator will come to depend on the device, and loose caution around the saw.
Remember laws are written by lawyers for lawyers!!!

[JPG]

The lawsuits due to personal mistakes are ridicules. The SawStop concept however is in my opinion excellent. Don't know how often it would trigger with no flesh detected but if it was 0%, I'm all for it.

I cannot help but be curious just how effective the crush pad(or whatever it be called) is when attempting to 'stop' a dado blade with its additional width and inertia!

[tdubnik]

I cannot help but be curious just how effective the crush pad(or whatever it be called) is when attempting to 'stop' a dado blade with its additional width and inertia!

I believe they have a special cartridge just for dado blades. When you switch to a dado blade you also have to switch the cartridge.

[Ed in Tampa]

Some one mention appeals and yes I expect there will be an appeal but the company must weigh in the cost of the appeal versus the cost of the judgement.

Just for a moment consider the cost of defending even just 60 cases. Most expert witnesses are paid outlandish sums and must sit and be ready to testify at a moments notice.

I know one case where the expert was paid $880 an hour and sat for 4 days before testifying. I don't know how much time he spent before the trial but I would think it would be a couple of days or more of research.

Then figure the cost of lawyers you know if your a lawyer defending against a 1.5 million case where that lawyer if he wins get 30-50% you will want at least that much or more to defend.

My guess win or lose each table saw manufacture is looking at the a least a sum in the hundreds of thousands of dollars just to defend against each suit. 53,000 acccidents means there is potential for 53,000 lawsuits with at least $1.5 at stake. Even if the they win every case the sum of money spent is staggering.

I think the proverbial "do do" is going to hit the fan and the world of woodworking is in for a major change.

[backhertz]

Will all power tools require a license prior to purchase? I hope that is far fetched. It still seems perhaps cheaper in the long run if manufacturers included a training DVD or perhaps places in the stores where customers could receive some basic safety training and acknowledge they are competent. But 'real men' don't read instructions or so I've heard.

Perhaps the next group of lawsuits will go after the retail companies that are selling these "unsafe" products if used improperly will hurt someone as the stores know other tools are available which indeed have the blade stop. What if someone is seriously injured from a shock? GFCI breakers are available, but if they are not used, then electrical accidents which might be avoided, aren't.

This is all foreign to me. I am not a litigious person and if I do something stupid, I'm man enough to call myself stupid and not look for someone to blame. If that is the case, I'm surprised some children don't sue their parents for having them... I know if they did, many just might win for defective manufacturing...(sorry).

[Splinters N Chips]

It's time for a poitical and leagle change for this country. Lee