Shopsmith Forums

Hello Shopsmith woodworkers! I'm David Butler, the Whirlwind system inventor and I just discovered your forum. Thanks for your discussions, comments, and constructive criticism, that is exactly what I hoped for when we went public online this way with http://www.whirlwindtool.com. Whirlwind incorporates several novel features and the brake feature is based on the idea of providing a physical barrier together with an electronic fence or proximity detector surrouning the blade. If the operator's hand seems to be approaching in dangerous proximity to the blade, the brake triggers, shuts down the saw and stops the blade in one second -- BEFORE the operator can contact the blade -- unless (s)he really works very hard at it!

Let me make a few comments and try to answer some of your questions. First, Whirlwind is in advanced prototpe form in my shop on the machines you see in the videos. That old guy is me. My intent is not to "revolutionize" anything to do with woodworking, as someone suggested. As I've stated on other forums, my intention is to move the table saw safety ball forward a little with a different approach to the problem. In over a century, with the one notable exception of Sawstop, very little has happened to table saw design to protect the operator from accidental contact with the blade. IMHO, it is high time we take a much closer look at this problem. My specific goal is to assign or license my patents to one or more companies capable of bringing products to the marketplace which incorporate my patented features and a production product design may look much different than these prototypes.

Many years ago I first tried my hand at wood turning on a ShopSmith and that experience no doubt helped get me hooked on this wonderful craft. I can certainly envision a Whirlwind model or similar device to be used with the ShopSmith and I believe it will happen. Finally, the woodworking community is aware of the appalling safety statistics related to table saws and I believe improvements are in order. Mine is but one more approach and certainly others will soon follow.

Please note that we have gotten far more traffic than anticipated on our Whirlwind Tool website and I cannot answer individual email questions and comments. A few days ago I posted a notice to that effect on the site. However, I welcome your input both here and at the website and I hope to share your comments and feedback with potential business partners. I may have inadvertently joined too many forums at once, but I will make every effort to check in with you folks periodically. Thanks for your help.

Best to all here! David

Thank you David for posting here. I know that you will find many that are interested in what you propose to make available to the wood working world. I have read everything that I have found regarding the Whirlwind.

Quoted from above:

Please note that we have gotten far more traffic than anticipated on our Whirlwind Tool website and I cannot answer individual email questions and comments. A few days ago I posted a notice to that effect on the site. However, I welcome your input both here and at the website and I hope to share your comments and feedback with potential business partners. I may have inadvertently joined too many forums at once, but I will make every effort to check in with you folks periodically. Thanks for your help.

I anxiously looking forward to your response to my specific questions posed to you in an earlier email, even if that response is only by way of the forum.

I suppose it is good that you have gotten more traffic than anticipated but that traffic will have been for naught if there is no two way communication.

Dusty, was this your message?

I saw a post on your saw safety system on a wood working forum. I was very interested to see if it would work with the shopsmith? And pricing. Thank you

I think I answered, but maybe not. I do not envision Whirlwind as one-size-fits-all, but more likely several similar models for different popular saws. I can think of no reason why we cannot work with the ShopSmith unique design, even if it is a dedicated model. Mounting variations are the major issue. As I've said before, I cannot guestimate pricing until I have gotten much closer to a production design with a company with manufacturing prowess and of course the price will have to fit the market. Best to all - David

davidww wrote:Dusty, was this your message?

I saw a post on your saw safety system on a wood working forum. I was very interested to see if it would work with the shopsmith? And pricing. Thank you

I think I answered, but maybe not. I do not envision Whirlwind as one-size-fits-all, but more likely several similar models for different popular saws. I can think of no reason why we cannot work with the ShopSmith unique design, even if it is a dedicated model. Mounting variations are the major issue. As I've said before, I cannot guestimate pricing until I have gotten much closer to a production design with a company with manufacturing prowess and of course the price will have to fit the market. Best to all - David

Thank you, David. Yes, that was the basis of my message and you have answered those questions that I would expect you to be able to answer at this time.

I do so hope that somehow the Shopsmith Mark V and the new PowerPro will be included in the list of platforms to which the WhirlWind can be mounted.

The Shopsmith community is anxiously awaiting your roll out.

Not to rain on anyone's parade but I don't see this happening real soon. Getting interest and backing in good times is difficult in our present economy, nearly impossible.

Love to know how the thing works. The inventor still hasn't said what he is using for proximity detection, electronics, light, air or what.

I think the inventors biggest obstacle will be is how easy the proximity detection is reproducable by the average Joe. If it is easy then once the thing hits the market guys will build their own. If is difficult then there may be reliability problems and I imagine false tripping problems.

Interesting to watch. I wish the best for the inventor and hope his product does well.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Not to rain on anyone's parade but I don't see this happening real soon. Getting interest and backing in good times is difficult in our present economy, nearly impossible.

Love to know how the thing works. The inventor still hasn't said what he is using for proximity detection, electronics, light, air or what.

I think the inventors biggest obstacle will be is how easy the proximity detection is reproducable by the average Joe. If it is easy then once the thing hits the market guys will build their own. If is difficult then there may be reliability problems and I imagine false tripping problems.

Interesting to watch. I wish the best for the inventor and hope his product does well.

Ed, I know you don't really expect him to share the design details with us. He is going to force me to buy parts so that I can play with the idea of a proximity detector of my own. However, I do believe that he said there was an "electronic fence" around the red zone and that would be the proximity boundary.

I think that you might be under estimating the availability of adventure capital.

dusty wrote:Ed, I know you don't really expect him to share the design details with us. He is going to force me to buy parts so that I can play with the idea of a proximity detector of my own. However, I do believe that he said there was an "electronic fence" around the red zone and that would be the proximity boundary.

I think that you might be under estimating the availability of adventure capital.

Dusty
Electronic fence can mean anything, the inventor is wise and is choosing his words carefully.

As far as capital I hope your right. However the state of the economy says different.

I look back at the Sawstop technology, when that technology came out the economy was booming, they offered the technology to just about anyone that would give them heed. When that failed they tried to convince the government to manidate the technology, that failed and won them a lot of friends. NOT! Then they went to a manufacture and had their own machine built. The process was looong and almost stumbled many times.

I don't know how it is all working out but to me they have their machines prices so high that I can't even seriously consider them.

Also as far as I know they haven't been challenged yet in court over someone charging their technology promised them security but failed to deliver. I suspect when that happens it will be the end of Sawstop. However since the inventor was a lawyer I suspect such a case would be hard put to stand.

Again anything that makes woodworking actually safer I'm all for.