swampgator
03-19-2010, 09:57 PM
I looked at a SawStop before I acquired a ShopSmith because of the advertisement in my woodworking magazines. When the dealer explained that the safety cartridge under the table and blade put 3 volts of electricity onto the saw blade, then it all made sense. Anything with moisture will cause the circuit to break, causing the cartridge to jam the sawblade with punched aluminum and then causes the blade to lower below the table top. Now, if you trip and fall on the saw blade or have a heart attack, that may be a good thing. But, in all my videos from Woodworkers Journal, you are told to never stand over the table saw, never to stand directly behind the stock in the event of kick back, to keep your fingers away from a spinning blade and to use push blocks and sticks. So, when the circuit on the blade is broken by a wet board, green board or a hot dog, this $70 cartridge just ruins your saw blade. So, when you replace, you put in another cartridge ($70) plus a new blade. Oh, yes, you are safe, but wouldn't some thinking and reading some basic safety guides be cheaper.
For more than 35 years, I wanted a ShopSmith. It has all the safety equipment it can handle for a thinking and observant person. I have one tool that I made which is a bed sled made of 2 2X4's and a piece of 1/4 plywood. I have to remove the safety guard, but put the stock inside this sled bed and watch where my fingers are. As someone else so well said, make sure your head is where it belongs and that the situation is conducive to the task at hand. I won't let my wife around as she'll ask so many questions while you are trying to work. When I get out the machine, I send her into the house. Had an AT&T salesman slip up on me the other day and I almost did something stupid.
If you have a table saw and the insurance company knows it, they will raise your rates or cancel your policy. Same is true with certain dogs. If all of us just dropped the greedy folks, they couldn't pay all those wonderful bonuses and have all those lavish parties. Sorry, I'm not as good as holding back as some of you, but I think I let it be known how I really feel about such stuff.
About the coffee, McDonald's keeps their coffee hot because they had so many complaints about it not being hot. So, while I didn't know that it was 20 degrees hotter than the industry standard, the customers are happy for the most part. I had a catering job for a few months and one guy always complained that the coffee was not hot enough. I could take a fresh pot of coffee to the site and he complained about it not being hot enough. Would have thrown it on him, except I wanted his business. :D Just hoping that I don't have to eat any of my words. Loving me some SS. They can have it when they pry my cold dead fingers from the gun stock. :o
Good thread.
For more than 35 years, I wanted a ShopSmith. It has all the safety equipment it can handle for a thinking and observant person. I have one tool that I made which is a bed sled made of 2 2X4's and a piece of 1/4 plywood. I have to remove the safety guard, but put the stock inside this sled bed and watch where my fingers are. As someone else so well said, make sure your head is where it belongs and that the situation is conducive to the task at hand. I won't let my wife around as she'll ask so many questions while you are trying to work. When I get out the machine, I send her into the house. Had an AT&T salesman slip up on me the other day and I almost did something stupid.
If you have a table saw and the insurance company knows it, they will raise your rates or cancel your policy. Same is true with certain dogs. If all of us just dropped the greedy folks, they couldn't pay all those wonderful bonuses and have all those lavish parties. Sorry, I'm not as good as holding back as some of you, but I think I let it be known how I really feel about such stuff.
About the coffee, McDonald's keeps their coffee hot because they had so many complaints about it not being hot. So, while I didn't know that it was 20 degrees hotter than the industry standard, the customers are happy for the most part. I had a catering job for a few months and one guy always complained that the coffee was not hot enough. I could take a fresh pot of coffee to the site and he complained about it not being hot enough. Would have thrown it on him, except I wanted his business. :D Just hoping that I don't have to eat any of my words. Loving me some SS. They can have it when they pry my cold dead fingers from the gun stock. :o
Good thread.