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It's here, SawStop for the Band Saw


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Respectfully, I think the naysayers here have it all wrong. In the context of the meat cutter industry, this is a Godsend. 

Unfortunately these guys cannot just set everything aside when they get tired and go home. It does not work like that in the real world. 

So I guess iron workers should not be tied off with fall protection? Welders should not wear helmets and slag protection? Why not do away with hard hats? I could go on and on. I just don't get the resistance to safety features.

 

I build roads and bridges for a living, I see stuff, I guess it's just all a matter of perspective.

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9 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Respectfully, I think the naysayers here have it all wrong. In the context of the meat cutter industry, this is a Godsend. 

Unfortunately these guys cannot just set everything aside when they get tired and go home. It does not work like that in the real world. 

So I guess iron workers should not be tied off with fall protection? Welders should not wear helmets and slag protection? Why not do away with hard hats? I could go on and on. I just don't get the resistance to safety features.

 

I build roads and bridges for a living, I see stuff, I guess it's just all a matter of perspective.

 

John it's plain and simple. Peer pressure. The old timers prejudice the new guys and the cycle continues. I've heard every excuse in the books when it comes to why not.

 

We had one of the best safety programs in the country. DuPont got caught cooking the books and you no longer hear of them bragging that they were the best. It took a LOOOOONG time to instill the right mindset and attitude into our employees. I used to go into a safety meeting and ask how many of the employees used to wear hearing and eye protection when they did lawn work or ran equipment at home...generally, not one hand went up. Twenty years later, ask the same question and the hands went up almost to a man. They took it home with them.

 

We had a machinist that literally ran off an OSHA inspector there on a bogus complaint because he stepped across the line into the sheetmetal shop. It was 100% eye protection required. She didn't know this guy from Adam but was not afraid to take an initiative. When the OSHA rep tried to justify his actions she went toe to toe with him. He lost.

 

We gave her an award for doing what she did. The OSHA rep was awed and totally impressed that someone would not be afraid of an OSHA inspector and do what she did. He lamented at the outbrief meeting, that, he was not allowed to take any photos of the plant. He wanted to use them as examples of how "safety" should be implemented.

 

Safety is an attitude that is learned. It can not be forced on anyone who thinks that they are exempt.

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30 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

I am glad they have that.  All meat cutters should have a saw equipped with it.  Watching them cut meat in that video was scarier than watching a horror movie.

Amen to that Dan, sent chills down my spine, that is waaay more production by hand than you'll ever see in any wood shop. That safety device is a must as far as I am concerned.

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I'm sure Gass will try to make HIS  BS safety equipment a, government regulated, mandatory requirement in all band saws. The technology may be great, but you can't say the same for the man behind it. Never a nickle will ever pass thru my hands to his.

Edited by It Was Al B
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2 minutes ago, It Was Al B said:

I'm sure that Gass will try to make HIS  BS safety equipment a, government regulated, mandatory requirement in all band saws. The technology may be great but you can't say the same for the man behind it..

Al, does Gass have this technology in his lineup of products? I am getting confused now 

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Mr Gass developed the SawStop technology and produces the SawStop tablesaw. He attempted to impose governmental regulations on all manufacturers requiring the use of his technology on their saws, at a cost that was prohibitive..Now he wants to prevent other manufacturers from manufacturing their own improved blade stopping systems on table saws. His BS  sawstop is obviously something new, and I'm certain it is something he will try to regulate.

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31 minutes ago, It Was Al B said:

Mr Gass developed the SawStop technology and produces the SawStop tablesaw. He attempted to impose governmental regulations on all manufacturers requiring the use of his technology on their saws, at a cost that was prohibitive..Now he wants to prevent other manufacturers from manufacturing their own improved blade stopping systems on table saws. His BS  sawstop is obviously something new, and I'm certain it is something he will try to regulate.

I think this is where my confusion lies. I don't think this is his technology? I thought this was a UK outfit?

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OK, here's my confusion.  What is the difference between BladeStop, which is apparently legal and accepted as not a patent infringement, and the protection system developed by Bosch, which at this point has been deemed illegal and is a patent infringement?  I agree with you, John.  Safety is safety, and should not be restricted.  At the same time, it should not be shoved down our throats if we don't want to pay for the extra protection.  Anyone in the future that buys a table saw, or band saw, or any other potentially dangerous machine without the safety system which is available for it, should have to sign a liability waiver as part of the purchase.  Totally impractical, i'm sure, just my thoughts on the matter.

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Guess it's me and a few others who are confused here.. Going back to the original post, the  BS safety is called "BLADE STOP" , not "SawStop". You know what happens when we ass-u-me  things.Thanks for clearing up the issue..Guess the title "It's here, sawstop for the bandsaw" led us astray.

Edited by It Was Al B
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Tom, I think the difference is the blade stop on the bandsaw is on a band saw, not a table saw, plus the blade arrest and sensing technology is totally different. Also, this appears to have been developed in Australia or the UK so I do not think our patents apply there, unless they try to sell here in the US

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24 minutes ago, PostalTom said:

At the same time, it should not be shoved down our throats if we don't want to pay for the extra protection.

Hey, I completely agree, in case non of ya figured it out I am a strict constitutionalist with an emphasis on personal responsibility, and free choice. I am not a govt. type of guy. But, if I owned a business with employees, and sharp cutting tools, I am employing every safety option on every single one of those machines. For the safety of the folks, and for my bottom line. Lost work days means loss of productivity, and a demoralized work force. And those folks will use those safety precautions I put in place, or they'd pick up their last check on their way out.

 

Oh ya, Gass's SawStop, that's going into my production shop too!!! Why would you not with employees!

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So we can all agree, this is not a Gass invention. This is a workplace safety feature for the meat cutters, that I think is the best thing since sliced Mortadella. We must be able to separate this feature, that has a very valuable place in the work force, as opposed to a safety manufacturer that is trying to impose safety features on your home table saw, it's a huge difference, not even in the same category, so can we have a big Hoorah for Interfood Technology, the same link I provided in my earlier posts, trying to get you guys to see that this is not a Gass invention. :lol:

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4 minutes ago, Richard McComas said:

I guess I never should have called it "SawStop". Sorry for all the confusion. I did think everyone would pick up on the "Blade Stop at the opening of the video. I'm guilty of assuming too.

Hey Rich, welcome to the club of assumptions, it aint the first time and won't be the last! I been there before and done it myself. It was however a really cool video, thanks for posting!

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