SawStop triggered brake pics...

[Walt Caza]

Good Day All,
I just wanted to share these pics of a triggered brake cartridge locked onto a fresh 50 tooth carbide blade, as requested by Ben G.
This is my first try at posting pics on the Creek. (squash to fit, huh?)

I drove 4 hrs each way to attend a Sawstop hotdog demo. I arrived in time
for the first demo of the day, wife rode shotgun. We were the only two
to show up for the early bird. The rep seemed so pleased by my dedication
that he agreed to my request to keep the brake locked onto the blade.
I wanted to hang it on my shop wall.

I did buy my saw that morning. As you can see, the results of a trigger
are NOT as violent and destructive as many expect. In fact, usually just
a few carbide teeth get cracked as far as visable damage shows.
Perhaps the structural integrity of the blade is also compromised ?
Some who have seen my souvenir suggest prying off the brake to
reclaim the fresh blade, but I like the shop decoration.

I also made a nice MPEG video of the hotdog and big bang !
Removing the blade/brake from the mounting pins can prove a bit dodgey.
The firing spring locks it all on saw at about 150 pounds of pressure.
The brake adjustment screw is backed off and they are pryed off as a set.

Be well,
Walt

ps when I told the wife I wanted to upgrade my contractor saw,
she said, 'get a good one'. I believe I did !!

[Art Mulder]

Some who have seen my souvenir suggest prying off the brake to reclaim the fresh blade, but I like the shop decoration.

Don't!!!

Next time someone suggests that to you, why not respond with something like : "I bought a saw designed for safety. So, why would I then do something so dangerous?".

translation: would YOU put a damaged carbide-toothed blade on your saw and take the chance of it throwing a loose tooth at you at who-knows-how-many meters-per-second !?

I know of a fellow nearby who teaches woodworking, and he throws out a blade even if it is just dropped onto the concrete floor. Why take the chance?

[Mark Rios]

Those are great pics, Thanks.

I see that 5 teeth engaged the brake block, with the top/5th one being right at the top. Have you looked reeeeeeaaally closely and the first and second teeth below the block to see if they actually hit first? Stopping in five teeth while the blade is spinning at 3400+ RPM is amazing.

[Ken Werner]

The saw stop is calling me...calling me....calling me....
Thanks for posting those great pictures, and I hope you can answer Mark's question. And BTW where was the demo?
Ken

[Jim Murphy]

When I saw the hotdog demonstration, the blade/brake were passed around for inspection. I took a very close look, and there was a tiny, but definite ding on the tooth ahead of the blade, and maybe a tiny scratch on the tooth ahead of that one. But that was it.

[Leon Jester]

Re-using a damaged blade is not economical and it's dangerous.

Let's look at the economics of it:

Emergency room fee: $250 -- this is for walking in the door and saying you need to be seen by us.

Labs: at least $75 -- we'll draw them, if for no other reason, to check your coagulation.

X-rays -- between $175 to 400, depending on body part -- that's plain films, not a CT scan.

Suture material, suturing -- about $200 -- if you're lucky.

If you're not lucky: Surgical consult, probably $500.

Surgery: OR time is about $1,500 per hour. More if there's an assistant.

Anaesthesiologist Fees: about $2,500 for general anaesthesia.

Surgeon's fees: start at about $1,100 and go up, depending on what's being fixed and how long it takes to fix it.

This has gotten you to the OR from the ER. It hasn't put you into a hospital bed yet.

Really, gang, you don't want to see us professionally. It's not economical.

And let's say you're really unlucky, the fragment hits you in the neck and severs an artery -- funeral costs are at least $7,000, although they may be cheaper than seeing us, it's not going to be a lot of fun for your family.

Cost of a really fancy new blade: Less than $175.

You're ahead on bucks just to trash the blade and not see us. Really.

[Tom Ruflin]

Walt, thanks for posting the pictures. I would like to see the hotdog demo in person someday, as long as it's not in my shop with my SawStop! Pictures like this make me happy that I bought one last year.

[Mike Spanbauer]

Lol Leon... sound business advice for any power tool really. Saw stop can't overcome common sense though. That tingly feeling is critical to listen to on any tool. My closest calls haven't been on the tablesaw.

Regardless, it is a powerful peace of mind AND the fact remains that accidents do happen. I think the technology and saw itself rock. I just had issues w/ the market position and technology adoption tactics employed by the manufacturer.

I've heard too many great things about the saws themselves to not believe the users.

Use it in good health, you certainly did good for that upgrade

mike

[Mike Heidrick]

Walt, what is the wait time on your new saw?

[Ben Grunow]

Thanks Walt. The close up is great, maybe someone could tell em how to crop it and make it my dexktop image (so it fills the screen). Thanks again.

[Steve Canada]

Re-using a damaged blade is not economical and it's dangerous.

Let's look at the economics of it:

Emergency room fee: $250 -- this is for walking in the door and saying you need to be seen by us.

Labs: at least $75 -- we'll draw them, if for no other reason, to check your coagulation.

X-rays -- between $175 to 400, depending on body part -- that's plain films, not a CT scan.

Suture material, suturing -- about $200 -- if you're lucky.

If you're not lucky: Surgical consult, probably $500.

Surgery: OR time is about $1,500 per hour. More if there's an assistant.

Anaesthesiologist Fees: about $2,500 for general anaesthesia.

Surgeon's fees: start at about $1,100 and go up, depending on what's being fixed and how long it takes to fix it.

This has gotten you to the OR from the ER. It hasn't put you into a hospital bed yet.

Really, gang, you don't want to see us professionally. It's not economical.

And let's say you're really unlucky, the fragment hits you in the neck and severs an artery -- funeral costs are at least $7,000, although they may be cheaper than seeing us, it's not going to be a lot of fun for your family.

Cost of a really fancy new blade: Less than $175.

You're ahead on bucks just to trash the blade and not see us. Really.

This is why I have all my injuries in Canada.

[Ted Baca]

Pretty amazing saw. I saw the hotdog demo Saturday in Denver at the WW Show. I actually missed it since the person in front of me blocked my view at the precise moment. I had asked to have the blade at an angle so I could see if it deflected enough to hit the throat plate. It didn't seem to, as it retracts so fast. I plan to order mine Friday. This saw has so many features not mentioned in the brochure. The table top is so easily adjustable, no mallet required it actually has adjusting screws and a pivot.
I found out also today in phone conversation from SS that the trunnion has cam adjusters to insure that the blade stays true at all heights. The person I spoke with also told me that the mnobile base should be out by the end of Dec., he tells me it all 1/4' steel construction and had a bottle jack and foot activated pump for lifting. I just thing this saw is the greatest thing since .....well sliced bread.
By the way that last picture really shows how the teeth dug in. Thanks for the great close up.

[Joe Jensen]

Pretty amazing saw. I saw the hotdog demo Saturday in Denver at the WW Show. I actually missed it since the person in front of me blocked my view at the precise moment. I had asked to have the blade at an angle so I could see if it deflected enough to hit the throat plate. It didn't seem to, as it retracts so fast. I plan to order mine Friday. This saw has so many features not mentioned in the brochure. The table top is so easily adjustable, no mallet required it actually has adjusting screws and a pivot.
I found out also today in phone conversation from SS that the trunnion has cam adjusters to insure that the blade stays true at all heights. The person I spoke with also told me that the mnobile base should be out by the end of Dec., he tells me it all 1/4' steel construction and had a bottle jack and foot activated pump for lifting. I just thing this saw is the greatest thing since .....well sliced bread.
By the way that last picture really shows how the teeth dug in. Thanks for the great close up.

It's a decision you won't regret. I love mine...joe

[Randal Stevenson]

I am still waiting to see the contractor saw (these are WAY out of my budget otherwise for the foreseeable future).

HOWEVER, I would love to see the blade pulled off the brake, and analyzed, by it's manufacturer, to actually see what kind of damage the blades take.

[Randy Meijer]

Anyone know what the brake material is?? Looks like aluminum in the picture; but that could be deceptive. Thanks.