What do you do when you have solved the biggest safety issue on a table saw?

You solve the second biggest safety issue.

After the risk of skin-to-blade contact, wood dust is the next most critical safety issue facing table saw users. SawStop engineers have tackled wood dust with the same innovative spirit as when we tackled finger contact. The result is a system that features an under-the-table dust shroud and an over-the-table blade guard with integrated dust collection. When combined, these two components help the new Professional Cabinet Saw collect 99% of all dust produced - a huge improvement over currently available table saw dust collection systems.

The new dust collection system converts the turbulent air coming off a spinning saw blade into a jet stream that directs it toward the 4-inch port through a fully enclosed tube.

Dust collection under the table proved to not be enough to capture a sufficient amount of the particles produced while cutting. To improve the overall dust collection effectiveness, SawStop designed a blade guard with an integrated dust collection feature. This drove performance above 99%. The blade guard works much in the same way as the under-the-table dust shroud. It uses the blade's own energy to convert turbulent air and funnel it through a channel to the port at the back of the saw. The system is so effective, that it launches saw dust out of the blade even without vacuum pressure. When attached via a 1 ½" hose, it isolates the dust keeping it out of the air.

For those who already own a SawStop saw and are interested in adding this feature to your saw, please note that retrofit kits featuring the new quick-release zero clearance insert and dust collecting blade guard will be available in early 2010.