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 2010.

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. 

The people who have activated the SawStop safety system by contacting the blade are not any more careless or inexperienced than the average woodworker. They're people just like you. They didn't expect to contact the blade before it happened and many of them weren't sure what happened even after the brake activated.

We often hear from woodworkers that good judgment and following smart safety policies will prevent an accident. But accidents are unpredictable. No amount of good judgment and smart table saw use will eliminate the risk of an accident. Experience doesn't prevent accidents either. We have occasionally talked to someone who acknowledges that our safety system would be great for students or people new to woodworking, but that it wouldn't provide any significant advantage to an experienced woodworker. Our finger save data doesn't bear that out. The average finger save happened to someone with 12 years of experience.

Here are some facts we have gathered from the reports we receive from people who have had a finger save. You'll see that finger saves cut across industries and experience levels. They happen at all times of day. They are - just like any other accident - unpredictable.

Average years of experience: 12 years

All three SawStop saws use a true vertical elevation system, meaning that the blade moves up and down in a straight line relative to the saw table. For comparison, many other manufacturers use an arc-based elevation system. We believe the true vertical elevation system is superior for several reasons. First, a true vertical elevation design allows the riving knife and blade guard to be mounted directly to the elevation carriage. As a result, the riving knife and blade guard are held securely and follow the motion of the blade exactly so that the alignment of the riving knife or guard relative to the blade remains unchanged as you raise, lower and tilt the blade. On the other hand, arc-based elevation systems require the riving knife and blade guard to be mounted on a complex linkage assembly to track the movement of the blade. These linkage assemblies can become loose or displaced, thereby allowing the riving knife or blade guard to move out of alignment with the blade.

Another significant advantage of a true vertical elevation design is that it allows precision alignment of the elevation system to the trunnions to compensate for machining tolerances. Both the Industrial Cabinet Saw and the Professional Cabinet Saw include adjustment screws to fine tune the alignment of the table, trunnions and elevation assembly so that the blade remains parallel to the miter slots within one thousandth of an inch at all elevations and tilt angles.

The true vertical elevation design also means that each turn of the handle corresponds to the same change in blade height at all heights, whereas, each turn of the handle on an arc-based system produces different changes in the height of the blade. Over time our customers come to appreciate the consistent feel of our saws since they develop a better sense of how much to turn the elevation handle when changing the blade elevation.

Elevation System Components
While all three saws use a true vertical elevation system, the size and arrangement of the elevation system components vary among the saws. The elevation system includes one or more ground steel elevation guide shafts, and a cast iron elevation carriage that slides up and down on the elevation shafts. An elevation gear assembly moves the carriage up and down on the steel shafts when the elevation hand wheel is rotated.

The blade is mounted on a hardened steel arbor supported by oversized bearings mounted in a cast iron arbor block. The arbor block is mounted on the elevation carriage so the blade raises and lowers with the carriage. However, the arbor block is designed to pivot downward relative to the elevation carriage. This allows the blade to retract below the table when the SawStop brake activates.

The high-horsepower motors used on the cabinet saws require high belt tension between the pulleys attached to the motor and the arbor. Therefore, the motors on the cabinet saws are mounted directly to the elevation carriage to raise and lower with the blade and thereby maintain a constant belt tension. In contrast, the Contractor Saw motor requires less belt tension and therefore does not need to be supported by the elevation carriage.

Industrial Cabinet Saw
The Industrial Cabinet Saw uses the largest elevation carriage in order to support the extreme weight of the Industrial motors which range in size up to 7.5HP. The Industrial Cabinet Saw also uses the largest steel elevation shafts. The primary shaft is located at the front of the saw while the secondary shaft is at the rear to maximize the stability of the elevation carriage. The elevation gearing is a spiral miter gear design and is positioned at the front of the saw next to the primary elevation shaft. A compressed-gas spring helps to support the weight of the elevation carriage and motor, which reduces the effort needed to turn the elevation hand wheel when raising the blade.

Professional Cabinet Saw
The Professional Cabinet saw also incorporates dual elevation shafts, both mounted at the rear of the saw. This allows the elevation carriage on the Professional Cabinet Saw to be smaller and less heavy than the elevation carriage on the Industrial Cabinet Saw. The elevation gearing uses a precision worm gear assembly coupled to a modified rack-and-pinion assembly to control the vertical position of the blade. Although the elevation carriage and the 3 HP motor on the Professional Cabinet Saw are lighter than those on the Industrial Cabinet Saw, the Professional Cabinet Saw still includes the compressed-gas spring to balance the effort needed to raise and lower the blade.

Contractor Saw
The elevation carriage on the Contractor Saw rides on a single elevation shaft at the rear of the saw. The elevation gearing assembly consists of spiral miter gears connected to a threaded shaft, all of which are mounted at the rear of the saw near the elevation shaft. Since the Contractor Saw motor is not connected to the elevation carriage, no compressed-gas spring is needed to assist in raising the elevation assembly.

This month's Customer Project Spotlight is Lloyd Johnson's Sweetheart Clock. The beautiful clock is made of walnut, holly and purple heart wood, using a technique called multi-generational lamination. Mr. Johnson has been using and perfecting the woodworking technique for many years.

Lloyd explains that multi-generational lamination is fun but it is also difficult to execute successfully. Until two years ago, he had been working on a Swiss-made table saw that was equipped with a riving knife. Lloyd said, "I needed a saw that could yield strips that were consistent in width with edges that could be glued planing or thickness sanding. While I wanted to upgrade the saw, I wasn't willing to sacrifice safety by purchasing a saw without a riving knife. When I found the SawStop with a riving knife and the instant stop technology, I couldn't wait to get one and I have been extremely pleased ever since."

This year, Lloyd happened to discover a design containing hearts before Valentine's Day and decided to make a Sweetheart Clock for each of his daughters. Working a couple of hours each night for three weeks, Lloyd was able to make the clocks in time. Lloyd explained the process for us. "I used seven strips of various widths of walnut, holly and purple heart to make a laminated board. I took that board and cut it into strips at a specific angle and then reassembled them by flipping the alternate strips left-to-right to make a first generation board with a chevron pattern. I repeated this process two more times to make a third generation board. I then took that board and cut into 12 wedges which I put together to create the final design." said Lloyd.

When Mr. Johnson isn't woodworking, he is busy working as a Senior Executive for various software and hardware companies. Because of Lloyd's appreciation for technology and woodworking, he has written software that simulates the multi-generational lamination process so that woodworkers are able to see the design before they make the piece. The Lamination PRO software is designed to simplify tasks that otherwise can be very complex.

Equipped with his Lamination PRO software and his 10" SawStop professional cabinet saw we are sure Lloyd will continue to create amazing pieces. Lloyd said, "Being a lover of technology, I believe that the technological advances included in the SawStop places the saw in a class by itself."

Would you like to enter our SawStop Customer Project Spotlight? What projects have you recently completed with your SawStop saw? Entering is easy. Simply go to www.sawstop.com/spotlight. Fill out the form and upload up to 3 images of your project. We will post any project we receive and we'll feature one in each of our newsletters. If your project gets featured, we'll send you a free 40-tooth Combination Titanium Series Blade.

After hearing that SawStop saws are equipped with a safety system to stop the blade within 5 milliseconds of detecting skin contact, Charles was intrigued. He researched the technology behind SawStop, learning that the blade carries a small electrical signal, which the safety system continually monitors. When skin contacts the blade, the signal changes because the human body is conductive. The change to the signal activates the safety system, resulting in the the activation of the brake. Charles said, "I appreciate the SawStop saw doing just what it says! When I set off the brake the injury was minimal. It hardly broke the skin."

Not needing a bandage after his finger save, Charles continues on with his projects and life in Missouri. For the past 40 years, Mr. Young has enjoyed woodworking; making furniture and any object requested by friends and family. Today, Charles concentrates his woodworking efforts on making toys that he donates to charitable organizations. When Charles isn't in his shop, he enjoys walking in the mornings, lawn work and word search puzzles.

"I am thankful for the design and safety of the SawStop saw. It has kept me from serious injury, pain and suffering." said Mr. Young. Charles is one of over 600 people who have reported a save while using our saws. Have you had a finger save on a SawStop saw that you'd like to share? If so, please email us at sales@sawstop.com to tell us about it.

We have to admit, we never tire of hearing stories of how SawStop has saved people from serious injury. On May 30th of this year, John Miller was relieved that he was an owner of a saw that stopped short of taking his finger. He has always been happy with his SawStop Industrial Cabinet Saw but he has never been happier with it than since his accident.

When John was in the market for a saw, he did his research - two years of research to be exact. He wanted to be thorough. After working many years on a 10" JET 1 ½ HP Contractor Saw, he was ready for an upgrade. He looked at many different cabinet saws on the market but said, "It was obvious from the moment of my first turn to raise the blade that the SawStop 10" Industrial Cabinet Saw was head and shoulders above even the best of the cabinet saws. And all the benefits of the mobile base and quality fence and trunnion adjustment were great advantages. I noticed all these advantages even before the easily removable riving knife and the dust collection."

The breakthrough innovations, premium features and reliable performance appealed to John in addition to the SawStop safety system that stops the blade within 5 milliseconds of detecting contact with skin. John says, "I would have bought it without that, but honestly the safety system clinched the deal!"

John called us on June 17 to return his cartridge for a free replacement. He was only too happy to tell us his story. "I was ripping a 2" by 24" piece of 3/8" walnut with my right hand and I used my left hand to assist on the back side of the blade. My thumb touched the back side of the blade," John remembered.

John estimates that he would have lost the tip of his thumb, including half of his nail, if SawStop's safety system hadn't detected his finger and stopped the blade before serious damage could be done. John said that after his accident he, "cleaned and covered the scratch with a band aid for one day. After that no band aid was needed."

John is back in business now, working in his home shop in Washington State. We're thrilled that another potential tragedy was avoided and that John is back in his shop doing what he loves. John is one of over 600 people who have reported a save while using our saws. Have you had a finger save on a SawStop saw that you'd like to share? If so, please email us to tell us about it.

Fine Woodworking
Asa Christiana posted this update to the FWW blog after visiting our booth.
Click here.

Popular Woodworking
Glen Huey posted this blog entry about the new Professional Cabinet Saw
Click here.

Woodworkers Journal
Chris Marshall shot some video at our booth
Click here.

Wood Magazine
Bob Hunter spent quite a bit of time at the SawStop booth and shot video of our hot dog demo and the new Professional Cabinet Saw
Click here.

Wood Whisperer
Marc Spagnuolo stopped by to shoot some video of the new Professional Cabinet Saw
Click here.

American Woodworker
The editors from American Woodworking interviewed us about the new saw
Click here.

Would you like the chance to receive a new Titanium Series Blade for free? Introducing the SawStop Customer Project Spotlight.

What projects have you recently completed with your SawStop saw? We know that our customers produce exceptional work, and we'd like to see the projects you've been working on with your SawStop saws. This is an opportunity to showcase your talent at woodworking.

We'll feature one project in our next email newsletter. All complete entries will be posted on www.sawstop.com.

Entering is easy. Simply go to www.sawstop.com/spotlight. Fill out the form and upload up to 3 images of your project. We will post any project we receive and we'll feature one in each of our newsletters. Look for a profile of the spotlight project in next month's newsletter and look for your project on www.sawstop.com. Thanks to everyone for your participation.

Click here to enter your project today.