Update on CPSC and flesh detecting table saw safety device rules

[LCHIEN]

Not a comment or commercial or other opinion, this is just an update on where the CPSC stands on table saw safety requirements, an iten that should be of interest to us all here.

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542474...-safer-drag-on

Please don't turn it into a bashing discussion. Reasonable comments are OK.

[Slik Geek]

Thank you for the post and the link.

Looking over their report, the CPSC believes that the risk of injury hasn’t decreased with voluntary standards on blade guards. Even though the number of injuries has apparently decreased over the past ten years, in spite of a nearly 10% increase in population, the CPSC believes number of table saws in use has also decreased, causing the risk of injuries to not decrease.

Does the claim of a decrease in table saw usage make sense to everyone?

[LinuxRandal]

"Gass says SawStop is about to come out with a $400 saw with his injury prevention system. The cheapest table saws sell for a bit under $200."

Wonder if that is still happening since the buyout by Festool.
I would also like to see the CPSC stats. I would like to see the delineation between used and "new" saws/injuries. Also any stats of the hobby since 2008 (fewer people buying new or used for a "hobby", being a decrease in usage due to costs.

[LCHIEN]

"Gass says SawStop is about to come out with a $400 saw with his injury prevention system. The cheapest table saws sell for a bit under $200."

Wonder if that is still happening since the buyout by Festool.
I would also like to see the CPSC stats. I would like to see the delineation between used and "new" saws/injuries. Also any stats of the hobby since 2008 (fewer people buying new or used for a "hobby", being a decrease in usage due to costs.

It seems that Sawstop as an entity or brand name will not be absorbed at least initially, although fully owned by Festool, so saws will probably still bear the saw stop name, I'm guessing.

[LCHIEN]

Gass is probably feeling the heat as it has been several years since his patent was granted. It's going to expire 17 years after issue. If the Power Tool Industry consortium can delay CPSC long enough they can avoid having to pay royalties for much of that 17 years.

[Slik Geek]

As of 1995, the U.S. patent term was changed to 20 years from the filing date. I believe his first patent for the SawStop technology claimed priority to a provisional patent application which was filed March 13, 2001. The term may have been extended by the patent office as a result of delays in processing that was their responsibility. The earliest the patent expires would be March 13, 2021, leaving about 3-1/2 more years. He has later patents that may extend his patent protection.