jmquinn32

Rob,

I don't believe that anyone would have a problem with a market saturated with this or any new technology. Give me a new toy, a better mousetrap and I am eager to give it a try. No one seems to be saying that the technology is one that they may not ultimately choose, they would just like the option to choose. I don't believe that anyone is arguing against having safer table saws on the market or in their shops, they are suggesting that they will decide how to employ their shops' safety measures. If every new saw was manufactured with a saw-stopping mechanism because there was a consumer-driven demand for it, that would be capitalism and absolutely fine. The CD and DVD did not replace the cassette tapes because the government decided it to be so, consumers gravitated to that format enjoying the benefits. Plasma and LCD TV's were multiple times more expensive than standard tubes yet the adoption rate was high once consumers completed their own "testing" many years before the DTV transition.

To create legislation would be to assume that people do not have the ability to choose what is best for themselves. I don't accept the notion that people need to be saved from themselves. Let consumers become educated to the saw-stopping benefits and the market will decide.

I feel an apology is in order. My attempt at humor was not meant to be at your expense, Roy_Harding. I was not questioning your professionalism at all. I was trying to agree with your position. You had mentioned that it is rare that one would cut extremely wet wood and I agree. My apologies. I am a fan of new technologies. I am not a fan of someone deciding one for me.

This is a great forum for sharing ideas. I did not mean to add tension, or worse insult, to the positions previously submitted.

Education was, is and always will be the answer not legislation. As parents, mentors and/or professionals, our job is to teach best practices so that individuals can make informed decisions. If mh1967 wishes to purchase a SawStop unit because he feels compelled to do so based on his research then he should do so, but it would be wrong to compel someone else to do so if their research does not bring them to the same conclusion.
There is as compelling an argument for such a device creating poor woodworking habits (like wearing gloves when operating a table saw) since those who use it exclusively may interact with every legacy saw as if its blade will stop if hands become engaged. To Roy Harding's point, if you are cutting extremely wet wood on your table saw, you may want to rethink your hobby or profession anyway and save yourself the SawStop investment.
I tend to side with SleazyRider's Darwinist mentality also agreeing that the shop with always remain a dangerous place for those without the respect/knowledge of its capabilities. Technologies should be chosen at an individual level not mandated by a government agency. If it is truly the best practice most all will gravitate of their own choosing. Natural market pressures should prevail.