Background on previous table saw safety articles
This is an update to two previous posts I have made on David Butler, the inventor of new table saw safety technology. In case you missed them, the links to the articles are:
— Update from the inventor of new table saw safety technology, and
— Emerging technology for table saw safety
As I was not aware of any recent buzz about this important topic, I contacted David and asked him if he had anything new he could share with me, and that I could highlight on this blog. He replied:
Yes, we expect to have a very exciting product update with video coming to www.whirlwindtool.com in the next 3-4 weeks as soon as we get our new patents filed. Meanwhile, we were invited to open a two day public meeting on Table Saw Safety with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington on 03-01-2011. The SawStop folks and the Power Tool Institute representatives were also invited and attached here are the CPSC logs of the three sessions. I gave a PowerPoint presentation on Whirlwind and there was a good deal of discussion and Whirlwind Q&A following… If there is interest, I can send you a copy of my presentation.
Needless to say, I was looking forward to his Powerpoint presentation, which he provided and I have converted into a movie, to share with everyone here. It is a Sandal Woods Exclusive! I include the presentation below.
Exclusive: Whirlwind Powerpoint presentation to CPSC
Presentation by David Butler
before CPSC, march 11, 2011
Health and Safety Systems for Table Saws
PDF Attachments from the CPSC meetings
I attach the PDF documents/logs of the meetings in March 2011 — click on the links, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission will open in a window. The following are important documents to anyone who has, or is likely to have a table saw:
- March 1 2011 – CPSC meeting with David Butler, Whirlwind Tool Company — click the link to open PDF file
- March 1 2011 – meeting – CPSC meeting with Stephen Gass, SawStop — click the link to open PDF file
- March 2 2011 – meeting – CPSC meeting with representatives of the Power Tool Institue (PTI) — click the link to open PDF file
The following is the Meeting Summary with Butler/Whirlwind:
Mr. Butler presented a slide show about Whirlwind Tool Company’s prototypes for the Whirlwind Health and Safety System for table saws. He explained that it is a multi-tiered system that ideally could be used on both newly produced saws and retrofitted to existing table saws. Mr. Butler noted that the system makes use of a flesh sensing technology to stop the saw blade from injuring the user. The system is also designed to collect and remove saw dust as it is created. Mr. Butler stated that he had patents pending on the technology. Commissioner Adler asked Mr. Butler about the cost of the system to end users, if it should be put into production. Mr. Butler stated that he could not be certain -but he hoped that when produced in large quantities the system’s cost would be below $100. Commissioner Adler also asked questions about the development of the technology and whether Mr. Butler had been in negotiations with table saw manufacturers regarding his technology. Mr. Butler said that he had been contacted by some manufacturers but that he preferred to wait until his patents had been approved. Commissioner Adler also asked if Mr. Butler thought his product would infringe upon any existing patents. Mr. Butler said he was certain it would not. CPSC staffers inquired about the technological differences between his product and other safety devices on the market. Others in the audience asked about whether Mr. Butler thought the technology was going to be easily replicable on a large scale. He said he believed it would. Commissioner Adler thanked Mr. Butler for his time and his presentation.
- What are your thoughts about this issue?
- Unlike other flesh-sensing technologies, the Whirlwind technology could be used on new table saws, and it could also be retrofitted to existing table saws. Do you like this approach? Personally, I like that it can be retrofitted!
- The Whirlwind technology does not appear to infringe on existing technologies, a huge plus for the upcoming Whirlwind patents. Any thoughts?
— Al Navas
Did I read that right? The PTI asserts that there have been only 770 tablesaw accidents in the past 10 years? At the last woodworking show I attended, I counted 4 attendees with mangled fingers. Assuming these were tablesaw injuries, it’s hard to believe I saw 1/2% of a decades casualties at that one little show…
Carl
This technology will go a long way towards safer saws. The projected price point will make it readily available for the vast majority of woodworkers, both amateur and professional. While no safety device can make a machine 100% safe this will go a long way in educating those unfamiliar with saw safety by causing them to stop and restart the process. I especially like the dust collection feature being incorporated in the safety device, stopping the flying sawdust will help with those who refuse to use safety glasses. I will want one of these for my shop !
I think that the lethal part of a tablesaw is kickback and mainly the kickback induced abdominal trauma. To avoid this we already have many improvements available like riving knives, short fences and sliding tables. Flesh sensing technology is impressive, but it tries to reduce some of the damage supporting poor practices and not to avoid the problem. So will it change anything on the stats?