READ BEFORE COMMENTING: Regarding comments about your body not "grounding" because you have shoes on... "Grounding" is not a literal term. Your car is full of parts that must be "grounded", yet the rubber tires keep it off the literal ground. Just as the mass of the engine block and frame serve to "ground" the car, here I mean your body is large enough to dissipate enough of the low voltage charge on the blade and trigger the system. Yes, the term is not TECHNICALLY correct, but it is commonly used that way.

I have a friend that has a hot dog cutting business and he said SawStops are worthless.

Having my pinky reattached was 15k. My digit is basically useless. If I had even the slightest chance to avoid losing my fingers again I go for a sawstop. And yes I have 2 saws and support the company. Get a sawstop

Years ago my dad was considering getting one. Mom didn't even bat an eye at the price and told him to order it. One day he lost his balance and put a hand into the blade. Worth every penny.

I've always said that a SawStop Table Saw might cost you an arm and a leg, but at least they won't cost you a finger or a thumb.

Even if you had to replace the entire tablesaw, still cheaper than replacing a finger

not gonna lie whenever i hear someone say sawstop's price is too much i laugh a bit considering the cost of medical service here in the states.

It happened in my wood-shop class in 2013, a kid got a small cut and it saved his finger. It was loud and startling but i am glad he got to keep his finger. The teacher changed the brake/blade and gave him a small band-aid and the class resumed like normal!

There a MAJOR problem with SawStop that no one wants to talk about. With less people loosing fingers on the job we will soon have a huge shortage of Shop Teachers.

Will keep this short. I'm a professional cabinet maker, and pay close attention to my safety. Even with thousands of hours in front of a saw, mistakes happen....and I still have my left thumb....thanks to sawstop.

I don't understand the arguments against SawStop, even ignoring their validity problems. It might malfunction and not trigger: A normal saw would never trigger. I'll take one that has a chance of not triggering any day. It might malfunction and trigger needlessly: Unless that happens all the time, I feel like this is a small price to pay. You can't cut wood with nails with it: You shouldn't cut wood with nails in the first place. Get a metal detector and remove them. You can't cut pressure treated wood: Alright, that one I can understand. You can turn off the system, though, so just do that. It's very expensive when it triggers: It doesn't cost a finger, though and the hospital bills would be far greater. So... even assuming all those arguments are actually true, they still don't make much sense.

"Trusting your fingers to a computer in a dusty workshop is a bad idea." Yeah, that's why you don't trust your fingers to a computer. You must engage your brain. The safety device isn't there so that you can operate your saw without regard for your own safety.

Too expensive?! We just went over how false activation is exceedingly rare, so..... is the argument your finger isn't worth $200??

Personally, a SawStop could break my entire table saw and prevent one of my digits from being severed and I wouldn't budge an inch on price. My fingers > damage to a tool.

Hi James, I have had my SawStop fire twice. The first time was due to stupidity which was caused by an ill adjusted aluminum mitre fence. The second was the OMG I am glad it worked one. I normally keep my push stick on the right side of my fence as I am right handed. For some reason I had left it on the left side of the saw. I was making a rip cut through a piece of maple and when I reached across to pick up the push stick, the brake fired and I was puzzled as to why until I looked at my right palm which had a very shallow scratch. I never even felt it but some how when I changed hands on the workpiece and reached to the right, my palm came in contact with the top of the blade. In both cases all I needed to replace was the brake as both blades were send back to Forrest City for inspection and were given a sharpening and a clean bill of health. I was sure to tell them why the blades were being sent to them. SawStops are the finest machine on the market in value for dollars particularly as others has said, compared to a trip to the emergency room.

I had just purchased and assembled a new table saw when my wife said "You know, you have more money than fingers. Why don't you take that back and get the SawStop you were eyeing". Having just spend many hours setting up the saw I sucked up my frustration and took the other saw back and bought my SawStop. I have never fired off the break but then again, I have never fired off the air bags in my car either.

Also with regards to false-activations, I'd much rather have a safety system that's itchin' to go than one that might get performance shy when it matters.

I've been around saws my entire life, first time I ran one I was 8 years old. You don't NEED a stop saw, but you really should get one, I've had mine for a fee years and just 3 days ago I was ripping a board and i sneezed because of some amazing allergies, next thing I know I yank my hands back because I felt my right hand hit the blade, and hear that big clunk and my blade is gone, and machine isn't running. I was pretty puzzled at what had happened, so I start looking over myself to see if it left a mark and sure enough i found the smallest little droplet of blood on bottom of my wrist. All its takes is that one little moment that you think will be fine, and it isn't fine at all.

I had my career as a promising Bond villain cruelly cut short by a Sawstop saw.

What I say when anyone actually argues against sawstop: Just say you can’t afford it bro

I own 2 SawStops , one 7 years and the other 3 years. I had one activate cutting a wet cedar 2x4. I usually cut any damp wood on bypass but completely forgot this time as I rarely cut anything besides cabinet materials. I also had a cartridge activate in the middle of a blade change. Power was off and blade was out of the saw when it tripped. Odd, but SawStop replaced it at no charge after inspection. Customer service and tech support is top notch. Peace of mind is priceless. Have all my fingers with 45 years of everyday use and plan on keeping it that way.

SawStops only work on a Sphere, so if you live on a flat earth, save your money.

Big shop, hundreds of workers, wide range of experience, we adopted sawstops and never switched back. Had 2 or 3 actuators fire off, never knew why, sent the blade and actuator to the company for a free replacement actuator. Had spare blades and actuators, reinstalled, restarted, production resumed in a matter of minutes. No injury, no cordoning off the area, no osha investigation, nobody got hurt. Consider the cost of an injury, and the lost production, nevermind the life altering experience of being young and losing a digit for life. Oh, and it's a good saw. If you are a one man shop, maybe not for you. If you can afford safety glasses, dust masks, and a range of PPE, and you have anyone else using your table saw unsupervised, it may be a more practical choice than your current experience is telling you. Full disclosure: My first car was a 1962 Rambler Classic, and it was typical for it's day, no seatbelts. I grew up when safety considerations were scorned, hockey players wore no headwear, and smoking was casually shown on tv. My generation was wrong about taking serious risk casually. Wear your seatbelt, drive defensively, wear earplugs, and all that stuff. Thanks.

Minor suggestions: "The design takes advantage of the difference in conductance and capacitance, between wood and flesh" (Wikipedia). That change is capacitance. A tiny electric current will flow through the blade even without physical contact in essence "charging" your body with some static electricity and it can do this even through an insulator. You have to be very close to the blade of course. It is basically the same principle as a condenser microphone or electret microphone. "An oscillator generates a 12-volt, 200-kilohertz (kHz) pulsed electrical signal, which is applied to a small plate on one side of the blade. The signal is transferred to the blade by capacitive coupling. A plate on the other side of the blade picks up the signal and sends it to a threshold detector. If a human contacts the blade, the signal will fall below the threshold. After signal loss for 25 micro seconds (µs), the detector will fire." Again, it doesn't even require physical contact. Just before physical contact your body will "bleed" enough of that signal to be detected, even through a glove. Exactly how close you have to be depends on various factors. If you are leaning on the table the metal of the table increases your capacitance and will make the system somewhat more sensitive. That's my guess, but I'm a radio engineer and work with this sort of thing fairly regularly.

When a video shows up in my recommendations by a guy called 'Stumpy Nubs' talking about a product that prevents fingers from being cut off, I felt inclined to watch. Nice video man

I'm a retired Carpenter this seems like a wonderful invention and if you knew the amount of guys I knew from back in the days that lost fingers you'd have one!

I had sawstop thats cartige went off by accident and i contacted sawstop and they replace the part for free 👍 they are awesome saw

Thanks for this. I've used a SawStop in a shop environment for about six years and they did trip occasionally, usually from someone cutting metal or forcing something through the saw that wanted to bind. BTW, when you think the trip was a machine fault and not the result of cutting something that shouldn't be cut, you send the spent cartridge in and they analyze the data on the cartridge's chip and they have replaced them for free a few times.

The whole, "sometimes it dont work so we should not have it at all" argument is stupid as heck and those people deserve to lose their fingers.

I don't own a table saw at all. I just watch dudes on youtube who make stuff with them

I've been cutting my hotdogs for years with a table saws. Honestly, SawStop is the WORST for this. Don't buy it if you want to even THINK about cutting meat.

Me: Imma go to sleep now KZfaq Algorithm: Do you want to watch someone argue about saws? Me: Aight

"Oh no my expensive blade could be ruined by the SawStop that makes it far too expensive to use" Excuse me what? That's far cheaper than losing fingers. This argument doesn't make sense in the first place.

Imagine a serial killer tryng to cut a person with his own table saw just to find out he has SawStop

I dont think enough people are really appreciating how amazing this technology actually is

I had never heard of SawStop until now. With my retirement a couple of years out, it's now on my wish-list.

James, Great video regarding the myths vs. realities of saw stop. I bought one 2-1/2 years ago, as a retirement gift to myself. Took it home in September, deployed the brake in Late October. I and my left thumb are grateful for SawStop. A few months later I was looking for some info in the owner’s book. I saw a passage which stated that if I ever fire the brake, SawStop would send me a free replacement, in exchange for the fired brake assembly, sans the blade. I checked into it further, True to their word they sent the free cartridge assembly without question. Rare integrity for sure. 👍

The only 2 issues I've ever seen,in person, with SawStop saws: 1. A large carpentry company in the U.K. had 2. 1 was operating just fine. The other discharged 3 cartridges in quick succession. The issue was found to be with the sensor circuit being damaged in shipping and was tripping out under vibration. 2. A college on the coast had ran a SawStop for a year or so until one student was working on a project using old timbers. The combination of salination and moisture was enough to trigger the cartridge. In summary... a hand is still more valuable than even 100 cartridges. Both of the above were "positive failures" where nobody got hurt. The college is now able to allow 2nd year students to use the saw (not previously possible due to the risks involved) and the carpentry hasn't had a single, even minor, injury from the table saws; compared to at least 6 minor injuries a year and 3 amputation injuries in the previous 10 years. They only employ highly competent operators... but accidents happen. ANYTHING that makes a machine safer is a good thing. I've seen too many guys lose their lives, limbs and livelihoods to think otherwise. Personally, the only issue I have with SawStop, is the they should have simply sold the safety system to every saw manufacturer. Like the inventor of car safety belts, chainsaw protection trousers and gas/smoke detection systems. They'd have still made an absolute fortune as no manufacturer would want to be "the one without SawStop".... and they'd have protected every saw operator from a life changing/taking injury into the deal.

I've had a saw stop for 10 years. I agree they are awesome saws, and I love mine. That being said, I've had it go off from cutting both wet wood and from cutting nails. Those are the only 2 times my saw has used the stop funtion. The wood was extremely wet and my friend was using the saw and didn't know that was a possibility. He should have used the override. As for the nails, I was reclaiming old barn timbers and there were multiple nails in the board. I'm pretty sure it made a connection between the blade and riving knife, which of course would be grounded. I've never needed it for an actual potential injury, but that's ok. I'm glad it's there.

New subscriber. 45 years woodworking experience (by NO means a master). I VERY much appreciated your video. Well presented, no politics, goofy humor, overerly dramatic stunts; just solid info. Keep up the good work.

I had two go off. One no clue what triggered it. Second was a finger and it did its job. It was worth it, and will not own anything else.

I hope you make this a series. So many myths that need debunking

I never even chopped anything with an axe let alone the damn table saw, but this was a great video, the dude is so calm and good at explaining!

My cabinet maker's shop has a 3HP SawStop and I, as a former finish carpenter in my 20s, have a key to it. Last year, I was using his SawStop to rip a piece of African burl that Cooks Woods had sealed in wax. About a third of the way through the piece (with my fingers FAR from the blade), the stop engaged and the blade disappeared into the body of the table. It startled the crap out of me because it was LOUD and instantaneous-VERY impressive-wherefore I'm a fan. Nevertheless, after much deliberation--and in part due to Jim's review of it-I just ordered a 3HP Harvey Alpha table saw with the Shark S-12S overhead dust collection and the amazing Big Eye rip fence system. Jim's review of the Harvey COMPASS MG-36Pro miter gauge (which comes with the saw as standard equipment) was also a big influence on my decision, as I do segmented bowl turning with exotic hardwoods, where a 1/4-degree error, compounded over anything more than 16 segments (32 cuts), can result in a huge 8° gap during glue-up. All-in-all, I've come to believe that Harvey simply makes a qualitatively better table saw, with incredibly accurate components across the board, features that the average contractor or cabinet shop may not require, but which are a huge improvement over SawStop, Powermatic, Delta, etc. Finally, the other reason that I decided against spending the extra money on the safety of SawStop is a logical one, in that I use my 10" Makita compound power miter box, 14" 2HP lathe, Delta scroll saw, Laguna 1412 band saw, and dozens of dangerous handheld power tools every weekend-and NONE of them have a safety stop, yet I've never lost a digit to any of them in over 50 years of woodworking. I also know a dozen local 60-95 year-old craftsmen/guildsmen who, while they're impressed with the SawStop concept, still use the 100 year-old hand-me-down industrial beasts their grandfathers used as young men in the 1920s because, as they put it, "they just don't make 'em like that anymore...", and all of them (like their fathers and grandfathers before them) still have all of their fingers. ...In summary, I LOVE the concept, have even seen it work first-hand, but have chosen what for me is a superior all-around table saw elsewhere. Yes, I've chosen accuracy over safety, and will happily take responsibility for my own fingers-just like all those SawStop owners do with all their other shop tools. Thank you, Jim, for the most articulate KZfaq woodworking site on the internet. You're always balanced, honest, and informative and you never disappoint. TB.

While SawStop has undoubtedly saved a lot of people from traumatic injuries the saw is in no way a substitute for safe work practices. So stay safe out there

I am a college woodworking instructor. I have four (4) Sawstop table saws in my classroom. In my experience, you are correct on all counts, albeit with added emphasis: I have seen people attempt to re-use a table saw blade after the brake fired without first having the blade inspected by the manufacturer or a qualified sharpening service; loose teeth can become projectiles, so don't skip the formal inspection. For the record, the only time I have ever had a Sawstop brake cartridge expended in my classroom, over thousands of hours of use, with countless students, was once - when someone allowed the spinning blade to come in contact with an aluminum fence on a miter gauge. Once. Before I had Sawstop in my classroom, we had mostly Delta Unisaws and Powermatic 66s; good saws. In my experience, an opinion shared by my peers, the quality of manufacture, cutting ability, accuracy, and related performance metrics have been better in all regards with Sawstops, which also stop the blade faster after the power is switched off than with our previous saws. People are at risk as long as the blade is spinning, whether under power or idling to a stop. Even when idling to a stop, a Sawstop's brake will still fire to protect any user whose body comes in contact with the blade.

Most of these myths come from the belief that these things work through grounding or a short circuit. The fact is they work on capacitive coupling and induction like a voltage tester

"Sawstop is too expensive" Yeah, because being potentially mutilated and permanently unable to work because of a saw incident is a bargain compared to a 60$ cartridge and a new blade

Sawstop has never worked for me As I’ve never worked with a sawstop Actually I never used a saw Why am I here

Where I work we had a good carpenter loose 1/2 his hand on a Unisaw. He never came back to work again. They sold the 2 Unisaws and then bought sawstop saws as a replacement. All the carpenters love them. The cost of that injury could have bought 20 saw stop saws. God bless our management for their action. Thanks for your article. Safety first.

Thanks for your insight here; like you, I’ve heard some of the same arguments against SawStop. I’ve had mine for almost 3 years and have actually cut not only nails but an imbedded screw one time without causing the brake to activate. I’ve also cut treated lumber as well and I still have the original brake on my saw.

As someone who has never done any woodworking, nor do I have the desire to do so, I have no idea what I'm doing watching a video from 2 years ago debunking myths about a product that I will likely never have the need to use. Nonetheless, really good video. Concise, to the point, using actual evidence to back up your claims, and I've always been curious if the SawStop was actually any good or if it was just another seen-on-TV scam. If I was a woodworking guy, you'd probably be one of my favorite channels. I hope you've kept up the good work over the years for the people who regularly watch your content.

James, my friend’s, sister’s, boyfriend’s, cousin’s therapist said that her hairdresser’s second cousin heard that someone read a story on the inter webs that said saw stops are painted red and black because it hides the hotdog blood during the fake demos...just sayin’

Hi James. I largely bought a Sawstop because I was always very wary of the really crappy job site saw that I used for the first part of my woodworking career and wanted an added measure of safety. When I upgraded to the Sawstop, I realized that not only is the safety feature a major selling point, but it’s also a REALLY well made saw. Can’t express this enough. It was expensive, to be sure, but I think it’s well worth the money.

I would rather pay $160 to replace a blade and cartridge than go through life missing a finger and i bet anyone would if faced with the choice afterwards.

My dad bought me a saw stop last year after I had an accident with my delta jobsite saw. I have triggered the break twice: once when I wanted to trim a window blind and last week when I hit a piece of aluminum witht he blade. The first time I kept the brake/blade (my dad wanted to see what it looked like). Last week I was able to remove the brake from the blade, which was not damaged. Thanks for the video. It's nice to hear someone dispel the myths. I commented on another video and shared why I had a saw stop and several people replied stating that it would be cheaper to avoid making stupid decisions. Hopefully they don't end up in the ER like I did.

Have you heard the story about the guy who didn't have a sawstop and cut all his fingers off? The hospital told him if he'd bought his fingers in they could've reattached them. He replied "I couldn't pick them up".....

At first glance, I thought he was standing in a gun store

GREAT video. I had bought a 10” Contractor version several months back and one thing led to another over the summer (being busy outside with other projects etc… and I never got around to assembling it until a few weeks ago. Was still intimidated by that blade and I too had seen and heard some of those myths about “the speed of the hot dog being fed into the blade” and so on. You clearly and confidently debunked those rumors and I for one really appreciate it. I’m just an amateur woodworker but with two young teenagers who are getting into woodworking it was definitely a worthwhile investment. Thanks again !!!

Hey Stumpy- cool video and I appreciate the tone and concepts. I run a college wood shop with three Sawstops between 13 and 10 years old. I love them, they have saved several students I know over ten years, most notably, a pianist making his piano bench parts, from a full dado stack. Late night, last minute mind fart that left him with two stitches and ptsd. Thank Gawd he wasn't left without his thumb. The inertia from the stack bent the arbor enough to make it wobble. Sawstop replaced the arbor assembly, I provided the labor to install. Since then we find there are certain nuances about each machine, as with any other device in anyone's shop. In that case, Sawstop now recommends "star style" dado stacks, since mass is reduced over dados with full blade chippers. Also, I have had several brakes go off mid-cut due to wet wood, and cedar, particularly thicker material) which shows different moisture content on the outside of the wood versus the interior (i.e. 8% on the outside, and 19-35% moisture in the middle after the cut has been made.) This might seem obvious, but pulling material off the outdoor rack at the lumber yard before acclimating the material does more than set off the break- it can spray moisture throughout your table saw and reek havoc on your blade and trunnion gears, not to mention in the case of a Sawstop, the sensors and electronics. My home shop I use a trusty old PM60, which is as smooth as a 1940 chevy. I love her, but would trade her in a hot second for a Sawstop (teacher's salaries being what they are in my neck of the woods, I use what I got). Lastly- the safest thing about the Sawstop- the ability to change the riving knife or blade guard, and blade in seconds. Using the right blade with a splitter has saved countless novices, and a whole lot more professionals around here.

BRAVO!!! Thanks James. I have one of the early SawStops. It’s an outstanding saw. Maybe this will help someone rethink their decision not to buy a SawStop. Yes, I’ve triggered the brake twice. Both times were totally my fault by not making sure that the blade wouldn’t hit my Incra miter gauge. I agree with you on having the blade checked. That’s something I should do with the Forrest WW II blade but the teeth on my thin kerf 80 tooth blade were bent beyond repair. Lately the biggest two mythsI keep seeing is that because of these triggers that A SawStop becomes too expensive or that users become complacent because they know they are safe. First of all the extra cash that I paid for my SawStop over a comparable saw at the time was chump change when compared to the medical bills from an accident. In that regard having the SawStop is like a cheap insurance policy. As for becoming complacent because of the safety feature I’ve noticed the opposite. I’m much more aware of table saw safety with my SawStop than I was with my previous table saw. After setting the brake off twice I’m even more careful when setting up and making a cut. Over the years something that I have noticed is posts by table saw users who said that they originally thought their years of experience would protect them from table saw accidents and were now buying a SawStop after having an accident. Those are sad posts especially from some who stated that they were among those who had encouraged others not to buy one. I’m sure glad that I didn’t listen to those who advised me against buying my saw.

I have had the brake deploy several times when it should not have done so. Once I was ripping boards and on the third pass, half way through the board it deployed. I sent this in to saw stop and they queried the brake and think it was caused by a loose connection to the computer board, they sent me a replacement brake and detailed instructions on how to fix it. The other time I ripped boards and glued them up with tight bond. They sat for 48 hours and when I went to trim them up on the saw the brake deployed, they queried that one as well and decided the block was wet, I don't know how that could have been but that was their answer so they did not replace that blade. I agree that the blade is not destroyed I have had no problem reusing the blades. I really like the saw for it's accuracy and safety, I am willing to deal with an occasional unintended brake fire in exchange for the accuracy and safety of the saw. I have been using this saw for about 5 years

There is no amount of money that can replace missing fingers. This is one of the greatest inventions in carpentry since forever.

Hi. I bought my Sawstop Jobsite last year. The second time I used it, the brake activated after I switched on the saw before I even started to make a cut. I am still very happy to know that my surgeon’s hands are protected but have, of course, no explanation for what happened. Neither did the technician who replaced the cartridge. Love your vids. Many thanks. Les Berkowitz Johannesburg South Africa

Every saw stop malfunction story I've heard started with "Dear Penthouse, I never believed it would happen to me."

Are people saying a $100 disc and $60 cartridge are too expensive? Cheaper than a for profit medical system reattaching a digit 1/8” shorter

I am just a small shop and its only me working there... I can't wait to be able to buy a SAWSTOP for the shop.

I have activated my brake cartridge cutting pressure treated lumber. It was pretty wet but definitely dripping. No matter! I simply put another cartridge in and a new blade . I now cut pressure treated in bypass mode. I love the performance of the saw and the sense of confidence it gives me. I’m a software engineer by day and it would cost me my livelihood if I lost my digits.

A "SawStop" saw once told me that I have weird looking legs. I know it was just being a jerk, but I haven't worn shorts since. I'm just sayin', hurt is hurt, even if it's just feelings.

I just got the SawStop Jobsite. I heard all of the myths before I bought it but researched them and came up with the very same conclusions that you proclaim. I sold cars for 30 years starting in the 70’s, and heard these things at one time or another: 1. A six cylinder is too weak. 2. Fuel injection is expensive, unnecessary and nobody can fix it. 3. Front wheel drive is dangerous and will result in minor accidents totaling your car. 4. Mandatory seat belts are dangerous, I want to be thrown free in a serious crash. Stuff changes for the better but some people just can’t accept that. Thanks for helping!

Thanks for the clear explanation! I was glad to find out that Festool will (finally!) introduce Sawstop table saws in my country this year; until now I don't think they were readily available (though some people have imported them). Just in time too, we're finally getting a workshop annex built next to the house, and we'll have room for a table saw amongst other things. Both my wife and I will be using it, and we've both agreed that it will be a Sawstop after seeing this. Also, thanks for the great Table Saw 101 series, it was a good refresher with great tips. Eager to get back into the sawdust now...

I don’t know why I’m here I don’t even use saws but I subscribed and liked because this is quality content no matter how you slice it

I teach at a high school. We have had our SawStop for 13 years and it is probably the best investment we ever made. In that time it has been activated about 8 times. Twice by students not waiting for the green light to stop blinking before they accidently touched the blade with a tape measure. I myself activated it twice. The first time I was in the shop on a Saturday not expecting anyone to come walking in. One of my co-workers did come in and it surprised me and my hand slipped into the blade . I got the tiniest nick possible on my thumb. The second time was from a piece of pressure treated lumber. The other 4 times was from students that lost focus. Thankfully they did not lose a finger. I personally feel they are a great investment and worth every penny. The money saved from not having to visit the emergency room makes up for the cost and I would gladly buy it again.

I'm seriously looking at replacing my cheap Delta table saw with a Sawstop after removing the tip of my little finger last October. Thanks for clearing up the fallacies for us!

Woodshop teacher here. School has had a sawstop for 7 years in one shop and 3 years in another. We have tripped the blade about 5 times. Once by my own hand because I was too much of a hurry to put the guard down. Another was a student trying to move the scrap to make the next cut. the other 3 were darnits. One WAS pressure treated lumber. It was wet, didn't think about that and got 7'6" through an 8ft 2x4 ripping it down the middle. The final 2 were a nail and staple. I was told by the dealer that in the last 3-5 years they have re-engineered the cartridges. They were initially too sensitive and any metal flake would set them off. With that being said, it's been about 3-4 years since a cartridge trip. Also even with 3 out of 5 times the cartridge has tripped, it wouldn't have on a regular saw, still isn't' worth skimping because of the 2 times it did save a finger. No Regrets on having a sawstop

Everyone: sawstops are too expensive for it to be worth getting Me: *laughs in American healthcare*

James love your show! Good info - I too have corrected people in various forums and youtube because of incorrect info. Having said that I have had two breaks fire in the last 5 years one I was doing some 45 degree bevel cuts and while the saw was not in contact with any metal or my finger (fortunately) Sawstop analysed the break and determined that it must have came close to the aluminum mitre fence and arced. The second I swapped out a 10" Freud glue line for a 10" combination and as soon as I turned on the saw it fired - it seems that not all 10" saws are 10" even from the same manufacturer. Freud admitted this. so now whenever I change the blade I check that the gap is correct. lastly - Sawstop do say that the saw can be reused in their FAQ. when I first got my saw I needed to do some dados and thought I could get away without buying a dado break - the SS wouldn't start no matter what I did.

It's too expensive? Try an Emergency Room visit and a few hours with a hand surgeon!

Good for you, an honest review to debunk some of the trash talk out there which is totally unwarranted. Good Man.

That was an EXCELLENT presentation! Thank you for it. You've answered some questions I had about these devices and now I feel much more comfortable about buying one. Again, thank you.

The only people that truly debate this type of stuff(saw stop and everything else) are those who have never actually used said product. Just ignore the simpletons.

I used a Craftsman contractor saw for years, and much to my wife’s amazement I still have all ten of my fingers. Not long ago, she saw a demonstration video of the Sawstop, and suggested that the old saw should be replaced. I am not arguing with her....

I am an ancient woodworker and I have owned two Unisaws and a Craftsman. I bought a saw stop several years ago and it is the best saw I have ever had, even if it never saves my finger. It has tripped twice, both times when I ran my miter gauge into the blade. It did not ruin my blades and I still use them.

as a person that uses a lot of reclaimed material and refurbishes 1900's trolley cars I have been using a SawStop table saw for 7 years and have had a 23ga nail set off the brake, it destroyed the blade (not a cheap one) the cartridge was $65 and the blade was $30, the alternative could have cost much more $100 doesn't even cover walking into the emergency room.

Thanks James. I'm a noob. I bought the Sawstop PCS because embarking on woodworking at 60 and not having the benefit of hands on leaning with skilled and safe folk, I figured that thumbs were a shitload more expensive to lose than blades and carts. I see it as an insurance policy that mitigates some of the risks. Without experience, it can be difficult to sort info from myth, or shit from clay. Thanks for providing the clay to build on.

I had my SawStop trigger once when I was ripping some Home Depot 2x8 PT down when I was building my deck. It was the third piece I'd ripped and when I looked at it, I have to say it was really wet inside unlike the other pieces I ripped. A quick trip to Woodcraft for a brake and a blade and I was back in business in about a 1/2 hour. That said --- I've used it for years and it's never tripped on anything else. Love the saw, it's an awesome tool!

I know in one case the Blacktail Studio guy tripped his sawstop while cutting foam for packing a table. Foam with a metal foil surface layer he was touching directly and admitted it was his own screw-up. I've also seen a high-speed camera demo of it, and while regular blades should be reclaimable after a brake incident, Dado sets take a lot more raw force to stop and they'll snap the carbide teeth off as it comes to a halt.

Thank you for the video, I've been contemplating buying a Sawstop table saw for some time and you answered some of my concerns. stay safe!

3:35 I have personally seen this happen. I was a TA for a woodshop class in highschool the cut was going great on some reclaimed fencing and bang the cartage went off. When I took the blade off to investigate we found a broken off framing nail going right though were he was cutting. I love sawstops and though this happened its a SMALL price to pay compared to the fingers its potentially saved. Well worth the price, If I ever get back into carpentry I will be sure to save up for one.

MYTH: SawStops are too expensive. ANSWER: Have you priced a thumb lately?

Just started getting into woodworking seriously as a hobby. Mostly just did small projects with framing lumber and what not before. Extremely cool to see the winged wheel in a video. Did a little Google search and found out you only live a few hours from me. We visit Frankenmuth a few times a year so I wouldn’t be surprised if we crossed paths. Thanks for the good info!!

Just ran across this today and thought I should comment. Upon retirement I acquired a SawStop 10 years ago as a hobby woodworker and have put a lot of wood through it in the last ten years. In the first couple of years, I did experience a couple of unexplained activations of the system. Didn’t know why then and still don’t but they both happened on initial startup of the saw before anything had touched the blade. Contacted the company and they had me send the units in and they replaced them. Because the blades were not even up to speed, no damage to the blades due to activation but it was a bit of a chore to extract the blades from the aluminum break. I have also had one occurrence of the unit activating while saving damage to my thumb. I’ve also cut wet pressure treated wood and most recently a framing nail. No activation on either of these, but I am going to have to send my Forester blade back to the factory for some repair work after the nail episode 😟. Bottom line is that I love the saw and consider it a great investment. And even if it did cost $200 to replace a blade and new break unit, that is not much compared to a visit to the ER.

Great info Stumpy and thank you for cutting through all the BS out there. Love your videos man!

Stumpy...in 1962, when I was 12, my father died from tetnus or what most people call lockjaw. He cut his thumb on a table saw. I use my table saw everyday and I am extremely cautious when i use it. A table saw deserves a lot of respect. Saw Stop would have prevented his death. I am now looking at updating my own saw. Love the videos...bob

I triggered a Saw stop when the blade hit a staple at the end of a piece of 3/4" pine. As a woodshop teacher for 35 years, I will always recommend the Saw Stop! The best investment you can make in the woodshop.

Really great, thank you. I used a small contractors jobsite saw for decades, but I am now 67, and I don't feel quite as competent as I did at 30. This puts me over the top on getting a Saw Stop.

I was working on a 5hp industrial SawStop when my finger contacted the blade. I did not even need a band-aid. However, when I ran my finger into my Craftsman saw. Well I needed a lot more than a band-aid. Buy one. It works. And it is a very well made saw to boot

I have had many tablesaws over the years. A Powermatic 66, Unisaw, and currently a Grizzly 1023. I bought a Sawstop Industrial for our makerspace. We have been using that saw for about 3 years. We have had 3 instances where the cartridge triggered for no apparent reason. We have a surveillance camera above the SawStop, and in all three instances we were able to confirm the system triggered for no reason. In one instance, the operator turned on the saw and had not even started feeding material when it triggered. We do not allow any metal to be cut in the saw at any time, so it wasn't a left over chip that set it off. In all three cases, SawStop would not replace the cartridge under warranty. It was probably a faulty series of cartridges because we have not had another incident in two years. The dust collection system is inadequate. Dust is only collected from the shroud around the blade. We have had problems with dust getting into the bevel gears that raise and lower the blade, jamming the blade height adjustment. I have also seen this problem on the Professional model. The SawStop sensor measures the complex impedance of the blade assembly. If something of sufficient mass and conductivity touches the blade while it is spinning, the system will trigger. The object does not need to be grounded. Of all the saws I've owned, I prefer the Grizzly. Was the $4000 SawStop a bad choice for the makerspace? No, not at all. We have never had an accident, but if we did, I do not want to explain to a jury that we could have bought a SawStop, but it was too expensive. Perhaps a chicken-out move, but a good business decision.

Thank you for this video. It is so refreshing to see someone look at all the crap on the internet and call BS. I'm not a sawstop owner because i can't afford it and before you ask what a finger is worth, i just can not justify the cost vs being careful and using safety guards. Again, THANK YOU.

I know that this is very late to the party, but I thought that I would let you know about my recent incident with my Saw Stop PCS. I was ripping through a piece of lumber which I had reclaimed from an Ikea-like piece of cabinetry. Unbeknownst to me, it had one of those cylindrical aluminum latches for mechanically holding the panels together (5/8x5/8"), the feeding was instantly stopped while the blade continued to spin away as if nothing had happened. Obviously, the cartridge did not activate and luckily, the blade was undamaged. One more anecdotal piece of evidence that embedded metal will not trigger the blade stopping cartridge. BTW, I love your channel and watch every episode and learn something new (after over 60 years of woodworking) from most of them. Keep up the great work!