maya1

I am writing from the perspective of an emergency medicine physician. In the 25 years I have practiced, I have probably seen an average of one tablesaw accident a year. Some were fairly minor, just a gash or laceration that could be repaired with no loss of function. Others were far more serious, leading to loss of a digit, or nerve damage to the hand.

Usually the patient was an experienced woodworker, either hobbyist or a professional. None of them set out to do anything stupid or careless. Sometimes fatigue was a factor. One cabinetmaker was working thru his lunch hour to finish a job. In retrospect each of them made a mistake. That shouldn't lead so many bloggers to call them stupid, or to suggest that they deserved to have an acident.

I think anything that can be done to improve shop safety should be taken seriously. Many of the people criticizing this case will eventually have accidents. How much is a finger worth to them?

I think it's likely that the wide adoption of this safety device will bring its cost down significantly, and including the feature in new saws will not prove to be a huge burden.