tcyr

I have a few "must have's", and a couple "wanna have's":

Must have:
- Durable wood top, obviously (beech?)
- Holes for bench dogs
- Adjustable vice at each end (preferably quick release)
- Dust proof drawers for tools and accessories (two small, one
large)
- Electrical outlets on each end, with master circuit breaker

Wanna have:
- Leveling feet (possible height adjustment as well)
- Top 6" under worktop would be setup for use as a downdraft
table using the bench dog holes as input vents

This is called a "sympathy verdict". No matter what you do or how stupid it is you can almost always win a jury verdict if you act pathetic enough during the trial. The same thing has happened in reverse where a homeowner legitimately shot an armed intruder and still lost a civil suit because the "victim" left a wife and two young children. Just goes to show that juries are not always smart!

In this particular case, I feel sorry for the guy because of his injury, but there is no way that I would have awarded him any money if I were on the jury. We all assume a risk when using power tools, and we should have proper training on how to use them or we should not use them at all! Even with all the advances in technology and safety features that manufacturers are constantly adding the burden is still ultimately on us, not the manufacturer. This verdict is the same as suing Smith & Wesson for accidentally shooting somebody when it was YOUR finger on the trigger. The laws of common sense unfortunately do not always apply.