Re: Safer Saws
 

Another similar point is to keep Everything out of the saw or drill area. These include neckties (some teams are classy), scarves, long-sleeved or loose clothing, long hair (tie it back!), and for a guy on our team last year, long beards.
If these get caught in the drill, saw, etc., then they will pull your face/arms into the drill, saw, etc., and really hurt you.
Just remember, keep everything away from the actual tool except the item to be cut, and wear those safety goggles!

Re: Safer Saws
 

This kind of cool concept just came to me:
Ground the blade of the saw. Have the student grounded. If there is continuity with the student and the blade, shut down the motor immediately. That can be a lifesaver for someone who falls asleep while cutting something.

Sorry for the caps, below:
THE MOST IMPORTANT:
AS MENTIONED BEFORE, MAKE SURE EVERY STUDENT IS TAUGHT SAFETY COMPLETELY.

In our school, we are required to take safety tests, which makes me think, maybe that is what I should do, if I become team captain, before I will allow someone to use the tools!

Re: Safer Saws
 

A lot of you might think this is a weird thing to bring up, but, what about rules, in the sense:
If you have any hair of a certain length or greater (e.g. 6 inches head, 1 inch mustache/beard, it must be secured and held back or cut off to use certain tools. Nothing's worse than getting a strand of hair stuck within a drill's air intake!

Re: Safer Saws
 

Has this been an issue for you?

Re: Safer Saws
 

That was a bit sarcastic, but some extreme cases commonly happen, especially is someone is distracted!


Also, this also just came to me, a vision tracking program watching the user's eyes, making sure they are continuously looking at what they are machining. Seems like a lot of work, but if someone builds one and gets it into production, it can change the lives of workers around the world!

Re: Safer Saws
 

Everyone on our team is required to have a 10-hour OSHA certification (school funded, unless you fail) to do basically anything in the lab.

Re: Safer Saws
 

You kinda just described a SawStop, of course it stops the blade a lot faster then 'shutting of the motor'. Which reminds me of this neat video about it.

Re: Safer Saws
 

I didn't know that! However, the SawStop works in a different way!

Re: Safer Saws
 

You do realize if you ground the blade & the student you are going to have continuity between the 2? Saw will not start using that scheme. Which will keep it safe, but useless. :]

Re: Safer Saws
 

^this. Good idea, though!

Re: Safer Saws
 

Actually, what I meant was to have a current, probably 12v, 2.5ma being conducted through you. Since this is an open circuit, nothing will flow through you. When you touch the blade, the circuit will be completed and fed into a multi-stage amplifier. This will be fed into a flip-flop that will shut down the motor and arm the brakes, immediately. The machine will shut down and will be "hard" to turn back on (Require that the fault is cleared, etc.)

However, the problem is: if you are machining aluminum, it would automatically trigger, meaning that you would need to measure resistance. I do not see how the SawStop works with metals!

Re: Safer Saws
 

They said in the video I posted (see above) it detected the moisture in your hand. I don't know if that was just layman's terms though.

I had a lamp once that turned on by detecting when you touched it (anywhere in it's metal frame). I think it worked because your body acts as a radio antenna, and it could detect the signals to turn on.

Re: Safer Saws
 

Just thought of something.

Why would you be cutting METAL with a WOOD blade? However the SawStop works, I guarantee it requires an all metal blade, and will not work with an abrasive ceramic blade, especially since a ceramic blade would probably explode instead of fall through the table (turning a lost finger injury into a horrific shrapnel injury)

I've never seen a metal, metal cutting blade for a table saw.

Re: Safer Saws
 

This is exactly what happens with a SawStop cutting aluminum. Apparently there's a disable switch for the safety sensing. Ask me how I know...

Re: Safer Saws
 

I agree. It is a bad idea to cut metal with a wood blade. However, how does the capacitance cause such a change? I think that there is something being hidden from us. Also, with that little voltage difference, wouldn't there be quite a few false alarms?