Stephen Gass invented a table saw system, the SawStop, which within 3 milliseconds can tell if something other than wood (your finger) is being cut, and stops the blade. To refresh your memory how the device works, check out our earlier post: SawStop: For Less Penetrating Trauma.
What’s interesting is that the power tool industry has been remiss to license this limb-saving technology…
One CEO, traveling to Gass’s barn-based headquarters, expressed the industry’s position in terms that shocked Gass. “We sat around a little table and he said, ‘You guys have got to understand. Nobody in this industry likes you,'” Gass recalls. “‘You’ve created a huge problem here.'”
As an attorney, Gass is sympathetic with the industry position. The prospect of implementing a new technology like SawStop raises the potential of investing frightening amounts of capital to re-tool existing production lines.
“It’s not a simple issue for the manufacturers,” he explains. “They have whole product lines of saws. Once the genie is out of the bottle, there’s a huge product liability problem for any manufacturer who doesn’t have this. People will ask, ‘Why didn’t you have this on the saw you sold to us?'”
Gass believes that the “use it at your risk” legal structure steals the motivation of saw manufacturers to adopt new safety technology. “What you have here is an economic disconnect,” Gass says. “The power tool companies are not paying for the injuries. You and I are paying in terms of medical premiums and workers’ comp. If the (power tool) industry had to pay, this technology would have been on those saws a long time ago.”
The power tool industry, however, has a very different view of the subject. Representatives cite a plethora of technical problems with SawStop technology, including too many “false positives” or “nuisance trips,” cost of replacement cartridges after the brake fires, and difficulties cutting conductive materials, such as moist wood. Moreover, they say, Gass is asking for an 8 percent royalty on each saw sold, a figure they describe as ridiculous.
Despite these challenges, the Consumer Product Safety Commision has sided with Gass…
Acting on a petition from Gass, engineers at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommended that the government begin a “rulemaking process” that could result in mandatory safety standards for table saws. Days later, the agency’s commissioners shocked the power tool industry by concurring with the recommendation.
There’s no doubt this is excellent technology. However, it would also be unfortunate that the price of every table saw increase by $50 because regulators have decided to play nanny. Gass’s proposed royalties seem to be the biggest reason the industry has issues with his technology.
In this Medgadgeteer’s opinion, Gass’s argument about lack of liability and payment could save him yet. Why not show the technology to assorted insurance firms? Anyone insuring a wood shop with a table saw would demand the use of this technology. Seems like a less irksome method than running to the government to make your technology the law…
More from designnews.com…
The SawStop product page…