A pair of lawmakers have introduced legislation to stop a potential regulation that would mandate safety technology in table saws. The bipartisan representatives say the rule would force woodworkers to pay more for the tool while creating a monopoly in the space.
Table saws are the most dangerous tool in a woodshop. Nearly 30,000 people accidentally make contact with the saw blade each year and 4,000 of those accidents result in amputations.
However, there is technology on the market that limits these accidents for the most part. SawStop, the manufacturer of premium-priced table saws, products have a brake that stops the blade the second it comes in contact with human skin. This is often illustrated with the use of a hot dog.
The table saw continually sends a small electrical current through the blade, and since the human body is conductive, the moment skin makes contact with the blade, the current changes and the safety feature initiates the brake. When this happens, it generally destroys the blade and requires a new brake cartridge to be installed.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has been looking into whether it should mandate every saw on the market be required to have this type of detection technology.
Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., think that would lead to a monopoly because SawStop holds a patent on the feature and has been litigious in the past as competitors attempted to make a comparable product.
For its part, SawStop issued a press release in February promising to dedicate its key patents to the public if this rule were to go into effect. But still, it would take years for other manufacturers to implement the technology into their product lines.
In a video posted to X, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez pointed to the fact that SawStop’s products demand a higher price than most other products on the market. For instance, the least expensive SawStop table saw that includes the technology costs around $900, while a comparable product from DeWalt retails for $650.
At this time it remains unclear if or when the CPSC will take any action on the regulation or if the legislation will gain any momentum in Congress.