SawStop inventor Steve Gass decided that a hot dog just isn’t cutting it anymore… So he put his OWN FINGER into the spinning blade on national television…
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I saw this over at the Wood Whisperer, where there’s a lively conversation going on in the comments: Sawstop Inventor Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is
update – SawStop president Steve Gass explains why he puts his hand in ice water…
“Okay, I’ve just got to explain the ice water. It had nothing to do with bleeding, numbing effect or contact detection. The high speed camera they used needed an extreme amount of light to be able to get a good image due the very short time available to capture each frame. The lights were so bright I had to wear the welding helmet to even be able to see – it was like staring at the sun without the helmet. The byproduct of all the light was heat. The lights were so hot that they would scorch my hand in seconds so the ice water cooled off my skin to start with and gave me a little more time to touch the blade before I got burned by the lights.”
in WoodNet – Steve Gass gives his SawStop the finger >>
Gass has been a mostly lurking member of WoodNet since ’03 and you can see all 59 of his comments here >>
I read about Gass’ visit to WoodNet in the WoodworkersZone thread Steve Gass cuts off his finger >>
Here’s the classic SawStop vs. hot dog demonstration:
More ToolCrib.com Coverage of the SawStop:
Sawstop vs. Powermatic PM 2000 in the Professional Wood Shop
First Reported Injury with Sawstop…
SawStop Bandsaw Prototype – Video
Top 5 Woodworking Tool Companies with the Best Customer Service (SawStop got honorable mention, weren’t in top 5)
The 11 Top Woodworking Power Tools That Give 100% Satisfaction or Better (SawStop ranked #11)
That is so amazing!!
I think this is the most amazing product I have ever seen and would advise anyone in construction to purchase this NOW. If I am correct, the price was $60.oo and this is in the price range that all can afford–you can’t afford not to have your digits. Not all people that work in construction make mounds of money–Thank you Steve Gass for keeping this in the range that the average American can fit this into his or her budget. There are true humanitarians in this world–it’s better to keep the price low, save lives, and sell a wonderful product in the same time. Gives one a better prospective on people in general.