Stephen Colbert's Take on a Dangerously Safe Tool

According to Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, a bunch of "digit coddlers" are ruining this country by attempting to mandate the use of table saws that are so safe they could be dangerous. Don't believe it? Then see this clip from an episode of the Colbert Report that aired last week.&

**Before you click, be forewarned that it contains bikini-clad women, R-rated language, and a not-so-serious discussion of some very serious issues.

Archived Comments

I think you miss the satire here. I believe they are bringing this to light. I doubt Steve Gass would've done the piece if he didn't see the value. I could've done without the bikinis though!

If a saw or other type of manufactering company wishes to include safety features that is fine, we can buy what suits us best. The government needs to keep out of protecting us from all "evil". So far it seems that they can not even run government well.Our freedoms become less with each session that they have.

How come the CPSC Can stick it's nose into the issues of table saws, but still allow tobacco products to be mfr'd and sold. Tobacco causes a lot more harm to many more people than table saws!!!!

Do you have a list manufacturer's who've incorporated the Sawstop in their tablesaws? Mandated?...not sure I agree, optional?...I'd like the feature on a table saw, bikinis?,...should be mandated.

Colbert does such a good job of parodying the American right, that many right-wingers actually believe that he is one of them! As far as the CPSC goes, they have absolutely ZERO jurisdiction over tobacco. Tobacco products are regulated by the FDA. As far as why tobacco is allowed to remain on the market, I can only put that down to the influence of Big Tobacco buying enough congresscritters. I would like to think that it had something to do with the government learning a lesson in futility from their disastrous attempt at alcohol prohibition, but then how would you explain the billions pissed away on the "War on Drugs"?

An obviously one sided report from an individual who probably never uses the product.

Some people actually watch Colbert thinking it's real news. Sad to see where our world is coming to.

Obviously there a folks here who are not familiar with Colbert, or just don't understand that he is a satirist… but I do agree, beautiful women in bikinis are just disgusting…

I'm all for safety but from what I saw of the demo... It looked to me that saw saw was damaged when the stop kicked in. So my question is, is the saw garbage after the incident? I'm not sure that I would want to replace an expensive saw after it accidently triggered without my hand in the way of the blade. I would deffinately have to research the mechanism

Interesting, I have been following this story for awhile. I am curious to see how it all plays out. I lean more towards mandating the technology, simply because I kind find a valid argument for not. The one in the clip cited "increased accidents", like airbags and seatbelts lead to more accidents.

I'm setting up a woodworking shop. Where can I get a table saw with the SawStop installed? Losing a finger is not a right I care to exercise. Nanny state? What an old saw!

The manufacturers see that the liability involved with this product is far greater than with existing saw technology. If it malfunctioned and cut off a users finger the lawyers would be coming out of the woodwork. (No pun intended)

No one without the proper.training should be anywhere near a table saw. Yes the saw is damaged when the stop kicks in. Woodworking is dangerous. There are ways to be hurt or killed on a saw that dont even involve touching the blade. Sure its a good option- but i wont be buying one. Ever.

My understanding is that in the event of activation, you need to replace the "brake cartridge" (at around $150), as well as the blade. The system works by jamming the blade into a soft aluminum block, and all that kinetic energy gets diverted into tearing up the aluminum and stripping the teeth off the blade.

This is realy rather simple. let manufactures add this as a upgrade or option and if the buyer feels they want it than they can spend the additional money for it. Let the rest of us go about our lives.

I believe it was around 1985, when I sliced the tip of my finger with a table saw, regardless of my years of experience, accidents happens, right after I believe it was 2 years I did the same thing again on another one of my fingers. Trust me if the saw stop would have been for sale then, I would have not think twice to buy one and installed it in my table saw, great invention, I will buy one as soon as get to the store that sales them.

I bought a Sawstop for our shop about 5 years ago for a couple reasons: First, my company has employees. I don't want an employee potentially maimed for life if he has an accident at the table saw - I don't care whose "fault" it was. Second, I've been in the trades for over 30 years, having used table saws on a regular basis for much of that time. I'm fortunate enough not to have had a serious accident, but I also figured that at this point, the odds are probably increased that I will have a close call at some point. I saw buying a Sawstop as a way to stack the deck in my favor. Finally, the Sawstop machine we bought (Industrial series) is, I believe, a better saw than any of the other cabinet saws currently on the market - & that's not taking into account its brake feature. Everything from the trunnion to the hand wheels are very rugged.

One more comment: No, the saw isn't destroyed in the process of the brake firing. The brake cartridge is thrown into the blade & must be replaced, at a cost of about 70 bucks. The blade itself may need to be replaced, or at least have a few new teeth brazed on.

If you have been to the emergency room lately, you will realize that even a non-disability accident costs more than the Saw Stop. I have found like the previous commentator that the Saw Stop is really a superior machine in addition to its brake technology. I also find that in addition to fear of injury, the thought of having to buy a new cartridge ($69) and a ruin one of my blades ($100+) makes me even that more careful.