# Sawstop Q&A from their support



## MariahHolt (Jul 21, 2010)

I've recently have had an accident with my existing table saw. I'm seriously concerning purchasing a Sawstop saw. I watched all the videos and read over the owner’s manual for the1.75HP Professional Cabinet saw. I still had the following questions, I emailed Sawstop support for the answers and this is what I got back. I just wanted to share these with the community in case anyone else had the same questions.

*Q.* The break cartridge, does it have a shelf life? 
*Q.* Does the break cartridge or sensors have EOL or max numbers or runtime before needing to be replaced?

*A. * No, there is no shelf life for the brake cartridges. At saw startup and throughout operation, SawStop saws perform self-diagnostics to ensure the brake mechanism is functioning properly.

*Q. *Is the break cartridge or sensors affected by temperatures?

*A.* Yes. If the saw is operated in very cold temperatures it may take some time for the electronics to warm up if the saw has been completely shut off for a long duration of time. The electronics are self-heating, and once they reach a minimum temperature the saw will operate normally. 

*Q. *Does a dirty saw blade or saw dust effect on the sensors that detect flesh?

*A.* No.

*Q. *Will the saw operate without a break cartridge install?

*A. *No.

*Q. *Where are the Sawstop saws manufactured at?
*Q. *Where are the break cartridge saws manufactured at?

*A. *SawStop saws are engineered in the US at our Tualatin, Oregon headquarters. Once engineered, the manufacturing of our saws takes place in Taiwan (Taiwan and mainland China are the manufacturing location choices for the vast majority of performance saw companies). The assembly facilities are ISO 9001 certified, and SawStop embeds manufacturing engineers in the process to monitor for and help ensure quality. These engineers oversee the inspection of component parts prior to final saw assembly, assess assembly procedures for consistency with SawStop requirements, and evaluate final production prior to shipment. Every SawStop saw must pass a 100+ point comprehensive inspection. 
*Q. *Do all models of Sawstop saws use the same break cartridge?
*A. *Yes, all current SawStop models use the same brake cartridge. 

*Q. *In the off chance that the Sawstop company went out of business would there be some 3'ed party company who would make the break cartridges for these saws in the future?

*A.* SawStop as a company is doing very well and has over 22,000 table saws in the field. SawStop is also the maker of #1 cabinet saws in North America. As a company, we intend on growing very slowly – maintaining a positive balance sheet. This all being said, given the number of saws on the market that would require service, it is hard to imagine that there would be no one providing a service to these SawStop owners.

*Q. *I was looking to purchase the 1.75HP Professional Cabinet saw, if in the future I ever wanted to upgrade it to the 3HP, could that be done by just swapping out the motor?

*A. *No. Due to the way the motor is mounted inside the Cabinet, it is not feasible to switch between these motor types.

*Q. *If I wanted to use a molding blade, should I turn the key to bypass the break cartridge?

*A. *[[Roger Garcia]] molding blades are not usable with the SawStop – they have too few cutting heads to generate signal to operate properly, and they are likely to take longer to come to a stop. In addition most molding blades come in 6” diameter, which will not work with either of our two cartridge sizes. We can operate with standard 10” saw blades, or with 8” dado sets only.

*Q. *How would I go about getting replacement arbor belts in the future?

*A.* Arbor belts can be purchased from your local dealer, www.sawstop.com/locator or directly from SawStop. Please be aware there is a $15 minimum shipping charge (when shipping in the US) if purchased from SawStop.

Questions were answered by Dave Hill at SawStop. I’d like to thank him for his response.

Dave Hill
SawStop
9564 SW Tualatin Rd
Tualatin, OR 97062
Phone (503) 570-3200
fax (503) 570-3303


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## 240sxguy (Sep 13, 2010)

This seems random, and I have no idea where you live but I just saw a sawstop for sale on madison, wi craigslist today. Not sure if that would be of interest.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Selling a Saw Stop???*

I wonder why? Everyone seems to be wanting and waiting to get one, but is someone selling a used one or new? Just don't figure...... Good bunch of questions posted by mariaholt! I have seen the cabinet saw in person and I was impressed with the design and the quality on par with Powermatic. So it's basically about the stop cartridge, and the cost and availabilty of it being the major difference. Molding heads, not used much if you have a shaper. You would think that the cartridge design would have
allowed a stop from the side, like a car disc brake, rather than a "jamb" from the top, but maybe that didn't work fast enough, so you end up with a trashed blade and a spent cartridge, I guess. hmmmm :blink: bill


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## beelzerob (May 2, 2010)

I've been very pleased with the responsiveness of sawstop to all my questions and needs, and this post just supports that. I'm a casual woodworker who is quite happy with my sawstop.


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## ToddKY (Nov 21, 2010)

If you don't mind me asking, what happened during your accident?


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## MariahHolt (Jul 21, 2010)

*My accident*

I'm just a hobbyist starting out. I was using a 20 year old Delta contractor saw. I was cutting a channel into the bottom of a board, I removed the blade guard to make the cut. I don't have an out-feed table. (I was planning on building one.) It all happen in a split second, I think what happen was the board cleared of the blade and started to fall off the end of the table, I caught the board, and my finger just caught the back of the blade. It cut it vertically all the way threw front to back. A trip to the ER and 20 stitches later. I'm now missing about 50% of the bone in that last part of that finger. Looking back I should have used my router/table to perform that task. I'm just glad the accident wasn't worse. I truly have a newfound respect for power tools. I'm not looking for an easy way out of trying to be safe. I just feel that if there's technology to assist in lowering the overall risk of injury, then it's worth looking into at least.


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## MariahHolt (Jul 21, 2010)

woodnthings said:


> I wonder why? Everyone seems to be wanting and waiting to get one, but is someone selling a used one or new? Just don't figure...... Good bunch of questions posted by mariaholt! I have seen the cabinet saw in person and I was impressed with the design and the quality on par with Powermatic. So it's basically about the stop cartridge, and the cost and availabilty of it being the major difference. Molding heads, not used much if you have a shaper. You would think that the cartridge design would have
> allowed a stop from the side, like a car disc brake, rather than a "jamb" from the top, but maybe that didn't work fast enough, so you end up with a trashed blade and a spent cartridge, I guess. hmmmm :blink: bill


 
I've looked on craigslist for Sawstop table saws. There's not many out there listed. I guess there so new that not many have made their way onto the secondary market. I too have seen one in person, theres one on the show room floor at my local Rockler shop. I've been impressed with what I've seen of them so far.


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## beelzerob (May 2, 2010)

MariahHolt said:


> I'm not looking for an easy way out of trying to be safe. I just feel that if there's technology to assist in lowering the overall risk of injury, then it's worth looking into at least.


That's exactly it there. I'm in NO way more lax about working around the table saw than I was with my first table saw. That much pointed metal spinning around can't be ignored, no matter HOW safe it is said to be. But what I've come to believe is that sometimes all the vigilance, care and _experience_ in the world won't be enough. And like you said...in those times, it's very very comforting to know there's technology behind it as the final safeguard. I can afford a new brake cartridge and blade....I *can't* afford to lose usage of any of my fingers (I'm a software engineer).


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Lumber wrestling is NOT a sport.........EVERYTIME you pick up a board you need to remember that.Spend quality time understanding the concept of material handling,its one of the basic foundation blocks to safe shop practices...........material in,finished project out,that dosen't get done without handling it.

As for sawstop,buy whatever you want...its that easy.But if you're using proper gaurds and feed/handling techniques its a non-issue.BW


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## blackwalnutguy (Jul 31, 2018)

*worth of a finger*

I have had my Sawstop for 7 years, I cut my finger on a Sawsall 3 years ago, not real bad but bad enough to make my finger numb for probably the rest of my life. I tripped my Sawstop 3 times accidentally, once with a tape measure that got into the blade, and twice by not thinking and trying to cut metallic Plexiglas. I think the finger is worth any extra cost or inconvenience.


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## Mycrossover (May 18, 2018)

You did not mention that to switch from the 10" blade to the 8" dado stack you have to also swap out the brake cartridge, which not supplied with the saw.


MariahHolt said:


> I've recently have had an accident with my existing table saw. I'm seriously concerning purchasing a Sawstop saw. I watched all the videos and read over the owner’s manual for the1.75HP Professional Cabinet saw. I still had the following questions, I emailed Sawstop support for the answers and this is what I got back. I just wanted to share these with the community in case anyone else had the same questions.
> 
> *Q.* The break cartridge, does it have a shelf life?
> *Q.* Does the break cartridge or sensors have EOL or max numbers or runtime before needing to be replaced?
> ...


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Saw Dust Rules (Jul 21, 2018)

The saw is useless if I can’t use a profile or dado blade.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Your question about sawstop going out of business is my basic concern. It's a trend in just about all tool manufacturers today to discontinue a model when they come out with a new model. At that time they immediately discontinue parts for that model so it isn't very long before parts become unavailable. I would be unable to trust them on that answer. They are actively fighting any company that even comes close to the sawstop brake system. I know they wouldn't allow another company to manufacture brake mechanisms for a discontinued sawstop model.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

Saw Dust Rules said:


> The saw is useless if I can’t use a profile or dado blade.


You can use a dado blade, but one they recommend, not sure about profile blade. What they recommend is one without so much mass or weight. I got cut on my General International twice and that was cause for me to buy a SS. Accidents happen, I lost the tip of my left thumb on the last accident.


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## Mycrossover (May 18, 2018)

Steve Neul said:


> Your question about sawstop going out of business is my basic concern. It's a trend in just about all tool manufacturers today to discontinue a model when they come out with a new model. At that time they immediately discontinue parts for that model so it isn't very long before parts become unavailable. I would be unable to trust them on that answer. They are actively fighting any company that even comes close to the sawstop brake system. I know they wouldn't allow another company to manufacture brake mechanisms for a discontinued sawstop model.


Discontinuing a model has nothing to do with the patents SawStop holds. As seen in their victory against Bosch, at least in the US. The patents are so broadly written that anything that vaguely resembles their system is covered. The Bosch system had major differences: did not destroy the blade, did not need a different cartridge for dado blades, used an explosive charge as opposed to a spring and fusable link and still they lost. Supplying spares for an expensive product has an effect on reputation. Delta used to stock spares for ancient machines. They were sold by SB&D to Chang Type Int'l of Taiwan that built a US plant. They do not do a good job with spares and the once popular Delta is a shadow of what it was. My dealer even said to not buy Delta because you can't get parts. Powermatic still supports the 66, that has not been made in many years. For cheaper tools, companies consider them to be throw aways and parts are harder to come by. Sawstop was bought by the German company that owns Festool but Gass appears to still be running it. There is no gaurrantee any company will last forever or new management won't run them into the ground but if you obcess on this you will never buy anything. The only thing you can bet on is that Sears will be gone very soon, probably before the end of 2019.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

For the few people who haven't seen my other posts, I own a Bosch REAXX, which is the jobsite table saw with a safety retraction mechanism similar to SawStop, perhaps better. I got one of the last ones in the US, before SawStop won the injunction. Bosch REAXX saws are still available outside the US.

According to the article on Wikipedia, the SawStop patents expire in 2021, but there is no citation for the source. I did a little research, and found one of the Bosch-disputed SawStop patents filed on 13 August 2001. A 20 year expiration would yield a date of 14 August 2021 for that particular patent expiration (US patent number 7,600,455). 

Even though the Bosch blade retraction mechanism is very different from SawStop's brake, it is my (incomplete) understanding that the SawStop patents at issue are related to how the blade touch detection sensor(s) work.

I believe that SawStop will be around for a while, and compatible brakes should be available for a long time. SawStop has done a good job of selling their table saws into many professional shops all over the country. That large installed base will need replacement brakes. I wonder how viable SawStop will be as a table saw manufacturer once the patents expire and competition enters the market. 

Personally, I look forward to the day when Bosch can make my REAXX jobsite table saw available again to customers in the US. I would love to see Bosch contractor and cabinet table saws based on their REAXX mechanism. I would also love to see competition from other table saw manufacturers, too. I hope that prices come down to a reasonable level that is affordable to everyone. That future price drop may be what hurts SawStop the most.


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## hawkeye10 (Feb 18, 2015)

All I ever hear about Saw Stop is their safety feature. I wonder, will it cut wood? :wink: I really don't know how good of a saw it is. Does the SS compare with other saws on the market? Is there a better saw than the SS?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

hawkeye10 said:


> All I ever hear about Saw Stop is their safety feature. I wonder, will it cut wood? :wink: I really don't know how good of a saw it is. Does the SS compare with other saws on the market? Is there a better saw than the SS?


It would cut wood alright, it just don't like hot dogs. :vs_laugh:


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

hawkeye10 said:


> All I ever hear about Saw Stop is their safety feature. I wonder, will it cut wood? :wink: I really don't know how good of a saw it is. Does the SS compare with other saws on the market? Is there a better saw than the SS?


Based on my limited experience using SawStop saws, plus the extensive experience of several of my friends, I say: Even if you ignore the safety features, SawStop saws are very good table saws. Whether you get the best value for your dollars is debatable, because SawStop saws are expensive and SawStop accessories are expensive too. If you buy a SawStop, you will get a very good table saw. Quality improves as you move up the SawStop product line.

According to what I learned when I was shopping for a "safety" table saw, SawStop forces their resellers to conform to their pricing scheme, so you pay the same price wherever you buy your SawStop saw or accessory. As far as I know, there are no sales or discounts, but SawStop occasionally runs special offers where they throw in a free accessory with your purchase. The dealers have little say in SawStop practices. 

A saw with a safety retraction feature was a must have feature for me. Honestly, SawStop's practices were a major factor in my decision to buy the Bosch REAXX. If the Bosch REAXX were not available, I would have bought a SawStop and been very pleased with it.


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## Mikhail2400 (Jun 20, 2018)

I saw a video on youtube the other day some guy posted concerning an injury he got on his SawStop. He got a pretty badly mangled digit but he also said without the SawStop safety feature he would most likely have lost his finger. Regardless of his injury he was very happy he had the SS when it happened.
Heres the link if you wish to watch it.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

we have 2 sawstops in our shop. they are the 2 table saws I run without the guards installed, hence the sawstops. as anyone knows who has operated a table saw in the shop, plowing out a groove or dado on a table saw cannot be done with the standard blade guard installed. and making narrow cuts cannot be done with blade guards. both are processes we do often.


I will say that sawstops are quality saws, not without their issues - but safety is not one of them in my opinion.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

TimPa said:


> we have 2 sawstops in our shop. they are the 2 table saws I run without the guards installed, hence the sawstops. as anyone knows who has operated a table saw in the shop, plowing out a groove or dado on a table saw cannot be done with the standard blade guard installed. and making narrow cuts cannot be done with blade guards. both are processes we do often.
> 
> 
> I will say that sawstops are quality saws, not without their issues - but safety is not one of them in my opinion.


The saws probably deserve a lot more love than the inventor that tried to hold all the other manufactures hostage.


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