SawStop to Dedicate Patent to Public Amid Proposed Safety Rule for Table Saws
The move aims to significantly reduce the occurrence of severe injuries in the woodworking industry.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Mar 06, 2024
Power tool manufacturer SawStop has pledged to make its U.S. Patent 9,724,840 publicly available upon the effective date of a new rule mandating safety technology on all table saws.
According to a release dated Feb. 28, this commitment comes in response to proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), aimed at preventing thousands of amputations and hospitalizations resulting from table saw accidents.
“We work to protect and inspire all woodworkers, from novice hobbyists to professional craftspeople. Opponents of the proposed rulemaking have identified this patent as their key obstacle to offering safer saws,” SawStop CEO Matt Howard said in a statement. “We invest heavily in safety innovation, and our patents have real value. Even so, we will not allow this patent to be an obstacle to a safer future.”
The proposed rule addresses blade-contact injuries on table saws and would require all such saws to limit the depth of cut to no more than 3.5 mm when a test probe contacts the spinning blade at a rate of 1 meter per second. SawStop believes implementing this safety standard will improve the overall safety of table saw sales in the United States.
For more information on the CPSC hearing from February 28, visit the CPSC website.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.