Professor Mark J. Perry's Blog for Economics and Finance
Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan. Perry holds two graduate degrees in economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) from George Mason University near Washington, D.C. In addition, he holds an MBA degree in finance from the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In addition to a faculty appointment at the University of Michigan-Flint, Perry is also a visiting scholar at The American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.
9 Comments:
well; the visible finger certainly works.
having sliced the tip of my finger off in a table saw, this is phenomenally cool.
The invisible hand: The one that got cut off?
I am a woodworker, and this saw is wonderful, though they need to upgrade and come out with a bona fide cabinet saw. It's a little underpowered.
Yeah, but this company is hardly above board about it all.
They've tried to get regulations that require their technology be installed.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050701/disruptor-gass_pagen_4.html
So yes, the free market innovated, and yet they're busy rent-seeking.
I would imagine that the free market would do better than regulation; eg, insurance companies mandating that this equipment be used.
The liability (jury trial) would be very punitive to a company for not having the equipment ("you mean to tell me, company xyz president, that the equipment was available and you failed to utilize it?").
It's a myth that OSHA protects the safety of the worker. OSHA's mandate is simply to make the job safer than it would be without OSHA. Cost/benefit analyses are performed on new proposed safety regulations, and if the cost is determined to exceed the benefit, the proposed safeguards are not put into place.
Additionally, when any new regulation is proposed, public comments are legally solicited and published in the Federal Register. These comments ultimately determine if the regulation is promulgated.
It is really a double-edged sword. We can make the jobs safer by spending more money, but we have to pass the cost along to the customer or lower the profits of the business. Yes, that could cause businesses that comply to go bankrupt while those who ignore the regulations thrive. If you don’t believe that, look up coal mining safety records and profits.
Is the cost worth it? I guess it depends on if the life or limb that is missing because the safety costs were too high belong to friend or foe. How much money would you spend to save your son's or daughter's eyes, arms, legs, or life? I am happy to see that technology is solving some of the worker safety problems!
Anyone who trusts and substitutes a safety device for attention to their personal safety in a shop will get what they deserve.
This is a good place to lift and copy the safety lectures given in gun safety courses: You NEVER trust the safety on a gun. You always adhere to the four rules of firearms safety, regardless of the safety devices on the gun.
Same deal with power tools and machines.
1) Sawstop cabinet saw was the first version available a few years ago. The contractor saw is a much more recent addition.
2) Not that my finger isn't worth it but the cartridge that stops the blade is NOT reuseable and not cheap.
3) The stop mechanism works on moisture content. non-kiln dried wood and treated wood for outdoor use can trigger the sawstop which is a very expensive lesson. For some things you need to turn off the safety feature to use the saw.
4) Due to 3, you cannot emphasize enough that this technology should not and must not change the safety rules of using a table saw.
All the above notwithstanding, for certain locations (like schools) I am all for making the technology required. Just not all locations.
One scenario that happened to a neighbor.He had leather gloves on while using his cabinet saw and the blade caught the leather and pulled his finger into the sawblade, cutting off half of one finger in the process.What would happen if he were using this saw?Any guesses?
The reaction time for the stop mechanism is 0.001 sec and the blade revolution is 5000 RPM
Say we use a 10 in blade
3.1416 X 10 po = 31.416 inches (cutting length)
5000 RPM/ 60 sec= 83.33 rev/sec
83.33 rev/sec X 31.416 inches (cutting length) = 2618 inches of cut per sec
2618 inches X 0.001 sec (reacting time) = 2.618 inches
Enough to cut all your fingers.
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