1 Out of 10 Table Saws Will Cause A Serious Injury!

Table Saws are one of the most dangerous tools in the marketplace. Every year there are about 60,000 injuries on table saws; injuries that ruin lives and cost billions of dollars in medical expenses, lost wages, and other economic effects. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission states that table saws cause:

• 60,000 injuries,
• 3,000 plus amputations,
• $2 billion in injury-related costs,
• An injury every 9 minutes!

With 6 million table saws, and 60,000 injuries, then 1 out of 10 will cause a serious injury to someone! And these injuries are horrific; fingers cut off, hands sliced open to the bone, amputations. But table saw design hasn’t changed much in about a century. They are still just as dangerous as they have ever been, with one exception (see below).

I used to be a furniture maker doing antique reproductions. In fact my first career was in the wood products industry, where I worked for 16 years as a furniture and cabinet maker, rough and finish carpenter, cooper (barrel maker), and did custom home remodels. I love woodworking.

            I left the industry because it is so dangerous. I know that not getting injured in a woodshop is not just a matter of the woodworker’s skill, but also a big dash of luck. I also know that to a certain extent, injuries just happen. I’ve shot a nail through a hand, nicked a live router bit, and had a radial arm saw try to eat my left hand. Fortunately I’ve never been injured from a table saw—yet. But I used to regularly spend 6-10 hours a day working on a table saw so I really know how dangerous they are.

            I know what a dado, rabbit, tenon, lap, and a half-blind dovetail are, and how to make them. I know what kickback, blade bind, and strobe effect are, and what they do. You don’t have to explain the dangers of a shop to me, because I have my own fully equipped woodshop, and I am a tenant in a large shared commercial woodshop.

            I also believe that almost all table saws are defectively designed. Manufacturers could make them safer, the technology exists, but they don’t. They choose to sell a product that they know 1 out of 10 are going to injure someone seriously, rather than license the technology, retool, and sell a safer product.

            If you are injured in a woodshop, you need to call me. Most lawyers haven’t a clue as to why the ‘safety’ equipment on a table saw is commonly removed from the saw. They think that if the woodworker takes the ‘safety’ equipment off, the case is done. I know different. I know legal arguments to counter the ‘removal’ argument of the defense. I know why the ‘safety’ equipment is removed. I know how the tool is used. I know how the injuries occur. I know why the manufacturers and retailers should be selling a safer product. And I know how to explain all that to a jury.

            If you are a woodworker seriously injured by a table saw, you know that your career in the industry is probably over. You will need a settlement or award that covers your past and future medical bills, lost wages, job retraining, and pain and suffering. You should call a lawyer who has a table saw in their shop and knows all about them. Don’t trust your case to someone who doesn’t truly recognize the unique dangers these tools create. Call a furniture maker who became a lawyer. Call or email me. Our first conversation is always free, so you have nothing to lose by calling me to discuss the merits of your case.