The cabinet saw has a vertical rotating blade that rises above a support table and is used to cut wood in a straight line. It can be used to cut with the grain (ripping) or across the grain (cross cutting) or at any angle. The cabinet saw cannot safely cut curves and only straight line cutting is permitted in the WWGVR Workshop. When ripping, the work is guided by a rip fence, which determines the width of the cut. When cross cutting, the workpiece is supported by the fence, a miter gauge or a cross cut sled. No free-hand cutting allowed!

The saws are equipped with a “flesh sensor” that can detect when the blade comes in contact with a hand. If this occurs, the blade safety system is activated. A brake is driven into the saw blade which stops it in milliseconds, and the blade is withdrawn under the table. In most cases, the result of touching a rotating blade is no more than a small cut. However, all electrical and mechanical systems can fail and therefore the safety system should not be relied on.

The blade safety system will detect contact of the blade with wet wood or metal and think that the blade has contacted flesh. As a result, the safety system will be activated.

When the safety system activates, the brake cartridge and the saw blade are damaged beyond repair and need to be replaced.

Activation of the safety system requires replacement of the blade and cartridge. The user causing the activation will be charged $200 for each incident regardless of the circumstances. This expense is well worth it if it saves a finger or other body part.