Emergency Stop Switch for CSC SYS 50

[gagastory]

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Hi.

I have made and installed an emergency stop switch on my Festool CSC SYS 50.

There are still some areas that need improvement, but it works fine so I will stick with it for now.

If I had a 3D printer, I could make it even better, but unfortunately I don't.

I would like to hear more of your genius ideas, so I am sharing this tip.

Thanks

 

[luvmytoolz]

Interesting! I hadn't given any thought to the switch mechanism but now you mention it I suppose it is a bit surprising Festool didn't opt for the usual large round red off button.

 

[Packard]

True story.

I worked for a steel service center that would take coils of steel sheet metal and flatten it and cut it to length.  The widest coil it could handle was 72”.

The emergency stop switch was in the middle.

So the steel sheet metal was feeding out at a high speed and you would have to lean out over the slit edge which could be very sharp in order to stop the machine.  The manufacturer decided that it made more sense to lean over the metal that could slice you in half, than it did to use two switches, one on each side.

The stop switch was just after the shear that did the cutting.  The video shows a smaller machine.  My customer made wood burning stoves from 1/4” thick steel.  We cut the blanks to size and he bent and welded them.

At 1:10 it shows the shearing section.

 

[Birdhunter]

I installed a “dead man switch” on my router table and my drill press it is a pressure sensitive switch that I depress with my foot. The power to the router or the drill press stays on only while my foot is on the pressure switch. If I have to get away from the tool quickly, my foot comes off the pressure switch and the tool stops.

The same idea would work with the SYS50.

I bought this pressure switch a very long time ago, but I would guess they are still available.

 

[Packard]

Back in the early 1970s, when OSHA scared the heck out of manufacturers, I worked for a company that made OSHA compliance equipment.

We sold an electric switch mat.  You had to stand on the mat before you could operate the machine.  It simply cut off all electric to the machine until the mat was stood on.

OSHA came down on us hard.  They said that it was not a “safety” device, it was a “damage mitigating” device.  That is, it did not prevent the accident from happening, but once the accident occurred it had a possibility to minimize the damage. 

In any case, floor mat switches are available from many sources.  The caution, if you listen to OSHA, is that you don’t rely on it to keep you safe.  It is simply another added layer. 

Floor mat switches: https://www.google.com/search?q=floor mat electric switch&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-m

It would seem to me that a faster route would be to model the safety” switch after the man-overboard-tether used for jet-skis. 

The standard tether switch operates (I believe) a relay.  Someone with electrical know how might be able to get it to turn off an electric motor.  Attached to a wrist or waistband, it would be faster than looking for the kill switch in an emergency. 

I did sell those floor mat switches to augment machinery safety guards.  A redundancy that was not a redundancy when the operator or business owner got fed up with the “cages” that were used to safeguard the employees.

 

[Birdhunter]

My dead man switch is pneumatic. Step on it and power is available to the tool. Take your foot off and the power is cut.

 

[Packard]

And OSHA said that type of device was fine, so long as we never referred to it as a safety device.  And if a safety device was required, it would have to be in addition to the deadman’s switch.

I did not necessarily agree with  OSHA, especially in the beginning when they said we could not sell it at all. Their reasoning was that it gave a false sense of safety.

I guess it is like the deadman’s lanyard on jet skis.  It will kill the engine and allow you to climb back onboard, but it will not keep you from drowning.  You still need a life jacket.

 

[Cheese]

My dead man switch is pneumatic. Step on it and power is available to the tool. Take your foot off and the power is cut.

That’s similar to what they use on industrial drain snakes.

 

[Packard]

My Delta table saw has a paddle switch to stop the motor.  It is fairly well hidden.  You cannot see the switch when you are operating the saw.

I guess I could move the switch, but the blade stops spinning so slowly that even if you hit the switch, there would be some sort of injury.

I’m self taught on the table saw.  The only injuries I’ve had were from kickback and kick up.  It is intuitive to keep your hands away from the spinning blade.  A deadman’s switch would be a day late for saving me from kickback.

 

[BigDan]

Even sawstop can't prevent Kickback...  Those Jess'em rollers do a pretty good job of positive control but can get in the way of some "smaller" work.

I'm sort of a fan-boi because I haven't had any cuts from the sawstop but I also haven't triggered the safety mechanism.  Either way, I dont think a dead-man's switch would be value add.  because it doesn't have a "brake" to stop the blade when triggered and momentum of a 2-5 hp motor will continue to do damage after you cut power.  Kick back will knock you away from the blade and I feel that a running table saw is the least of your worries when you are "un-impaling" yourself from the piece that knocked you back/down.

Whole idea might be too little too late by the time you engage it.

just thoughts on the subject as I am by no means an expert on trauma from power tools, though I have been using a table saw for over 45 years.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[ChuckM]

Even sawstop can't prevent Kickback...  Those Jess'em rollers do a pretty good job of positive control but can get in the way of some "smaller" work.snip
Thanks,
Dan

I regularly rip "narrow" work on my SawStop with the Jeseem stock guides in place:

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All one needs is a narrow push stick:

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The only drawback of ripping thin strips with the stock guides in place is the loss of the over-the-table dust collection.

Regarding the deadman switch, the SawStop paddle switch is far superior to the standard switches found on most table saws. On a couple of occasions, I was able to stop the saw in time when I felt I was beginning the lose control of the cut/piece, judging from the chattering sound or whatnot. With my both hands engaged, I used my thigh to push the paddle switch.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have switched over to using the WP Thin Rip Guide for cutting thin rips. I know there are home built jigs that do the same thing, but I prefer using the WP tool.

 

[BigDan]

[member=15289]Birdhunter[/member] I think you got the right method.  Eitherway, if I cant use my push stick I will look for alternates or use the bandsaw.  $0.02 only.

Cheers
Dan

 

[Birdhunter]

I think the absolute best safety device in the shop is your gut. If I feel the least bit anxious about an operation, I back off and find a safer approach. Some of that gut feel is based on experience, some on reading about safety, and some on thinking through could go wrong.

 

[BigDan]

I think the absolute best safety device in the shop is your gut. If I feel the least bit anxious about an operation, I back off and find a safer approach. Some of that gut feel is based on experience, some on reading about safety, and some on thinking through could go wrong.

I nearly spit out my coffee when I read "I think the absolute best safety device in the shop is your gut."  It immediately brought back the 12" diameter bruise I had there from 18" chunk of 3/4 plywood kickback that lasted 3 months before it disappeared.  How can that be safe?  Then I read the rest of the post.  Well said, but the lead off reminded me of worse days... ROFL  [scared]  In my lifetime, I have had only 2 kickbacks but those were enough to be wary at all times.

Cheers
Dan

 

[Packard]

Even sawstop can't prevent Kickback...  Those Jess'em rollers do a pretty good job of positive control but can get in the way of some "smaller" work.

I'm sort of a fan-boi because I haven't had any cuts from the sawstop but I also haven't triggered the safety mechanism.  Either way, I dont think a dead-man's switch would be value add.  because it doesn't have a "brake" to stop the blade when triggered and momentum of a 2-5 hp motor will continue to do damage after you cut power.  Kick back will knock you away from the blade and I feel that a running table saw is the least of your worries when you are "un-impaling" yourself from the piece that knocked you back/down.

Whole idea might be too little too late by the time you engage it.

just thoughts on the subject as I am by no means an expert on trauma from power tools, though I have been using a table saw for over 45 years.

Thanks,
Dan

At the time of my kick-back/kick-up accident, I was unaware that ripping narrow strips that were also very short made it subject to kick-up.

I was using one of those yellow plastic push sticks at the time.  The short piece kicked up ripping away early half of my finger nail.  Since it refused to stop bleeding, I drove myself to the emergency room.  As far as accidents go, not a major one.  But a slap in the face because I had no clue that what I was doing was dangerous. 

And I probably mentioned this before:  Don’t use those plastic push sticks.  The tip of the stick can catch on the blade, causing it to bend and then literally explode in your hand. 

The free push sticks made from scrap wood will never do that.  I’ll post an image of my favored type of push stick when I get home.

 

[squall_line]

I think the absolute best safety device in the shop is your gut. If I feel the least bit anxious about an operation, I back off and find a safer approach. Some of that gut feel is based on experience, some on reading about safety, and some on thinking through could go wrong.

This is also why fatigue is so dangerous, because your gut will eventually lie to you.

 

[Birdhunter]

I close up my shop after 4pm. I found my screw-up mostly happened in the late afternoon.

 

[Packard]

I have a radial arm saw that requires your off hand to turn on/off.  And a chop saw which has a deadman’s trigger switch.

I am constantly baffled as to why the radial arm saw has a toggle switch and not a trigger like the chop saw.  The RAS is inherently,ore dangerous.  Add to that the remoteness of the on/off switch, only makes even more dangerous.

The RAS makes cleaner cuts, so I continue to use it, albeit very carefully.