Festool parent acquires Saw Stop

[Paul G]

Who am I to tell you to not smoke cigarettes , despite overwhelming evidence to it shortening lifespans for the majority of people.  If you want to  ???????

I wish it still worked that way but when you are funding the medical care for the smoker then the entire dynamic changes. It's that liberty/security exchange at play. Saying much more would venture into political waters that are off limits here.

 

[Huxleywood]

It is a bit bizarre to have our lives so precious that a hot coffee spill gets 1M$ settlement and...

But that never happened, at least not in the Liebeck v McDonalds case.  It is almost a universal truism that anytime anyone cites that case they get the facts wrong, even back in 1994. 

I think this is an interesting acquisition, one I don't think I would ever have thought would occur.  It will be quite interesting to see how TTS uses the IP.  While I would love to see an ICS in cream and green with Festo Sawstop on the side I am guessing that won't happen. 

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I can imagine synergy between the SS brake system and the CMS.  Maybe there's a path to getting a saw on the cms someday.

 

[lwoirhaye]

My bet is that Tooltechnic will acquire a maker of format table saws and move back into the woodworking machinery market or develop a blade braking system that can be licensed to makers of such saws. 

 

[leakyroof]

It is a bit bizarre to have our lives so precious that a hot coffee spill gets 1M$ settlement and...

But that never happened, at least not in the Liebeck v McDonalds case.  It is almost a universal truism that anytime anyone cites that case they get the facts wrong, even back in 1994. 

I think this is an interesting acquisition, one I don't think I would ever have thought would occur.  It will be quite interesting to see how TTS uses the IP.  While I would love to see an ICS in cream and green with Festo Sawstop on the side I am guessing that won't happen.

  You should look up the slightly later case in the 90's about BMW versus a woman who got scalded when her chronically overheating BMW blew the heater core and burned her.
An aftermarket shop modified the coolant system incorrectly to stave off a repair that she couldn't afford if I remember right, and BMW got sued in the aftermath, which then generated a National Recall/Campaign for all the E-30 3 series still on the road...... [blink]

 

[Peter Durand]

I am sooo glad I bought my SawStop Industrial when I did. I could not afford the green painted version, which I suspect will sell for a lot more.

 

[RussellS]

My bet is that Tooltechnic will acquire a maker of format table saws and move back into the woodworking machinery market or develop a blade braking system that can be licensed to makers of such saws.

I sure hope that happens.  Yeah Yeah.  Not sure Tooltech will acquire a sliding table saw company.  Doubt they could finance anything like that.  That is like the minnow swallowing the whale.  But licensing it to Felder/Hammer, Minimax/SCMI, and several other European saw makers makes sense.  Improve the far superior European sliding table saw with the flesh detecting sensor.  Put all of the Chinese, Taiwanese, USA cabinet saw makers out of business in an instant.  Yeah.

 

[southrider]

Just put the sawstop technology in the Kapex, and then when it blows up you can blame the user for sticking their finger in there! [eek]

 

[BoulderAv]

SawStop could be a good fit for Festool's parent. There are a few tools that could use the tech and Festool might be the company that is right to work with. A radical arm saw with the tech would be huge as would a jointer with ir. My money would be on Festool's engineers to make such ideas possible (working with those of SawStop) to make those products. If I am the parent of Festool I am looking into buying or competing against a Felder or SCM.

 

[Bob D.]

It would make a RAS safer and it sounds like a good application of the tech.

The dangers of a RAS are probably what led to it's demise as much the
introduction of the SCMS did.

Still have mine and keep a dado stack mounted in it for making dados or
half laps where precision is not needed. Way faster than a router.

 

[Tinker]

It would make a RAS safer and it sounds like a good application of the tech.

The dangers of a RAS are probably what led to it's demise as much the
introduction of the SCMS did.

Still have mine and keep a dado stack mounted in it for making dados or
half laps where precision is not needed. Way faster than a router.

My first shop saw was a RAS.  I used it for everything.  Cross cutting, ripping, dadoing, half laps, miter cuts and even used a sanding disc.  That sanding disc blew dust everywhere. 

I even loaded oto the back of my truch and took it to on site projects.  I never had a kickback. 

When I got my first table saw, I realized the shortcomings for that and quickly bought my SCMS.  Sold my RAS.  I now wish I had it back.
Tinker

 

[leakyroof]

It would make a RAS safer and it sounds like a good application of the tech.

The dangers of a RAS are probably what led to it's demise as much the
introduction of the SCMS did.

Still have mine and keep a dado stack mounted in it for making dados or
half laps where precision is not needed. Way faster than a router.

My first shop saw was a RAS.  I used it for everything.  Cross cutting, ripping, dadoing, half laps, miter cuts and even used a sanding disc.  That sanding disc blew dust everywhere. 

I even loaded oto the back of my truch and took it to on site projects.  I never had a kickback. 

When I got my first table saw, I realized the shortcomings for that and quickly bought my SCMS.  Sold my RAS.  I now wish I had it back.
Tinker

  I still cringe at the thought of Ripping on an RAS, but like you said, you had no issues..... [cool]

 

[ChuckM]

mini brake would be totally unnecessary.  I have been using my TS55 for coming up on ten years without even a sniff of a chance to get hurt.  If someone did, they were doing something outside of it's operational intent and it would be Darwinism at work. 

This is exactly what many tablesaw owners say about the SawStop: totally unnecessary. We all know saws, including circular saws, cause injuries. I would keep an open mind about TTS buying SawStop and expanding SS.

There are many ways they can expand (of course, no one knows what TTS had in mind when it decided to buy out SS, but I believe it was a well-thought out financial or strategic decision). They can expand the sales and market of SS alone. Or, they can also expand the SS technology to other tools under the Festool brand name. Or, they can expand the SS technology to other non-Festool brands.

Knowing that the SS patents will eventually expire (in 5 years? So far no one has the official answer to that question. TTS should know it now, of course), TTS must have something up in the sleeve before it wanted to put down the money. Could it be aiming at something else that SS owns and that something is not known publicly yet? SS R&D dept. has been around for a decade and it could surprise us with things we don't know.

Things should be clearer in 2018, and if I were to prioritize, I would like to have my Kapex equipped with the SS feature, then the bandsaw. Drill press? Nah. Since I don't use a jointer anymore, or it would be the third machine I wanted the SS technology. Tablesaw? Mine is already a SawStop.

Before we rule out anything, such as a SS cannot be done on (fill-in-the-name-of=the-tool, because it is too small, too big, too fast, too slow, too expensive, too cheap...) (who would have thought 20 years ago that a tablesaw blade could be stopped in time in a hobby shop?), we should take note of this quote “For an idea that does not first seem insane, there is no hope.”

This insane quote is by Albert Einstein, if you want to know.

 

[PeterK]

I wonder if the SS purchase will ever affect the Festool line? TTS I believe has a few different brand product lines and possibly the SS stuff will appear in one of them or maybe an entirely new line of non-portable tools.
Only the job site saw fits at all in the Festool lineup and even then Festool in Europe gives the option of using their TS saws in a table. Guess we will have to just wait to see what their plans are.

 

[mcooley]

I have been wondering if something like this might happen with the Shaper Origin CNC router?

They are already endorsed by Festool. Which unfortunately doesn't mean Shaper Origin will have the same warranty on parts and labor nor I assume a service department with the same turn around. If they purchased Shaper just so those machines could be professionally warranted and quickly repaired then that would go a long way to making that tool more desirable for those looking to use it professionally.

One interesting point about Festool acquiring Sawstop is how popular those units have become in college and university settings. They maybe waited to see those numbers grow before acquiring them. I imagine the numbers are quite strong now. Every college I taught at seemed to be buying them etc. And the range was from public to private schools.

 

[ChuckM]

One interesting point about Festool acquiring Sawstop is how popular those units have become in college and university settings. They maybe waited to see those numbers grow before acquiring them. I imagine the numbers are quite strong now. Every college I taught at seemed to be buying them etc. And the range was from public to private schools.

With a few exceptions because of budgeting timing, all high school districts and schools in my province with woodworking programs switched to SS long ago. Usually, there are two SS (Indust.) per school. If my observations are correct, most established woodworking schools in North America are also switching to or equipping themselves with SS for students to use. Many companies are also proactive in this area s part of their Occupational Safety push.

 

[Charles959]

JLC coverage:

TTS Tooltechnic Systems Buys SawStop, by Chris Ermides.

 

[Cheese]

JLC coverage:

TTS Tooltechnic Systems Buys SawStop, by Chris Ermides.

"...we are excited to join with TTS to bring safer woodworking to more people through new tools and in new markets around the world. With a family like TTS at our side, I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together.”

Hmmm, that's an interesting statement.

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi,

Just a heads up for those attending HOLZ-HANDWERK in Nürnberg, Germany (https://www.holz-handwerk.de/en ) : Festool brought SawStop along - I just spotted an introduction and demonstration on Festool's official Instagram (Stories).

To all attendees: HAVE FUN!

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[sancho57]

When I first moved to the UK about 4 years ago I was invited to Festool /TTS to review some table saws and give a eval along with a few other people and some festool Engineers. They had a CS 70 there along with a Saw Stop saw and a few other manufacturers.

I guess they were looking for feed back. Im sure we werent the only ones they did this with.