Shane Holland said:
Personally, my employment status completely aside, I would hate to think that I didn't act in the best interests of others to prevent a possible accident.
Alright Shane, since you are talking
personally here, I would like to ask you this: what makes you a better judge of safety than all those people who bought the TSCK1 from Steve Jones? I mean, they are
all adults, right? Don't you think they have the experience and mental capacity to decide for themselves whether using that device would be dangerous or not? First of all, they are used to working with dangerous machines so the matter is not exactly new to them. Second, many people commented on the safety of the device in the thread and all people participating in the thread would have read about all possible safety complications that came with it. Because we can be sure that that aspect
was discussed exhaustively.
Now, I don't believe for a second that, as Jonny suggested above the thread was pulled because it was a competing product. I prefer to think what I already stated above, that it was for legal reasons. After all, I could understand the idea that Festool as a company doesn't want to be liable for a lawsuit that could cost the company a lot of money, simply for the sake of a couple of internet dwellers wanting to read a certain thread. At least that makes sense. But when you take it to a personal level, well, then I think you are trying to think for others in a sort of 'nanny way' and I seriously doubt most people here want or need that.
If any, that TSCK1 thread could and perhaps should be used as an example of
promoting safety rather than the opposite. After all, Steve came with a prototype that clearly wasn't up to safety standards yet, but because of all the comments, commotion, feedback and attention
evolved into a safe product. Of course I can't read it back now to be sure,
but at one point I recall that Steve mentioned getting UL approval.
And this is the point where I want to mention one of the strengths of a forum like this. In the every day's use of techniques and tools,
people don't stop where the book stops. Of course a manufacturer has to make a certain description telling what the tool must be used for, but when people actually work with the tools, they sometimes go further than the specifications the manufacturer stipulates. That doesn't have to be a negative thing. I think it is the opposite. Many times this will save people time and money. Yes, sometimes at the cost of (perceived) safety, but I bet in 99% of the cases it is beneficial. And thanks to forums like this people can share such techniques with each other.
A good example for my point is the use of the router Jonny Round boy posted a thread about to which he referred above. Was that dangerous according to the book? Yes of course, a BIG yes. But was it dangerous in practice? I sincerely doubt it! Why? Because the funny thing is about people, accidents generally don't happen when they know they are doing dangerous stuff, accidents happen when they are in their every day (so called safe) situation, and loose concentration for a moment. Would Jonny have cut into his hand when balancing that piece of wood? Not so likely. Because he was 100% aware of the consequences a mistake might bring at that moment. And therefor put his concentration into it 100% and took measures.
And when do the real accidents happen? When you're sawing away at your (safe) table saw for hours after each other already, and the tiredness and boredom set in and you just look away for a split second at a bird flying by the window, and chop chop, there goes your finger.
That's how it really works with safety and danger.
Why do most accidents happen at home? Not because it is the most dangerous place to be but because it is the place where you're most off guard.
In the mean time, Jonny wouldn't have been able to complete the job satisfactory, because buying a router table just for this one piece isn't an option of course. And that's what forums like this add, it is ways to learn how to use your tools to their full extent, even if you have to bend the rules a bit sometimes. In most cases, they will only enhance creativity and productivity, and only in a very few cases will they be dangerous.
Now for end users, the benefits of bending the rules sometimes greatly outweigh the costs, and is therefor done extensively in the field. On the other hand, for a tool company administering a forum the costs might not outweigh the benefits. After all, one frivolous lawsuit might nullify the sales of A LOT of power tools.
