Imagine taking a class at UF’s Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion where there is a slight chance of losing a finger.
Since Fall, SawStop, a new safety system, has been used in the scenic design workshop for theater and dance classes such as stagecraft.
SawStop technology detects the electrical properties of the objects the blade contacts, according to the system’s website.
Human skin is more conductive than wood, and the SawStop system is able to distinguish the difference in its electrical conductivity. It is programmed to stop the blade within milliseconds if it detects human skin, usually resulting in just a nick on the finger.
Zak Herring, technical director at UF’s School of Theatre + Dance, said he’s never had a UF student harm his or herself on the table saw.
Even so, Herring said the SawStop is an additional safety tool.
However, it isn’t without its flaws. The SawStop system will stop the blade when in contact with other materials.
“If you cut a wet board, it’ll do the same thing,” Herring said.
Because of the system’s inability to distinguish a damp board from a human finger, certain types of wood can’t be cut when the system is on.
Cecilia Padilla took stagecraft before the SawStop was installed.
“It was a little scary just to know that it’s all based on your actions,” said the 20-year-old theater and English sophomore.
If the blade does touch skin, the blade will be destroyed, and a replacement would cost about $150, Herring said.
“Still,” he said, “it’s a lot cheaper than a finger.”
