3067: SawStart
SawStart |
![]() Title text: Unfortunately, SawStart is one-use-only. Once started, the blade cannot be stopped, and must be replaced with a fresh blade while the running one is carefully disposed of. |
Explanation[edit]
SawStop is an American table saw manufacturer whose products are designed to increase safety. Table saws are extremely dangerous tools due to their rapidly spinning circular saw blades protruding from the table surface. Accidental contact with the blade can result in severe injury or death. Even a stopped blade can pose a risk if the saw is not properly powered off and unplugged, or if the blade remains sharp.
SawStop saws feature an automatic brake that activates when the blade detects contact with human skin. According to the company, the system stops the blade within 5 milliseconds by releasing an aluminum brake block, after which the blade instantly retracts below the table. This mechanism is intended to prevent serious injury in the event of contact.
Here, Black Hat takes the concept of a safety-enhancing product and reverses it, creating one that is far more dangerous. His fictional invention mimics the SawStop's ability to detect skin contact, but instead of stopping the blade, it uses an explosive charge to start a stationary blade. This would be extremely hazardous, in triggering a rapid spin-up exactly when someone touches the blade. The comic suggests that it might even work when the tool is turned off and unplugged, which is typically considered a safe state. The explosive acceleration could cause severe injuries, and the device provides no functional advantage. Its only purpose is malicious, which is presumably why it's "less popular."
Explosive starters have historically been used in older piston aircraft and some tractors to rapidly start engines when electric starters weren’t practical. This method is still used in some modern aircraft, such as the B-52 bomber.
The title text references the fact that the SawStop brake mechanism is single-use. Once triggered, both the brake cartridge and the saw blade are damaged and must be replaced — though this is a small price to pay compared to losing a finger.[citation needed] The fictional "SawStart" is also single-use, but in its case, the result is even worse: the blade becomes unstoppable, defying the second law of thermodynamics (and possibly several others). The comic suggests this could be the result of a collaboration between Black Hat and Beret Guy's mysterious business ventures. Since the spinning blade cannot be stopped, it must be replaced while still in motion — an obviously dangerous and impractical process. Even disposal would be hazardous, as the blade could destroy any container it's placed in.
A similar concept, subverting a safety feature, is explored in 2876: Range Safety, where a range safety officer is accompanied by a "range danger officer."
Transcript[edit]
- [A table with a table saw stands behind Black Hat who gestures to the table while facing Megan and Cueball. There is a label on the side of the table, a logo of a circular saw blade, with the first part of a word inside the blade:]
- SawStart
- Black Hat: When the saw detects contact with skin, an explosive charge starts the blade spinning at full speed within a few milliseconds.
- [Caption below the panel:]
- SawStop's less-popular competitor
Trivia[edit]
In theory, such a system could be useful on a futuristic mechanized melee weapon (like "chainswords" from Warhammer 40,000). In that case, the saw would start spinning as soon as it hits the enemy, removing the need to allow time for it to spin up. On top of that, the saw is impossible to stop, and will continue to rip and shred any enemies in contact until the saw breaks. Such a combat disk saw may need to be redesigned so that it is activated by armor and flesh alike.



Discussion
It's weird seeing a totally empty explanation, also whats the point of sawstop, don't they just use vibrating blades? 104.23.190.110 12:40, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
- SawStop is for rotating blades, like you would use for sawing wood. I'm sure there's a good reason why they don't use vibrating blades there, the most likely is "wood is harder than a plaster cast". I could also imagine that vibrating blades don't create nice cuts, which doesn't matter with a plaster cast that will be disposed of, but very much matters with wood used for construction. --Coconut Galaxy (talk) 13:16, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
- Oscillating saws for cutting wood exist, and you could use one to make a long cut, but traditional circular saws are much faster and make straighter cuts. 172.68.234.66 20:55, 26 March 2025 (UTC)
empty explanation is freaky woah 172.69.194.204 12:42, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
- Every explanation is empty, at least for a short amount of time. And this is not the earliest that a comic went up (shortly after midday, UK time, when it's not unknown for them to not arrive until after the midnight at the end of the designated publication day), but it looks like you (both, including first-poster at the top) have had the good luck/fortune to be just casually checking for new changes to old articles on the site and instead get 'first look' at the newest addition to it. Of course, it'll be a few hours before most of the article gets fine-tuned into some form of 'completion'. 172.70.86.157 13:23, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
sudo systemctl stop saw-start.service 172.69.208.132 13:11, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
- yay you saved the world! --hi (talk) 14:08, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
- "Failed to stop saw-start.service: Access restricted by systemd security policies"
- sudo holding-in-the-power-button doesn't work either.172.69.34.139 17:26, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
I'm 99% sure that the system is designed to start a stopped blade up to full speed within milliseconds, not just increase the speed of a spinning blade. --Coconut Galaxy (talk) 13:22, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
WAITER, WAITER, MORE Black Hat PLEASE Caliban (talk) 13:31, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
Because of gyroscopic precession, a still spinning (unstoppable?) blade, removed from its axle and housing, would be /very/ difficult and dangerous to dispose of. I'm a woodworker and I think I'll be having nightmares tonight. -DW 172.69.23.176 13:36, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
- At least if it's unstoppable we can use it as a free source of energy! 172.69.195.62 14:01, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
As a woodworker, one note I would like to make is that while the sawblade can be damaged by cartridge activation, it is not required that it be replaced. It is possible to have the blade inspected and potentially repaired and continue to use it. That is addressed in SawStop's FAQ https://www.sawstop.com/sawstop_faq/can-the-blade-be-reused-if-the-safety-system-brake-is-activated/ 172.69.33.189 15:04, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
The [citation needed] for violating other laws probably means that law enforcement should issue a citation to the manufacturer. Barmar (talk) 15:21, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
General observation from a s/w test engineer/woodworker: Original version of the Sawstop used a shotgun shell to fire a stopper into the sawblade which absolutely did destroy the blade. (and made enough noise to pretty much ensure a 'code brown' if you triggered the stop system.) Newer version uses a high tension spring along with a deformable aluminum stopper assembly to absorb the energy and bring the blade to a stop. The advantage of the deformable aluminum assembly is that you can remove it from the blade (with care) and as noted can put the sawblade back to work. However you need a new ($200-ish) stopper assembly before you can re-start the saw. Having a family member who is a retired emergency room doctor who would regularly email me 'stories from work' of woodworker injuries who came through her ER, I can assure you that a tablesaw is pretty much the most dangerous woodworking tool in a typical woodshop. That being said, its quite amusing to me that "SawStop" became XKCD worthy. SawStop is somewhat notorious in the woodworking community because of their highly obnoxious business practices with regards patent and legal attacks on business competitors who came up with alternative approaches to the 'saw brake' or 'saw safety' system. JC from Canada 172.69.33.194 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- Funny, the version I'd heard from the woodworking community was SawStop getting vast pushback from their competitors who didn't want to licence the first saw safety systems, and then spent a vast amount of money making their own inferior systems when Sawstop pushed for tablesaws to have to have some sort of safety system. But I suppose it's all a matter of which set of propaganda from the businesses you're buying into. 172.69.195.180 11:18, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
- The full story is a bit of both. The inventor didn't want to be a table saw company, so he initially tried to license it to existing companies, and only founded SawStop after getting rejected everywhere. Later, Bosch made a similar but distinct system and SawStop sued to keep it from reaching market. Finally, SawStop tried to get the US gov't to make skin-sensing tech mandatory on all table saws, and talked about how they are just trying to be safe, while simultaneously filing a lawsuit against Felder for their newer technology. A lot of people in the community viewed that as hypocritical as they seem to want safety, but only if they are the ones to profit from it. 172.70.94.34 20:55, 26 March 2025 (UTC)
Funnily enough this could be practical in robot combat 104.23.190.1515:01, 24 March 2025 EST
Note that since the blade is spun up using explosives and not the electric motor (even ignoring the title text), the saw being unplugged in no way makes the blade safe to touch. 172.68.23.226 20:03, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
The explosive charge would already be deadly. --[insert signature here] (talk) 00:31, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
Why is it important to include the fact that this could be used in robot warfare? Ozymandias (talk)
- As far as I can tell, this fact has not been included. Nor was it ever there in the last handful of edits (or in what I knew was there beforehand).
- There is something about Warhammer 40K (which I appreciate the meaning of, but find a little out of the blue as currently written). Maybe you mean that. It could be rewritten as a "in a circumstance such as the world of Warhammer 40K", I suppose. Though why single that out? For reference, though, in case you want to change things: https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Chainsword 172.69.43.240 11:45, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
wonder if the comic is referring to the (somewhat popular) whatisthisrock subreddit --172.68.210.176 19:29, 27 March 2025 (UTC) ignore the above since it was referring to another comic --172.68.210.176 19:33, 27 March 2025 (UTC)
In any case, SawStart sounded like an excellent project idea for the Youtuber Stuff Made Here. --162.158.168.133 19:42, 27 March 2025 (UTC)
The comic file isn’t 2x, despite one being available at [1]. Can someone with autoconfirmed rights update the file? 172.71.154.247 04:48, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
Old joke: In court ... Judge: "Witness, you as the mother of the child must know who is the father." Female Witness: "Your honor, when you get your finger in a running circular saw, do you know which tooth it was?"
162.158.155.129 14:31, 30 March 2025 (UTC)