Hi TexasTimber
The safety regulation cannot be enforced on amateurs but, for all registered business and schools they are very much enforced and they even have inspections from time to time to see that "everything is ok".
Of course you cannot enforce them on amateurs but you can force the manufacturers to build the machines according to some safety rules (riving knife, quick attach/detach blade guard, blade must stop within 10 seconds etc.) that improves the safety even for amateurs.
I think that any one that works with machine must realize with what he is dealing, the blade is a very strong "beast", it cuts everything including hands...I think that one must have some more "respect" to something stronger.
We must educate the young generation "safety" and, in my opinion, it does not include buying a Sawstop (that I want to see the first that will show us how he pushed his finger into the blade and came out with a small scratch), because there are other machines that can remove you hand before you know it.
Maybe, one thing is good about the sawstop. People know that if it is activated, they shall have to pay around $200 to change the mechanism and the blade so, they keep their fingers away...
When I see on TV and Internet shows how those "TV stars" are working...sorry but it has exactly the opposite effect of "safety"....what the amateur thinks is... "If xxxx is doing it like that, it must be safe"...
Dado stack is permitted to use as long as "the guard must be installed"...the ones that use them are using overhead guard that is acceptable.
It was descovered, that many accidents occured not during the cutting, but after the cut finished....the hand came in contact with the naked blade.
And, I'm asking again, what are ones working methods or procedures that because of them he wants to buy Sawstop...
Safe work
niki