Because this lawsuit is such and important case and could have an immense impact on woodworking and the availability of tools in the future ? especially table saws ? we're doing what we can to present the facts and keep you updated. I've reached out to our Ryobi contact numerous times to get Ryobi's reaction and see what the company's next move might be. Today, I received this reply:

"We have been advised of the verdict in the Osario case. We are evaluating the results with our lawyers, and evaluating how to proceed. Notwithstanding the outcome of this trial and any possible appeal, we remain confident that the saw which was the subject of this lawsuit was well-designed and manufactured with all due consideration for the needs and safety of the consumer."

While researching the case, we obtained a copy of the Petition For Performance Standards For Table Saws presented to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Inside the document, the Power Tool Institute states, "the costs associated with the proposal [installing flesh-detecting technology] could potentially eliminate some of the least expensive table saws from the market." That's an obvious statement, but one you may not have considered. Also, we gained access to a copy of the Journal of Trauma report referred to in The Oregonian article. In reading that report, we learned a few interesting facts, so I thought I would pass those along, too.

? These statistics were drawn from 12,051 actual cases.

? The average age of those injured in table saw accidents is 52

? Of the cases where the cause of the accident were known ? which is only 7 percent of all the studied cases ? 72 percent were caused from kickback (it's my opinion that many of those cases would have been prevented with riving knives)

? Table saw injuries dropped each year from 2004 to 2007 (the last year of the study)

? 95 percent of the children injured were between the ages of 14 - 17 (high school ages), but the study found kids as young as 6 were injured.

? Glen D. Huey

We've all been following the lawsuit where a jury awarded a Massachusetts man $1.5 million dollars for an accident he had while using a Ryobi table saw. (Need to catch up on the story? Click here for an article in the Boston Globe, here for an article in INC. magazine about the SawStop technology and here for a piece from The Oregonian). Catching up with the case is easy, but working with the numbers, not so much.

The Oregonian reported that there are, "An estimated 700,000 table saws are in use across the U.S." It goes on to report that "According to the Journal of Trauma, an estimated 565,670 table-saw-related injuries were treated from 1990 to 2007 in U.S. emergency rooms." That's an average of 33,274 injuries per year. Of those injuries, it is estimated that 10 percent result in amputation. I found that statistic alarming, and I'm willing to bet that most woodworkers did, too. Imagine what non-woodworkers might think.

The more we talked about the figures here in the office, the more we wondered if the numbers were real. I don't intend to question the number of injuries reported. I'm sure those numbers are well documented ? insurance companies are like that. But let's look at the other number in the equation: 700,000 table saws caused more than half-a-million injuries. In 17 years, there's nearly one injury for each table saw being used. How dangerous is this machine?

Are there 700,000 table saws in use in the United States? There must be, I read it on the Internet. In fact, I've already seen that same number repeated in another online write-up. Soon it will be fact! (Note of sarcasm in my voice.)

After discussing the numbers, we thought it best to talk with someone in the industry. Someone who has held a position in a number of the companies that sell table saws and other woodworking tools. Someone that has dealt with factories abroad, large chain store orders and has worked a lifetime inside the woodworking machine and tools industry. We wanted a reliable source.

In talking with this someone, we found that Sears, which back in the day was the only woodworking machine seller I knew about, sold Craftsman table saws in huge numbers. During its hey-day, the stores would sell about 50,000 contractor table saws and 150,000 benchtop saws per year. Back a few years, Delta would sell 15,000 to 18,000 Unisaw models each year, as well as 25,000 contractor saws annually. One of the large chain stores placed an order for benchtop table saws in excess of 110,000 units, and that was just for the holiday rush. These numbers don't add up to 700,000.

If that doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention, take a look at this figure: There is a single factory abroad that produces 700,000 benchtop table saws every year!

I think it's safe to say that the figure quoted in The Oregonian is not even close to accurate. When asked to provide a number as to how many table saws are in use within the confines of the United States, our source said, "Four million, maybe more."

That certainly changes the injuries-to-table-saws ratio. Doesn't it?

? Glen Huey

Plans are moving ahead full force with the newly announced woodworking show on PBS. I?m told that WGBH and Tommy J. MacDonald have met with a few potential sponsors for the show. Laurie Donnelly was with Tommy at the New England Home Show when the announcement was made (see the video here) and she is with Lifestyle Programming at WGBH. (That department develops shows slated for a national audience, so this show will be pushed out nationwide from the beginning.) When I spoke with her, she didn?t want to spill the beans on what companies they had talked with about sponsorship, but she stated that interest was very high.

Donnelly?s idea for the yet-to-be-named show (she did mention a working title, but forbid me to print it until an actual name was decided on) dovetails with what Tommy had described. The idea is to cover a wide variety of topics: information about tools (hand and power), show the tools in use then move on to what can be built with that knowledge. And she also emphasized the idea of developing a woodworking community.

She also mentioned that this would be a not-so-perfect television show, meaning mistakes would be shown as would ways to correct those mishaps. That?s something I've heard woodworkers ask for many times ? real-world woodworking.

Look for the show to roll out during Fall 2010 if dotted lines are signed quickly, or sometime in Winter 2011 if the process is slowed for some reason.

More on Tommy MacDonald

I received a copy of Tommy?s stepstool DVD and gave it a look. Like what is read in many of the forums, Tommy is definitely a Boston guy. His strong accent ? how many times did you comment on Norm saying ?sar? during his many years at New Yankee ? is part of what makes him fun to watch. And his DVD is informative; I picked up a new technique that I had not seen before. Give it a try.

MacDonald has two DVDs out right now and there are three more in the wings. The stepstool and a toolbox DVD are the two available and yet to come is, according to MacDonald, a sweet table, slant-top desk and a set of chairs. I?m looking forward to those.

You might want to purchase a copy of the Stepstool right away (click here). The Toolbox is already sold out. With the agreement with WGBH, MacDonald has decided to change the covers on his DVDs. This could be an opportunity to purchase what might become a collector?s item in the future ? did you consider buying stuff from Norm early in the game?

? Glen D. Huey