Machines with safety systems are disclosed. The machine may take the form of woodworking machines including table saws, band saws, miter saws, hand-held circular saws, pneumatic chop saws, radial-arm saws, jointers, planars, routers and shapers. The machines may include an operative structure configured to perform a task, where the operative structure includes a cutting tool adapted to move in at least one motion, and a safety system adapted to detect the occurrence of an unsafe condition between a person and the cutting tool and for mitigating the unsafe condition. The safety system may include a detection subsystem and a reaction subsystem.

A vegetation pruning device includes a pair of pivotably coupled handles and a motor having a rotary output drive for driving an endless flexible cutting chain. A guard is moved relative to the chain by pivoting of the handles relative to each other to grip vegetation between the guard and the chain. The motor is actuated by pressing each of a pair of elongate triggers at any position along the length of the triggers.

A handheld tool configured to procure fuel is described. Embodiments of the fuel procurement tool include a handhold having a cutting mechanism located proximate one end of the handhold. Typically, the cutting mechanism can include at least one cutter link having a depth gauge, a top plate, and a gullet formed between the depth gauge and the top plate. The fuel procurement tool can be implemented to procure kindling from a piece of wood.

A handheld tool configured to procure fuel is described. Embodiments of the fuel procurement tool include a handhold having a cutting mechanism located proximate one end of the handhold. Typically, the cutting mechanism can include at least one cutter link having a depth gauge, a top plate, and a gullet formed between the depth gauge and the top plate. The fuel procurement tool can be implemented to procure kindling from a piece of wood.

Power tools with conductive couplings used with active injury mitigation technology are disclosed. Conductive couplings are particularly relevant to table saws, hand-held circular saws, track saws, miter saws, and band saws with active injury mitigation technology. Conductive couplings provide a mechanism through which an electrical signal can be coupled or imparted to a blade, and then monitored for changes indicative of human contact with the blade. An exemplary conductive coupling includes a brush that establishes an electrical connection with a moving part of a power tool, and the brush maintains contact with the moving part of the power tool during at least 40 hours of cumulative time when the motor is spinning the arbor and blade without an interruption in the electrical connection sufficient to trigger the reaction system. A conductive coupling may be two-sided compliant. A conductive coupling may connect to a motor shaft to minimize electrical noise.

A reciprocating saw comprises a housing, a blade assembly, a reciprocating rod assembly, a driving assembly and an operation mechanism. The blade assembly extends forward from one side of the housing, and comprises a positioning structure. The reciprocating rod assembly is detachably connected with the blade assembly and comprises a blade fixing structure and an unlocking component matched with the positioning structures. The driving assembly is accommodated in the housing, and drives the reciprocating rod assembly to drive the blade assembly to perform reciprocating motion. The operation mechanism is installed on the housing and moves between a locking position and an unlocking position and comprises an operation button, a drive cam matched with the unlocking components and an elastic reset component for resetting the operation button.

An active protection system and method in a portable cutting tool with movable cutting members includes at least: a cutting member stop; a controller/processor triggering the stop upon the detection of a danger condition; a proximal electrode electrically coupled with a tool handle and a distal electrode electrically coupled with the cutting member, to make up an armature of a capacitor, the processing unit feeding an electric output signal into one of the electrodes and detecting an electric input signal on the other electrode. The electric output signal includes different frequencies. A detection unit detecting a complex impedance of the electric input signal at the different frequencies. The processing unit determines a danger condition and causes triggering of the stop based on a value of the magnitude of the complex impedance electric signal and on a phase difference of the impedance electric signal at the different frequencies.

A safety braking device for a machine tool for braking a processing tool driven by means of an electric motor via an output unit, more particularly an output shaft, includes at least one braking device which is provided to halt rotation of the output unit in a braking process. The braking device has at least a first braking stage and a second braking stage. The disclosure further relates to a machine tool having the safety braking device and to a method for operating a safety braking device.

A system for cutting narrow workpieces having a track that extends a width between a cutting edge and a non-cutting edge. One or more measuring bodies are connected to a slot adjacent the non-cutting edge that include a measuring bar that extends forward from the front side of the measuring body and under the track as well as extends rearward from the rear side of the measuring body. The measuring bar slides within the measuring body to accommodate the desired workpiece thickness. The measuring bar includes measuring indicia and a measuring member that facilitates measurement of workpiece thickness. Measuring body includes a locking member that locks the measuring bar at a desired thickness. Measuring member may be adjusted to calibrate the measuring member to the track and saw using a locking member. Measuring body also includes a support leg and associated locking mechanism that levels the measuring body.

The present invention provides a hand-held electric tool comprising a housing and an operating component. The housing has a main body section and a grip section extending from the rear side of the main body section, and the front end of the main body section is provided with a mounting interface. The operating component is mounted at the mounting interface of the housing and protrudes from the housing. A chip removal hole is formed in the bottom wall of the main body section of the housing, and a protective portion that extends downwards at least partially is provided at the bottom end at the position where the main body section joins the grip section. The bottom of a hand-held electric tool of the present invention is substantially closed, except for being provided with a chip removal hole, which allows removal of chips while preventing a user's hand from being inadvertently extended into the housing and contacting a component operating at a high speed. Moreover, chips removed through the chip removal hole are blocked by the protective portion, without reaching the grip section, which offers considerable advantages in terms of safety and hygiene.