[HN Gopher] The ChompSaw: A Benchtop Power Tool That's Safe for ...
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The ChompSaw: A Benchtop Power Tool That's Safe for Kids to Use
Author : surprisetalk
Score : 42 points
Date : 2025-07-07 13:43 UTC (3 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.core77.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.core77.com)
| jakedata wrote:
| Looks a lot like my glass grinder. Nice idea but only cuts
| cardboard and $249 is crazy expensive.
| d--b wrote:
| uh? We used to have a jig or scroll saw when we were kids, it
| could cut thin plywood, but you could put your finger on the
| blade when it was working and it wouldn't hurt at all.
| jakedata wrote:
| Unlike the woodburning tool...
| floxy wrote:
| The scroll saw seems like about the safest power saw that a kid
| could use. But every one I've ever owned/used could definitely
| cut human flesh. Maybe someone could come up with one that has
| a very limited range of motion, so that it works like a cast
| saw / oscillatory multi-tool, where the teeth movement is so
| small that it is within the elastic range of your skin.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx1AiQdMQro
| alwa wrote:
| Yes--startling, but not catastrophic. I first used something
| like that at age 6. It probably COULD cut flesh if you really
| tried, but it would take some determination, and just the
| specter of damage was enough to keep me on good behavior.
|
| I remember it as helping me develop a healthy respect for
| tools, and also to relate to the material world as something I
| can manipulate rather than something to be passively consumed.
| And to manage risks, and confront my fears.
| wmeredith wrote:
| This is very cool. The price point puts it beyond the toy
| category though. Maybe that will come down. Great idea.
| Ariarule wrote:
| This could be "bad, actually" if it gives an incorrect impression
| that power tools are unequivocally safe, rather than somewhat
| risky but usually safe when used correctly.
| bigstrat2003 wrote:
| You're right, but one presumably would still teach kids to
| treat this tool with respect. And given that, it seems safer to
| me as this won't hurt them when they get careless (as kids are
| wont to do). That way you get a chance to reinforce the safety
| lesson _before_ they graduate to the dangerous stuff.
| sonofhans wrote:
| It's basically a tabletop router for cardboard. That's super
| cool. The free motion in two dimensions is better than what kids
| usually get with toy saws and drills.
|
| Routers are great tools but very powerful and finicky. This turns
| a router into a finger-safe jigsaw, which is a great idea.
| fnordian_slip wrote:
| If anyone in here buys it anyway, they could test if it works
| with leather, too. That would open up a lot of additional
| projects.
| AlotOfReading wrote:
| I suspect you could probably work with pretty heavy leather,
| since the 3mm cardboard it's designed for is going to be pretty
| comparable to 5-6oz.The bed size might be too small for typical
| panel sizes though.
| WillAdams wrote:
| Neat!
|
| Would make a nice pairing with:
|
| https://www.make.do/
|
| which is sold by Lee Valley: https://www.leevalley.com/en-
| us/shop/home/toys-and-games/cra... (an excellent company to do
| business with).
|
| A prototype of this was on Reddit/Imgur a while back:
|
| https://old.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/9en02z/kids_table_saw/
|
| with instructions on making on w/ a parts list at:
|
| https://imgur.com/a/kids-table-saw-2cg0HJB
| danfunk wrote:
| I help run a Makerspace, will definitely be looking into this.
| Great idea. I know many adults that should start out on such a
| tool!
| ghysznje wrote:
| If it's for cutting cardboard, why not just use a pair of
| scissors?
| crazygringo wrote:
| Have you tried using scissors to cut corrugated cardboard?
| Especially trying to cut curves? The difficulty seems self-
| evident.
|
| For straight lines you need something like a box cutter -- with
| scissors it will neither be easy nor particularly straight.
| While for even medium-sized curves or smaller details you
| really do need something like this.
| bilsbie wrote:
| I wanted this but the price seems way high.
|
| By the way, could this concept be scaled up to cut wood?
| marssaxman wrote:
| Indeed it can:
|
| https://www.rockler.com/power-tools/routers/router-tables/ro...
| hatthew wrote:
| Is anyone else bothered by hyperspecific products like this? 95%
| of what it does can also be done by scissors for 5% of the price
| and 10x the lifespan.
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