Abstract: A miter saw is disclosed having a base, a blade supported by the base, a detection system adapted to detect a dangerous condition between a person and the blade, and a reaction system associated with the detection system to cause a predetermined action to take place upon detection of the dangerous condition. The blade is rotatable, and moves into a cutting zone to cut a workpiece. The predetermined action may be to stop the blade from rotating, to create an impulse against movement of the blade into the cutting zone, or to cause the blade to move away from the cutting zone.

Abstract: A utility blade especially adapted for a roofing knife. The blade is fabricated from a flat, thin blank of metallic material and has a square central mounting hole for mounting in a conventional roofing knife. A first end of the blade is configured with a curvilinear, sharpened hook on one side and a V-shaped sharpened cutting component on the other side. The V-shaped sharpened cutting component terminates into a sharpened point. This arrangement is effective to give a user the advantage of having two different type cutting surfaces in one blade.

Abstract: A sawing system (200) incorporates a vision zone (220) between a loading/unloading zone (115) and a sawing zone (210). This arrangement allows a dual spindle counter rotating saw assembly (230) to be more rigidly mounted, which reduces the displacement of the saw assembly during the sawing process. This, advantageously reduces the variation in the cut made by the saw blades of the saw assembly to comply with a predetermined required tolerance. In addition, with the vision zone (220) located between the loading/unloading zone (115) and the sawing zone (210), a semiconductor wafer or substrate is transported from the loading/unloading zone (115) to the vision zone (220) without passing the sawing zone (210). Consequently, exposure of a semiconductor wafer or substrate to water or debris from the sawing process is avoided, and imaging can be performed at the vision zone (220) without water or debris adversely affecting the imaging.