james_s:
Thank you for clearing that up. Without casting aspersions on other, more safety-minded folk, I honestly don't see the need for either function. IF I had children, and IF I let them run around my workshop unattended, and IF I were prone to leaving my table saw plugged in with the blade protruding from the table, then the latch-on aspect might seem worthwhile; otherwise it seems superfluous to me.
I suppose that, were I cutting a board and somehow lost power for a brief moment before it came back on, with the board still engaged with the saw blade, that might cause a problem when the saw restarted, sending the wood flying toward me at high speed. Then again, if the subterranean lizard people suddenly drilled up through the floor of my workshop, it wouldn't matter whether or not I had my aluminum-foil PPE in place--I would still fall into their clutches and be dragged down their tunnel, subject to torture, mutilation, genetic experiments, watching endless reruns of "The View", or worse.
As for overload protection: The old-timers I've spoken to have all said that having a sharp blade and a firmly locked-down rip fence, both properly aligned perpendicular to the cut, will prevent most accidents. Also, not cramming the work piece into the blade too quickly, not cutting warped, green, or over-sized stock, and listening carefully to the motor, will give me as broad a margin of safety as can be hoped for. Unless those pesky lizard people come after me!
As an update: Without undo cursing, I did manage to open up the motor case. There was quite a bit of fine sawdust inside, but the bearings seemed to spin freely and I saw no signs of heat or corrosion damage. The erratic behavior of the motor (stopping & starting, spinning backwards & forwards) can all be explained by a failed capacitor/start relay combination, or so I have been led to believe. Once I have the new cap, I'll do a bench test with motor clamped down somewhere and nothing attached to the arbor.