Table Saw Blade guard...loaded question warning!!!!

[Brian Fulkerson]

So, I own a fairly new JET table saw which includes an easily removable quick release blade guard. In its place, I have since purchased a low-profile (jet accesory) riving knife that never(except for Dado cuts) is removed. I have wondered if it would be smart to move back to the full blade guard/splitter system. My concern is that the guard would cause difficulty in "seeing" my cut line. Also, there is always concern that the guard will somehow het hung-up with the stock that I am feeding (especially thin strips).

Hence my question(s):
Who actually uses the full blade guard as opposed to just a splitter and featherboards?
If you use the blade guard, when if ever do you remove it?
Do you also use the ani-kickback knives?

Safety is always a huge concern for me, I just wonder if certain items cause more trouble than good.

...See, i told you this would be a loaded question!!!

Thanks,

Brian

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I use the guard whenever I can. If I can't use the guard, the riving knife goes on instead. I have never run the saw without one of them installed.

I bought an extra guard, one has the anti kickback pawls removed, so I can use it on those valuable sheet goods that you don't want those scratches on.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I use a guard for every cut that I can. I can see the blade just fine and in fact I don't tend to look at the blade when I am cutting. I watch the trapped piece as it is the one that could cause me damage. I can take off my guard and put it back on in a couple minutes. I generally cut all of my dado, rabbets etc that I can't use the guard on at once so it's not an issue to remove and reinstall.

[Jack Wilson]

I am sorry, I can't answer your question... out of fear. I am afraid that I would incur the wrath of everyone else here on the forum, so I plead the fifth.

[John Coloccia]

My blade guard has dust collection on it as well, and I use it whenever I can. Not sure why anyone would plead the 5th. If you don't want to use it, don't use it. I use it.

The original SawStop blade guard is awful, IMHO, and it was never on the saw. Just the riving knife. My SharkGuard is better and stays on whenever it can.

I have "kickback" pawls on mine, but I'm thinking of taking them off. I never really liked them, and sometimes it seems like they just get in the way.

My guard generally comes off when I'm making non-thru cuts, or when the piece is so small it can get trapped in the guard. Other than that, it doesn't seem to ever get in my way.

[Jack Wilson]

Oh well, I don't want to go around setting a poor example, but plainly spoken, no I don't use a guard. I have two full size table saws, and a portable contractor saw that I take to job sites, I have removed the blade gaurd off all of them. All the contractors that I know have the same bad habit.

[Brian Kent]

I always, 100% use a splitter.

I do not use a blade guard because I cannot see the cut.

My splitter is a micro-jig splitter so I don't use the pawls.

I think I will be much better off when I get a blade guard that does not flop around, hit the blade, crack, collect dust and impair my vision. I think either a shop made guard over (not around) the blade or one of the guard and dust collectors that is attached to the ceiling would me the best for me.

[Neil Brooks]

The RUMOR that I heard is that ... fairly recently ... all major manufacturers shared a patent for guards that required -- among whatever else -- that they be capable of removal/re-installation in something like 15 seconds.

My Bosch table saw has that sort of guard (two piece: guard, kickback pawls).

As I said in a current thread, I use both ... all the time. The only things I have to remove them for, so far, is my crosscut sleds and my tenoning jig.

If they weren't SO easy to remove/re-install ... who knows if I'd use them less frequently.

For ME, there's no downside. Others may feel differently.

[glenn bradley]

MJ Splitter and a dust guard hood. I use both whenever I can. There is no need to see the line when using a tablesaw. What. . . , if its not following the line, you're going to adjust!?! ;-)

My dust collector overarm cannot be used on cuts where the material isn't big enough for the hood to ride over as the cut is made. It is also generally, but not always, incompatible with the miter gauge, tenon jig and sleds.

Unlike riving knives, that follow the blade height and can be used for all cuts, my splitter is of a fixed height and angle. On the rare times that I am not cutting at 90* the factory splitter can be used or the material is clamped to my sled and no splitter is used.

The level of inconvenience in using a guard is directly proportional to your level of inconvenience in having ten fingers. I cannot think of a thing I need to do more conveniently, faster or easier enough to pay with a finger to do it. But, that's just me ;-)

[John Coloccia]

I always, 100% use a splitter.

I do not use a blade guard because I cannot see the cut.

My splitter is a micro-jig splitter so I don't use the pawls.

I think I will be much better off when I get a blade guard that does not flop around, hit the blade, crack, collect dust and impair my vision. I think either a shop made guard over (not around) the blade or one of the guard and dust collectors that is attached to the ceiling would me the best for me.

My problem with the stock SawStop guard is two fold:

1) there's a bump on the front that gets hung up on the wood, and that pushes the guard up, and sometimes over...which leads to

2) the guard is FLIMSY, and fits very tightly to the blade...so when #1 happens, it's easy for the guard to run into the blade.

I can't figure out how they were able to engineer everything else on the saw so superbly, but have such a lousy blade guard. And thus, guard came off. I WILL say that the SawStop guard has GREAT visibility. If it were just a little wider it would have been fine.

[Ryan Welch]

I always use the riving knife on my g0691 but, have yet to make a cut with the full guard installed

[Todd Franks]

My problem with the stock SawStop guard is two fold:

1) there's a bump on the front that gets hung up on the wood, and that pushes the guard up, and sometimes over...which leads to

2) the guard is FLIMSY, and fits very tightly to the blade...so when #1 happens, it's easy for the guard to run into the blade.

I can't figure out how they were able to engineer everything else on the saw so superbly, but have such a lousy blade guard. And thus, guard came off. I WILL say that the SawStop guard has GREAT visibility. If it were just a little wider it would have been fine.

John,

Which SS model you are referring to ICS, PCS, or CS? I haven't got my new PCS tuned up yet and was curious if this is something to watch for. I've saved my old wider homebrew overarm guard just in case I don't like the narrow PCS blade guard.

Thanks,
-Todd

[Richard Dragin]

My concern is that the guard would cause difficulty in "seeing" my cut line. Also, there is always concern that the guard will somehow het hung-up with the stock that I am feeding (especially thin strips).
Brian

Brian,
You don't need to see the cut line, you should be concentrating on keeping the wood tight to the fence. If you are cutting anything thinner than the guard allows of course you remove it or, find another way to cut it.

[Todd Franks]

Brian,

I almost always use a blade guard and splitter. Sometimes I also use featherboards. For narrow cuts I will use a GRR-Ripper, but I always feel like I'm naked in public whenever I use it, like I'm doing something wrong without the blade guard and splitter in place. The only other time the overarm guard and splitter aren't used are when using the cross-cut sled.

-Todd

[Brian Kent]

Glenn and Richard,

I am only talking about starting a cut. I want to make sure I start on that pencil line.

Brian

(Oh, wait, Richard was quoting a different "Brian")