Safety poll: Do you use the guard on your tablesaw?

[Frederick Skelly]

It will seem nuts to some of you, but Ive never used a tablesaw that has a guard. Every one has always been just "bare blade". I occasionally use a home made splitter. Im thinking its time to mend my ways before I get hurt and have to mend my hand. But I got curious and wanted to poll the community informally. Id appreciate hearing how you do things in your shops.

On a day to day basis, say "most of the time", which way do you work for ripping lumber:
1. Do you operate your tablesaw without a guard and without a splitter/riving knife?

2. Do you operate it using only a splitter/riving knife?

3. Do you operate it with BOTH a guard and splitter/riving knife?

4. Other.

Personally, Im about sold on ordering a Shark Guard because I like its flexibility. I contacted him last week and he makes one that fits my old delta.

If you have a minute, can you just reply with the number 1 - 4? And if you have any other thoughts or ideas Id appreciate hearing them too.

Thanks folks!
Fred

[John Seiffer]

Number 3 for sure. I have a Shark Guard which I love.

Before I was so rigourous about safety I split my thumb on my old saw. Functionality is fully restored but there's a bit at the tip that's still numb 20 plus years later. The hand doctor I saw said he saw more table saw injuries than for any other tool. He thinks it's because when the blade is stationary and you're moving the wood into the blade you're more likely to have a problem than with a router or a mitre saw where you're moving the blade. So yea - #3 for me.

[lowell holmes]

No 3

I have an over arm guard and a splitter in the insert.

[Matt Day]

Is it just me or is there no poll?

[CPeter James]

I have an Exactor overarm guard and a splitter on my PM66. I use both 99% of the time and am very uncomfortable when I don't have them in place. On the PM66 there is an adjustable stud on the trunion that I mount an oak splitter. The splitter is .005" wider than the blade cut, i.e., a .130"splitter for a .125" blade.

CPeter

[Pat Barry]

1 - No guard. It just gets in the way

[Frederick Skelly]

Is it just me or is there no poll?

No Matt, theres no poll - I couldnt figure out how to set it up right. So I did it manually.
Fred

[Jay Jolliffe]

No guard...get's in the way when doing small rips...

[Steve Wurster]

Number 3 for me. I use the guard as often as possible. Only time it's not on there is for non-through cuts.

I use the SawStop dust-collection guard on a non-SawStop saw and it still works awesome. I get little to no dust when ripping. That guard can be had via Amazon for less than a Shark Guard and a whole lot quicker to boot.

Note that my saw is a Ridgid contractor-style, so I have a splitter and not a true riving knife. I had to drill a hole in the splitter in order to mount the guard, but it doesn't affect the operation of either. The fact that it's a splitter and not a riving knife also means that the height is fixed, but that also doesn't affect the operation.

[Bill Space]

No. 2 here .... With lots of jigs and hold downs and push blocks...

[cody michael]

I don't use a guard either, to me the saws I have used with guards seemed more dangerous. because they were in my way.

[Harvey Miller]

#3- I have a sharkguard on my Ryobi BT3100. The only time I take it off is for narrow rips. On the other hand I volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, no guard there

[Lee Schierer]

No 1, but I use feather boards and push sticks extensively.

[John Coloccia]

#3. I never used a guard or splitter/riving knife until I had a saw that had a good guard and riving knife. The only time it comes off is for very thin cuts, or non-through cuts. Even so, the riving knife NEVER comes off as it never gets in the way, and that's 90% of the battle right there.

[Kevin Nathanson]

#3. Felder slider with a proper overarm guard that also does dust collection; the only time the guard/riving knife is not used is for cuts where it would be without value, such as a dado, where the blade is fully isolated from being able to do damage to body parts.

K