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Another informal Survey - Blade Guards

4K views 57 replies 47 participants last post by  GregD 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
This is pretty straight forward. With all the talk on this forum about safety the old standby blade guard seems neglected. The simple question is - Do you use it? I confess I never did even before I had and SS. I have an SS and use the riving knife religiously, but the guard's been gathering dust. I just reinstalled it. No big incident or near miss just that Live4ever's survey on injuries got me thinking about it. They are a lot more user friendly than the old ones so I'm going to give it a try. Only Time will tell if its turns out to be too much trouble. Anyway, I thought we all might be interested in the general practices involving the use or neglect of the old safety standby - the blade guard. So, in the general LJ interest I ask that you take a moment and please indicate if you use a blade guard and if you have an SS or not.
 
#10 ·
I personally do not like to obstruct the view of the blade, it is MORE dangerous in my opinion when you can't see where the blade is, and I've had more potential misshaps because of blade guards obscuring the blade, catching up on the board and so on than without it.
Wear your safety glasses for sure though.
 
#13 ·
My guard takes five seconds to install or remove and is clear. I use it whenever possible.

Sometimes the guard itself will be in the way of a thin rip, but I still want the splitter and anti-kickback pawls in place. Then I will use a small clamp to hold the guard up and out of the way.
 
#16 ·
As so many have said, I think they're dangerous as they restrict my view of the blade. I have a Sears 9" bench saw I bought in 1973. I tried the guard and splitter with kick-back pawls that came with it when I first assembled it. It scared me more than the bare blade so I removed it and lost it. I have been using this saw for 38 years now, and other than a minor problem with thin warped plywood that nothing but abstinence would have prevented, have not had a problem or injury. I do work carefully.

However, I have cut myself on chisels, dropped one and laid open a leg when it bounced up and hit me, stepped on a corner of a board sticking out and got 17 stitches in a leg, and the beat goes on. The one tool that scares me to death when I use it is the jointer. I ALLWAYS USE THE GUARD OR FABRICATE ONE IF REQUIRED. That fear will help keep me safe. The same with the ts or any tool; respect it, use reasonable care, and you will be safe. Too much reliance on technology to keep us safe leads to carelessness and finding more creative ways to get hurt.

Steve
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
I always use a blade guard on a table saw if possible though I have
done lots of work on vintage saws lacking blade guards and can
do so without fear.

Guards can be a hassle, but just like disciplining myself not to talk
on the phone while driving, it's a thing I do to stay clear about
what my priorities are.

I have a slider. I don't feel an obstructed view of the blade impedes
safety in any way since cuts are never freehanded and cuts which
I feel are unsafe on a table saw simply aren't made on it in my shop.

Guards do affect the trajectories in which the saw can launch flying
particles. I've had facial cuts from flying table saw junk, and an over the
blade guard does prevent those injuries.
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
Vintage JET, no guard, all 10. ^we should all have sliders. Euro saws really make all this a moot point. Loren, why do you think there is so much resistance? I'm noticing that I've been here for 348 days and for all 348 of those, Loren has been suggesting a used slider. Makes sense.
 
#24 ·
Bill, I have the G0690 TS. While I do not know for sure, I suspect that your older Grizzly TS will not have a retrofit riving knife made by Grizzly. Others may chime in with a better answer, though I think you will need to look at some custom made riving knife for the G0444Z.

The newer Grizzly TS have a quick release riving knife and overhead splitter (if you choose to use it). You can pretty much change these out in seconds which make it more likely that users will actually use them.
 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
Not only do I use a blade guard, but I upgraded by guard to a Shark Guard SG-K1 4" port model. On the very very few occasions that the guard comes off, the riving knife stays on. On the even fewer occasions the knife stays off, I am doing no through cuts like dadoes, and use some very thick push blocks, and featherboards…

I have a healthy respect for those things that can hurt me if I misuse them, and I try not to misuse them…

I hate to admit SOME appreciation for the guys that say that their guards hamper the view of the blade / cut making it more dangerous. To them I say, upgrade to a well made clear guard (The Shark Guard leaps to mind) and you won't have that problem…
 
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