who has kept their blade guard on?

[markmicallef]

I just purchased the Craftsman 21829 and I find the blade guard is more of a Nuisance
so I made a feather board and got a nice push stick from Rockler.

I have noticed not many of the home improvement shows or wood working shows
use the guards. I feel if you're careful and use common since you can still be safe.

I don't have a lot of experience with TS but have been using many other power tools for
years i.e. circular saws, cut off saws, tile saws, rotary saws, and I'd like to get the experienced
users opinion.

drooled over this for a year

[rlah]

I'm *not* one of the experienced users here but here's my thoughts anyway. I also purchased 21829 recently after using a cheapo TS for a year. I have seen how the blade guard/knife travels *with* the blade and so on the ZCTP I made, I cut my clearance slot to allow for blade guard/knife to stay on and so I only take the guard off when I need to... I like the safety of the guard that much. I also like the dust control it gives. The only difficulty I've run into is that the sharp teeth on the pawls dig into the wood surface of my ZCTP when I lower the blade and so I have to hold the pawls up by hand when I lower the blade. I may decide later to leave off the guard if it gets in the way too much, e.g. for tenoning cuts. I'm interested to see what other responses you get.

rlah

[Slik Geek]

True Confessions

When I got my BT-3000 about 10 years ago, I'm ashamed to admit that the blade guard/pawl assembly was eliminated immediately. The decades old table saw that I had used previously didn't have one, so I was used to working "unprotected". In addition, my friend, the one who inspired me to purchase the BT-3000, had done likewise, as he was irritated with the performance of the guard and the damage that the pawls was causing on his work.
As I improved my dust collection system, the table saw remained as a chief offender in the dust spewing category. Just using the 2-1/2" port exhausting below the table wasn't terribly effective. There was much dust flying off the top of the saw as well. For some time I was trying to come up with a convenient system that would significantly improve the dust collection of the saw, without bankrupting my limited tool budget.
After reading a couple of "finger maiming" stories, and the glowing recommendations of the Shark Guard from folks on this site, I concluded that my limited tool budget would be well spent on one of those guards. From a pragmatic standpoint, the cost of one of those guards would be easily spent during the first seconds of the emergency room visit!
In all honesty, the major motivating factor for me was the improvement of dust collection.
Count me as one of the satisfied Shark Guard users (no pawls on mine, by the way). I love the significant improvement in dust collection that I gained with its top-side dust port. And strangely, I'm enjoying the improved protection of the blade guard as well.
Now, on the occasion that I have to remove the guard for certain operations, I feel strangely vulnerable. I find it odd that for 15 years I boldly (or is that foolishly?) used a table saw with no blade guard and didn't give it much thought. Now, I feel exposed when the guard is off. (And it comes off conveniently fast, by the way).
My opinion? Scrap the stock guard - but replace it with the Shark Guard. (And for your lungs sake, use the full dust collection capability with a high performance dust collection filter, starting with a shop vaccuum if that is all you can afford right now).

[LarryG]

When I assembled my saw, I think I may have installed the stock riving and guard, looked at it a minute, and took it off before I made the first cut. Or I may not have ever installed it at all ... can't remember.

IAC I've never used it while actually making a cut. I do have and use one of Lee's Shark Splitters.

[softop41]

I've had my BT3100 for 2-1/2 years and used it without a guard beacuse I was used to doing it that way. Due to finding this forum, I did cut the riving knife down so that it would allow through cuts. I finally popped for a Shark Guard a couple months ago and it is GREAT! Don't get me wrong, you still have to do some cuts without the guard but for the most part it is on and giving me the dust collection advantages as well as the safety. By all means, keep the riving knife in place(cut off to blade height) and get a Shark from Lee Styron(a member here) at your earliest opportunity. It makes a huge difference!
HTH,
Jerry

[SARGE..g-47]

Good morning Mark...

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words........

Regards...

[Tom Miller]

I took my stock blade guard off pretty early on. Then, I had a few "incidents" that I think could have been prevented by a cut-down riving knife. So I made this:






Then, ultimately graduated to a Shark Guard for the DC capability.

But, a cut-down riving knife is probably the best single safety accessory you could add. I would rate it higher than an actual blade guard.

Regards,
Tom

[steve-norrell]

Got whacked once and have problems with dust. Canned the OE guard and got the Shark. Can't imagine using the saw without the Shark in place.

Very good dust collection (though not 100%) and the safety of the riving knife. The body of the guard itself is also pretty good at deflecting possible kickbacks. IMO the Shark is the best "add-on" I have purchased for the BT3100 and would rank it right up there with good radial tires on a car that the family rides in.

Good luck. Steve

[eezlock]

blade guard....

Like others have said...the basic stock guard is more of a pain than anything
else, aggrivating to install and remove. I bought shark guard/splitter from
Lee Styron "Skytooner" and use it and like it a lot better! eezlock

[LCHIEN]

two words: Shark Guard
If you want more info, check the BT3 FAQ linked below.

[Ed62]

While the Shark Guard is extremely popular, I still have the original blade guard on mine. I did remove the pawls, but the guard stays on except when I'm making a non-through cut. I'd suggest that you make sure you have some kind of protection from having the kerf close when making your cut. If it closes without any protection, you are very likely to enjoy (not really) a kickback. The riving knife keeps the kerf open, and prevents the workpiece from "pinching" the blade, causing kickback. You also need some kind of protection for your hands if things go "wrong". The blade will bite you before you can react if there is a problem.

Forgot to say "Welcome aboard", so "Welcome aboard".

Ed

[JR]

I have no guard on my saw right now. I do NOT recommend this as your normal setup, though. If you've ever seen a piece of plywood frisbee across the shop, you'll know why.

This is a great reminder to get my guard installed properly while I'm in a shop maintenance phase.

JR

[onedash]

I have my original guard in place on my Craftsman 22124. Always use it...
The only time I hate it is when I make a rip that is about 2 inches or less on a small board. The fence and the guard have some sort of territorial issues I guess and prefer to keep their distance.

[LCHIEN]

I have my original guard in place on my Craftsman 22124. Always use it...
The only time I hate it is when I make a rip that is about 2 inches or less on a small board. The fence and the guard have some sort of territorial issues I guess and prefer to keep their distance.

That problem can easily be resolved by making what I call an "L" fence.

Take a 24" 1x4 and a 24" 1x2.
Attach (butt join) the long edge of the 1x2 to the 1x4 so the 1x4 is flat on the table and the 1x2 sticks up. ("L" profile, hence the name)

Use a small clamp or two and attach the 1x2 to the rip fence so the 1x4 is flat on the table and towards the blade.

Now you have a "fence" edge that is only 3/4" high to guide your work. It will fit nicely under the edge of the blade guard if you ned it to.
Use a thin push stick and you can now make those narrow rips. If the piece is so thin that the blade guard rides over the "L" fence, consider using a sacrificial piece (same profile as the workpiece) that you push the end of the workpiece through from the rear.

[sacherjj]

I got sick of the stock guard when making non-through cuts and took it off. Then I thought that safety is worth a few dollars and purchased a Shark. Now I like the Shark for the improved dust collection as well.