Shark Guard: With pawls or without?

[milanuk]

I'm getting set to drop an order for a Shark Guard... I bought this saw for the riving knife and as I use it more I keep catching myself wanting to not put the stock guard back on as I transition between through-cuts (ripping/crosscuts) and non-through cuts (rabbets, grooves, dadoes)... sounds like the Shark Guard where I can keep the riving knife in place is at least a partial solution. So, the question now is whether to order my new Shark Guard with pawls or without? While I recognize the potential value of the pawls, the stock ones have been enough of a PITA that they've spent most of their existence tied up out of the way with a tie-wrap As such, if I get a SG w/o pawls, I ain't losing much. Seems like it'd be worthwhile to get them if they are an improvement (i.e. not so dang sharp/pointy and spring-powered to boot) over the OEM pawls

Who all here uses pawls on their Shark Guard? Would you change if you ordered a new one?

[JR]

Gosh, I hadn't realized Lee would make one with pawls. No, don't get one with that crazy option!

[gsmittle]

No, I would not replace my non-pawled SG with pawls. Pawls are an Evil Deity.

g.

[DonHo]

My sharkguard is a few revisions old but I didn't even know you could use prawls with a sharkguard. How do you attach them (not that I will use them)?

[Anna]

I bought the pawls (as an after-thought after I bought the Sharkguard) and never use them after trying them out a couple of times.

[milanuk]

Well... that was a little more lop-sided than I expected

Put my order in tonight, which means I should see them in a few months.

I opted to include the pawls... I figure even if I pull them off after a time or two, I still have 'em if I want 'em... and I'm sure I've spent $7 on sillier things.

Thanks,

Monte

[wardprobst]

Hey Monte,

Got 'em, use 'em, love 'em. Lee's are so much better than the stock version.
DP

[cwithboat]

Come on, they are only seven bucks. Put them in your tool box, the day will come........

[Stytooner]

Sorry not to have chimed in sooner, Guys. I think Sam gave me his flu virus in an email. I thought I had the flu or something similar earlier this year, but I was wrong. This was the real McCoy. I only felt like answering emails this AM and feel much better this afternoon. Phew!

I have been offering pawls for some time now. Since I started making these splitter equipped for other saws rather than just the BT's with riving knives. Some guys do buy them for saws with riving knives, but very few compared to those with splitters. They can be tricky still with a riving knife even with my design. They may tend to dig into the throat plate when lowering the blade.
I personally don't use them on my saw, but my recommendation is to use what you are most comfortable using. They are simple to install or remove.

[crokett]

I would get them without pawls. The pawls were the first thing to go on my saw soon after I got it.

[dkerfoot]

I don't have them on my SG - I bought mine used from a forum member.

When I used the standard guard, I put a couple of layers of tape over the tips of the pawls. It kept them from scratching, but still seems to grab the board well if I tried to pull it back.

I wonder if it would be possible to mount uni-directional rubber wheels to the SG - similar to the old ripstrate: http://www.bt3central.com/articles/files/Ripstrate.PDF to replace the pawls?

I love the IDEA of the pawls as an anti-kickback device (though the riving knife is more important IMO) but I do not care much for them in actual use. soft rubber spring loaded wheels that mount to the SG RK might be just the ticket.

[Stytooner]

I have thought about wheels or tires on these. It wouldn't be that hard to implement. The difficulty lies in the one way mechanism.

For saws with a riving knife, you set the guard to the proper height for the stock you are cutting. The clamp portion of the shark then hovers just a tad over the stock. This prevents the stock from lifting once it passes under. If it can't lift, it can't come back at you. It is sort of a quasi hold down feature that wasn't even intended initially. It came out of the design on its own.

Splitter equipped saws on the other hand, aren't able to be adjusted for height. I do provide 2 heights that are used with the guard according to the stock you are cutting. This comes closer to emulating a RK than the stock guards do, but still leaves a gap between the clamp and stock usually. This is where the pawls can do some good for being so bad. Even though mine aren't spring loaded, they are sharp. They will engage when needed and help prevent lifting as well as kicking the stock back toward you. This is provided your stock is wide enough for them to be above it.

Next up for the sharks is a possible roller on the front portion and I will look again at putting rollers at the clamp for saws with a RK. I also have an internal partial blast gate design that I am working on for those with 4" ports so it's easy to regulate suction when cutting small parts.
I also haven't forgotten about the quick release feature for the BT's. I have a couple drawing for one and will be cutting out the prototype soon.
Thanks guys.

[milanuk]

So... any chance that quick release would be retro-fittable for those of us who either have or are getting Shark Guards?

Thanks, Lee. Keep up the excellent work. I know I appreciate having these accessories available!

[Stytooner]

Yes. I am trying to do it so that the bottom of the existing RK can just be modified with a hack saw and drill a hole. It should work pretty well. Here is a PDF showing how the bottoms might be modified. Drawing is on page 2. Not exact yet. Still working on fitting the bracket in the saw.

[DaveStL]

I also have an internal partial blast gate design that I am working on for those with 4" ports so it's easy to regulate suction when cutting small parts.

I have the pawls but haven't used them yet.

Speaking as one who really appreciates the 4" port and the dual-height splitter (on a Jet JTAS-10X), my priorities would be

1) a stiffer splitter for the tall one (it bends a little from side to side, throwing it off line vs. the blade). The stock BT riving knife had the same issue, but less of it because the guard was narrower and the knife was longer w/ two points of attachment, so I'd think the Shark for a BT3 would perform similarly. I might just get the thicker splitter.

2) rollers.

The blast gate would make the guard a little heavier and more complicated, and might exacerbate the bending problem. It's easy enough to regulate airflow at a blast gate on the hard pipe (and for small parts, that really is necessary).