Should I buy this Grizzly Table Saw? Are the guards/splitters important?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I have been looking for table saw. I have mostly be watching the classifieds as price is an issue. Recently an old, ok so it is 18 years old, Grizzly table saw came up for sale. The seller wants $175 for it. From the ad:

1 1/2 hp 120 V induction motor. Includes Shop Fox mobile base and shop-made zero clearance insert, and another insert for a dado set. I've owned this saw for about 18 years and it's still going strong. Heavy cast iron top and wings. Top has some stains, but is smooth and flat. Moving forces sale.

I spoke with the seller on the phone and I can go and look at it tonight. It has the rolling base, a decent table, a good top but... It has no miter gauge and is it missing the guard/splitter/riving knife safety devices. The seller indicated that he removed them long long ago and they got lost with the intimation that they just get in the way and I won't miss it.

Perhaps I am just a wuss in this area but I find myself thinking that getting a saw without these safety measures would be a bad idea. So I called Grizz. I can get a replacement for the set for about $90. Suddenly the saw doesn't seem such a good price.

So I was just wondering. Are the guards really that important or are there other safety measures that work as well or better? In relation to this I have been thinking about featherboards etc...

I just wondered what anyone here might have to say about this whole thing? Is it a good price for this saw? Is it a waste if it doesn't have the guards and other safety mechanisms? Any advice? I have until very recently just been a wood turner. So I have never actually used a table saw...

Thanks,
Joshua

[Paul Ryan]

I personally don't use the guard anyhow. Never have used it on all of the saws I have owned. I don't like something in the way of my sight of the blade and I hate the anti-kickback pawls. You could rig up some kind of splitter that would work kind of like a riving knife for just a few bucks. But a guard would be something you would have to buy. It all depends how important the guard is to you. It isn't too important to me.

[Brian Kent]

A splitter is essential.

It does not have to be the one that came with the saw. I bought the MJ splitter and it serves me well. I also use push sticks, blocks, goggles, and feather boards, but I do not use the pawls and plastic guard. I am not choosing carelessness. I think that design impairs vision and ends up being unsafe.

I can't comment on the quality of the saw because mine is a different year, but I would make my own splitter or buy one, and not try to replace the original.

Brian

[glenn bradley]

You can make your own ZCI's and add an MJ Splitter for about $20. Besides my overarm guard that's all I've been using for years.

[David Christopher]

Joshua, I like and own several grizzly tools but for not much more money you can get a lot better saw...just stay on the lookout

you will find that after you get a saw you will wander how you ever done without one...so I would get a better one insted of wanting to upgrade shortly after you get this one

[Jeff Willard]

I use nothing but featherboards, but I won't be telling you that that is what you should do. A splitter can be comforting at times, and I have the MJ splitter-just haven't gotten around to sticking it in yet. A shop made splitter in a ZCI is a half-hour project.

[Cliff Holmes]

Personally, a guard is something I always use unless it's completely impractical. If my fingers get too close, I would feel the guard and be warned. I don't stare at the blade the whole cut, I'm also glancing to make sure I'm staying on the fence, checking the outfeed area, etc. Also, it keeps chips from flying in my face while cutting. Even with glasses, I just don't like stuff flying at my face.

Anti-kickback pawls are not effective and can mar the wood, so I remove those. The splitter, however, is extremely important and should always be used.

[Cody Colston]

Joshua,

I took the blade guard and pawls off my Grizzly 1023 shortly after I gave it the first test run. If I ever use another blade guard it will be for and in conjunction with an overhead dust collection arm.

With or without a guard, you should be highly respectful of the spinning blade. Get a book on tablesaw usage (I like Kelly Mehler's "Tablesaw Magic"). Read it and learn sound techniques for operating the saw. By all means, focus at all times on hand placement in relation to the blade and "what if" every cut. Good technique and attention is better than any guard or gimmick for safe operation.

I do use shop-made ZCI's with an MJ splitter. I make the ZCI's out of 1/2" BB plywood with HP laminate on both sides. A finish nail in the back end prevents the insert from lifting. It fits almost flush with my 1023 table. Sometimes I have to put a piece of tape on the supports to raise it a mite.

That saw you pictured looks like it is worth the $175 asking price, especially with the mobile base thrown in. You will eventually want to upgrade but will most likely be able to recoup the money spent. I think it's a good buy.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Ok. Thanks guys. I appreciate the information. I will stay on the lookout for a good hopefully better saw. I went last night to get it and he had sold it to someone else just minutes before I got to his house. Ah well. It happens.

I find myself bummed as I was looking forward to doing a few projects this weekend. But at the same time it frees me up to look for a better saw. :)

Joshua