Mark Mazzo
04-02-2003, 9:27 AM
In an earlier thread polling about Blade Guard and Splitter usage Howard Ruttan asked if I would post a picture of my blade Guard. I am posting it here, separate from that thread with the thought that it may benefit others.
I mentioned in that thread that I did not like the cumbersome nature of the original safety equipment on my Delta Contractor's Saw, but I still used the safety gear. I pondered getting a Uniguard for my saw, but thought that I would try to make one first. After all, if that did not work I could always get the Uniguard.I did, however, purhase the Delta Removable Splitter (this is a great bargain at $29.00 from Delta).
I basically took Gordon Samspon's ideas from his article on Badger Pond and made some changes (thanks Gordon). Rather than fabricate a blade cover out of Lexan, Aluminum and screws I decided to use the existing clear guard from my saw. The rest of the guard structure is fabricated out of aluminum and plywood. The only downside of using the original clear guard is that it is a bit narrow. Given that I mounted my guard from the ceiling I needed to make use of my mobile base to get the saw in the correct position aligned under the guard.
In the picture you can see two shots of the entire guard assembly. At the top right in the picture is a shot of how I mounted it to the ceiling. The pin shown goes all the way through the plywood column and can be set into one of two holes in the vertical aluminum bar. As shown it is in a hole positioned for using the guard. There is also a lower hole that allows the entire guard assembly to be telescoped up and out of the way when necessary. Most of the time simply loosening the two knobs and raising it is enough. As shown in the picture it is set to clear the top of my miter guage fence. However, when ripping I lower it to about 1/16" above the work. The guard does not rise and fall with the work when in use, it is locked in place by the two knobs.
All in all, this guard works well in conjunction with the Removable Splitter. The total cost was about $17.00 plus the Splitter cost. I had scraps of the plywood already. It was well worth an afternoons time to make it. It makes changing saw setups much more efficient and does not sacrifice safety in the process.
Thanks for looking.
-- Mark
I mentioned in that thread that I did not like the cumbersome nature of the original safety equipment on my Delta Contractor's Saw, but I still used the safety gear. I pondered getting a Uniguard for my saw, but thought that I would try to make one first. After all, if that did not work I could always get the Uniguard.I did, however, purhase the Delta Removable Splitter (this is a great bargain at $29.00 from Delta).
I basically took Gordon Samspon's ideas from his article on Badger Pond and made some changes (thanks Gordon). Rather than fabricate a blade cover out of Lexan, Aluminum and screws I decided to use the existing clear guard from my saw. The rest of the guard structure is fabricated out of aluminum and plywood. The only downside of using the original clear guard is that it is a bit narrow. Given that I mounted my guard from the ceiling I needed to make use of my mobile base to get the saw in the correct position aligned under the guard.
In the picture you can see two shots of the entire guard assembly. At the top right in the picture is a shot of how I mounted it to the ceiling. The pin shown goes all the way through the plywood column and can be set into one of two holes in the vertical aluminum bar. As shown it is in a hole positioned for using the guard. There is also a lower hole that allows the entire guard assembly to be telescoped up and out of the way when necessary. Most of the time simply loosening the two knobs and raising it is enough. As shown in the picture it is set to clear the top of my miter guage fence. However, when ripping I lower it to about 1/16" above the work. The guard does not rise and fall with the work when in use, it is locked in place by the two knobs.
All in all, this guard works well in conjunction with the Removable Splitter. The total cost was about $17.00 plus the Splitter cost. I had scraps of the plywood already. It was well worth an afternoons time to make it. It makes changing saw setups much more efficient and does not sacrifice safety in the process.
Thanks for looking.
-- Mark