Overarm blade guard question

[Rob Blaustein]

I'm new to woodworking and to this site, though have read and learned much here from you kind folks over the past few weeks. I'm setting up a shop in my basement and had a few questions for you overarm blade guard mavens:

1. Excalibur users: It sounds like the usual way people mount this is via an extension table to the right of the table--can one "easily" mount it without such a table, and if so, how did you do it? I have a new Grizzly 1023SL with the short rails and no table on the right, but was thinking about the Excalibur.

2. Although rather ambitious, I'm also thinking of building my own using Gordon Sampson's design as a starting point (http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/overarm_guard.shtml). His mounts from the ceiling. Have any of you built a version like this, and has anyone done it in a way that lets you slide it around on some sort of rail on the ceiling, or at least lets you adjust it somehow if you move your saw around?

3. I bought a GRR-Ripper recently and was wondering how one uses it and an overhead guard at the same time. I don't see how one could, but as I say, I'm quite new to this so don't have a good sense of these things.

Thanks in advance for any input.
Rob

[Frank Pellow]

Hi again Rob. I already welcomed you when you gave me the information about the casters, so I won't do so again. Good questions on a topic that I, too, am interested in. I await answers that I am sure will follow from others here at Saw Mill Creek.

[Jim Becker]

Rob, welcome to SMC!

The Excalibur is, as you indicate, normally attached directly to the saw's extension table and the structure below. You can see pictures of this on my site in the review I have on the product...noting that I used an alternative method for the lower connections to avoid the angled brackets. The company also seems to be intending to offer a ceiling mount version of the device, but I don't believe it's actually available at this point in time.

Using devices like the GRR-Ripper is likely to be difficult with an overarm guard when the cut is narrow and the fence is near the guard. I know that aspect will affect when I use the guard and when I leave it retracted to the right and out of the way. I pretty much only use mine for through cuts in sheet stock or when there is plenty of space between the fence and the guard.

[Steve Beadle]

Rob, I built one like Gordon Sampson's (from the illustration in FWW a couple of years ago). Unlike Gordon's, however, I made the main part out of just three pieces of acrylic. Each side was one piece, but the top and front and back were also of one piece, which I heat-bent over a form. The sides were attached with acrylic cement only--no screws.
I was pretty satisfied with its efficiency, but because of other factors, I have now shied away from using it. The number one detracting factor is that I am using it with a Shopsmith. I experimented with an enclosure around the bottom part of the Shopsmith, and although it resulted in good dust collection from both the underside of the table and topside, any changes in set-up (other than blade height) required a lot of messing around. It was just too much time and trouble.
The other factor was safety. I found that I could not adequately control boards that I was ripping because I could not reach the board to guide it as I usually do. I think that I need to change my method and use featherboards, splitter, etc., and then it might be okay. Because I was not really ripping with a proper safety set-up, a piece of oak slipped from my grasp and resulted in a kick-back that damaged my first dust collection head! Shattered the front end of it, and I ended up re-building it.
With a cabinet saw, Gordon's dust collection design should work quite well. Someday, when I get a "real" table saw, I will again use my homemade version. I will also set up the saw more properly, with a splitter and featherboards, so that I don't have to be quite so "hands on" during the ripping operation.
I did make an adjustable ceiling rack that attached to the garage rafters. I used pipe clamp parts that allow you to slide the rack left or right, but which lock in position when you stop pressing on the tab. You push on the right tab to move the rack to the left, and on the left tab to move the rack to the right. This movement is necessary with a Shopsmith, but not so much with a regular table saw. You might be able to tell from the pictures how it works.
I don't see how one could possible use a GRR-Ripper in conjuction with the overhead guard--and that's a real bummer, because I think the GRR-Ripper is a great piece of safety equipment.

Living and Learning in Oregon City

[Tyler Howell]

Welcome Rob!

Very happy with my Ex. I did have to upgrade my DC to get an effective air flow on both it and the Saw. It does the most important job of keeping my fingers out of the blade.

[Tyler Howell]

[QUOTE=Steve Beadle]Rob, I built one like Gordon Sampson's

Intersting set up there Steve Thanks for the pix.

[Ted Shrader]

Rob -

First, Welcome to the Creek. Glad you introduced yourself.

I have the Brett Guard overarm guard. When ripping narrow pieces, I use a push stick. For wider pieces I use the Grippers (in pairs). When ripping down plywood, just use the good old Mk1Mod0 hands. The exception is - when bevel ripping, I use the Grippers and swing the overarm guard out of the way. The Grippers provide much better control.

Steve -

What a great solution to the ShopSmith safety/dust collection issue. Lately, my SS is used only as a drill press.

Ted

[Todd Franks]

Rob,

I chose to build my own for my 1023SL. Sort of a cross between Gordon Sampson's and a <!--StartFragment --> Biesemeyer. Attached is a link to my previous posting on it. I have to slide my overhead guard out of the way when using my<!--StartFragment --> GRR-Ripper. The only change I would make is to use a Brett style guard instead. I find that with the current guard it is impossible to have it in place and rip anything narrower than about 1.25"-1.5". However, if I had a bandsaw I wouldn't even bother ripping anything that narrow on the TS to begin with.

Hope, you find this helpful

-Todd

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=10983

[Rob Blaustein]

Thanks to all who took the time to answer and to welcome me. Steve and Todd--most impressive engineering! Todd, I like the way you attached it to the back rail. I wasn't sure what people use that back rail for, and I was thinking about removing it to allow me to put an outfield table flush against the back of the saw. I have an old table that I plan to convert to a mobile outfield table (and do double-duty as a workbench) by adding a 3/4" MDO top, with 2x4's around the perimeter, 3" poplar edging around the perimeter, and a 1/4" masonite top (as in Norm's workshop). But with that design I wouldn't be able to put it flush against the back of the saw without removing that rail. So do most remove that rail when rigging an outfield table, or do you try to design it so you actually use the rail? Sorry for going off the topic here.

Back to the overarm guard--I noticed in another forum mention of a newer version of the Excalibur that was supposed to be out this past summer. It is apparently lighter, easier to mount, and swings away. Some pics were posted here:
http://www.filewarehouse.com/images/600_EXBC_LG_HOOD1.jpg
http://www.filewarehouse.com/images/600_EXBC_LG_00011.jpg
http://www.filewarehouse.com/images/600_EXBC_LG_00031.jpg
These pics do not look like what is shown, for example, on the Rockler or Amazon sites. Has anyone bought one of these recently?
--Rob

[Brad Olson]

Don't know if you are aware but Penn State industires www.pennstateind.com (http://www.pennstateind.com) makes an overarm guard for about $175. Definatley not as refined as the Excalibur, but it works pretty darn good (I don't have it but a friend does)

[Rob Blaustein]

Thanks Brad. I did know about the Penn state guard and I think I've read reviews of all of them at this point, both here and elsewhere. With 25% off from Rockler the Excalibur would end up being around $300 which is pricey, but not horribly so given what you're getting. But I'd like to know about their newer versions, and I'm also still thinking about ordering a bunch of raw materials (metal) from McMaster-Carr and putting it together myself--I already have a bunch of Lexan around from something else. It would be nice if I had Todd's welding skills...

[Rob Littleton]

I aint much help but I am interested in this thread as I have purchased the newer overarm guard (in the last 3 months) and it sits awaiting my shop to be finished.

As a side, I did call Excalibur in Canada (eh!) and she sent me pics of the new ceiling mount. It cannot be used with the regular arm that mounts on the side of the saw eh........I was kinda bummed but I'll stick with the one I got.

Ill update as I build............don't hold your breath :-(

[Hoa Dinh]

A nice thing about the PSI blade guard is that it comes with a short tube for ceiling mounting and a long tube for extension table mounting. You don't have to cut anything and you can change the mounting in the future without having to get extra parts.

If you decide to build it yourself, you may be interested in the PSI hood. At $25, it's a good value and will save you much time.

[Bob Aquino]

I bought the PS guard itself and made a mount that attaches from the ceiling. Overall it works fairly well, but I have found it is more difficult to completely get it out of the way when necessary. It does not automatically ride over the work like the original blade guard did and that can cause some problems as well. I might eventually re-design it, but for now it fits the bill.

[Jay Albrandt]

Hi Rob,

If your TS will be stationary, this is what I did. I used the plastic guard that came with the saw and modified it for dust collection. I had a friend weld a nut on one corner so I can adjust the height for varying thicknesses of material, and the way I mounted it to the ceiling allows for the whole thing to be swung out of the way if needed.

Just another idea.

Good Luck.

Jay