Aftermarket blade guards?

[Frederick Skelly]

I bought a 20 yr old delta contractor tablesaw with a 52" biesemeyer fence. I put a Forrest blade on it and it will do darn near anything. But it doesnt have any blade guard. I made some nice inserts with splitters and have used it for several years.

Would anyone have a recommendation for a good aftermarket guard?

[scott spencer]

Sharkguard and B,O.R.K.

[Frederick Skelly]

Ok, you got me. Whats b.o.r.k?

[Paul Wunder]

B.O.R.K = Bolt on Riving Knife ...Google it...There are mixed reviews from users. It is an after market device that mimics a riving knife.

I use a Sharkguard. Excellent protection plus good dust control. There are versions for many specific table saws and it has a good reputation

[Michael Heffernan]

Bolt on Ripping Knife.

I don't have one, but have been contemplating getting either the Bolt on Ripping Knife or the SharkGuard for my Steel City cabinet saw. From what I've researched, these two aftermarket riving/ripping knives are the best out there. Check out the respective websites and search the woodworking forums for pros and cons of both. A lot of info out there.


Ok, you got me. Whats b.o.r.k?

[scott spencer]

Ok, you got me. Whats b.o.r.k?

Here's mine:

261592

[Rod Sheridan]

I added an Excalibur overarm guard to my cabinet saw and really liked it.

It had good dust collection and it could be used for non through cuts such as rebates and dadoes.

Regards, Rod.

[Wade Lippman]

The Brett is a great guard, but useless for dust collection.

[Floyd Mah]

I have a Delta Uniguard Table Saw Blade guard (http://www.amazon.com/DELTA-34-976-Deluxe-Uniguard-Table/dp/B0000223C8#productDetails) on my Delta Model 10 contractor saw. I bought it many years ago, but it should be the same. It mounted easily using the brackets that came with it. I had less room, so I had to cut the bottom tube to a shorter length (less than a foot), but if you have a 52" table, you shouldn't have to do that. The only problem for you may be that it requires the rear chrome bar of the original Delta fence to be in place to hold new bar. I don't know if the Biesenmeyer installation removes that bar.

It also comes with a splitter that mounts to the existing flange on the saw for the missing blade guard. The splitter can be removed by turning a knurled knob. My only issue on installation was that I had to file the splitter holder bracket a bit to make it fit. The only drawback is that dust collection is not a part of the design. Adjustability is excellent. The 15" long "S" shaped piece pivots to move the two gray arms for positioning the clear plastic guard. The separation of the clear plastic parts can be adjusted for a tilted blade. There are set screws for setting the position of the gray arms when the guard is swung out of the way.

[Jim Andrew]

I've had a shark guard for several years, no comparison to the guard that comes with the unisaw, plus it has a dust connection. I just ran a piece of 4" pipe over my saw, connected a piece of 4" flex hose to it and to the shark guard. Overhead dust collection, and a great splitter.

[Noel Poore]

+1 on the Shark Guard. The dust collection is great. Some does leak out if you are cutting thick stock such as 8/4, but for more usual cuts, it works really well. It is also easy to remove and put back, which encourages me to use it whenever possible.

Noel

[Harley Reasons]

I've been thinking about hunting for something like the B.O.R.G or Sharkguard for my Delta Contractor Saw also Both of the ones mentioned above look to be in the same ballpark pricewise. How would one decide which is best I guess is the big question. I noticed that the BORG has a 30 day return policy, so that is a safety net for it. Haven't checked the Sharkguard for their return policy yet.

[Kevin Jenness]

I've worked with the Excalibur overhead guard as well as shopmade guards. Both work well at shielding the blade and collecting dust. The Excalibur has a blade cover wide enough to cover a blade tilted at 45 degrees. It can be raised to about 4" high, slid to the left about 14" and can be swung out of the cutting field completely. You can make a ceiling mounted guard that works as well in less than a day with scrap lumber and a few dollars in hardware.

[scott spencer]

I've been thinking about hunting for something like the B.O.R.G or Sharkguard for my Delta Contractor Saw also Both of the ones mentioned above look to be in the same ballpark pricewise. How would one decide which is best I guess is the big question. I noticed that the BORG has a 30 day return policy, so that is a safety net for it. Haven't checked the Sharkguard for their return policy yet.

The BO.R.K is a riving knife....AFAIK, the Sharkguard is a splitter. Do you have a preference?

[Harley Reasons]

The BO.R.K is a riving knife....AFAIK, the Sharkguard is a splitter. Do you have a preference?
After doing somemore reading I think the B.O.R.G. may be the way to go

[John Sanford]

Another recommendation here for the Delta Uniguard. I've been using it for 10+ years on my Delta Contractor's Saw, mounted up just fine to my Incra Fence system.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys. The guy who installed the biesemeyer threw away the other fence hardware, so I dont know if the delta will mount. Ill have to look into that. The shark gard looks good, even with the 3 month wait. Ill look up the excaliber too. As always, thanks for your help!

[Harley Reasons]

Thanks guys. The guy who installed the biesemeyer threw away the other fence hardware, so I dont know if the delta will mount. Ill have to look into that. The shark gard looks good, even with the 3 month wait. Ill look up the excaliber too. As always, thanks for your help!
Keep us posted as to your outcome, since I have a very similar Delta I'm extremely interested in your findings.

[Al Bacon]

The BO.R.K is a riving knife....AFAIK, the Sharkguard is a splitter. Do you have a preference?

Actually the Sharkguard can be had with either the riving knife or the splitter. In many cases it is the buyers choice.

[Julie Moriarty]

I've worked with the Excalibur overhead guard as well as shopmade guards. Both work well at shielding the blade and collecting dust. The Excalibur has a blade cover wide enough to cover a blade tilted at 45 degrees. It can be raised to about 4" high, slid to the left about 14" and can be swung out of the cutting field completely. You can make a ceiling mounted guard that works as well in less than a day with scrap lumber and a few dollars in hardware.

I've seen the wide guards and it always makes me wonder what you do when you're making thin rips. Do you remove the guard? Can you move it over enough to allow for a push stick to pass through between the fence and guard?

From my experience, it seems the times you need the most protection are often the times when the blade guard hinders the ability for the stock and push stick to pass through unimpeded.

[Mel Fulks]

At times I remove guard ,make blade no higher than necessary ,and push material with a sort of ice pick. I think there is some safety in knowing that will not slip.

[Floyd Mah]

Incidentally, the Delta Uniguard is very adjustable. It's only drawback is the lack of dust collection. The two plastic faces of the blade guard are independently hinged, allowing you to swing only the guard face nearest the fence out of the way for a thin rip, or even to ride on the fence, in case of the lower fence (1/2" high) of the Delta UniFence. The tubing holding the guard also telescopes laterally to accommodate a tilted blade or to move the guard farther away from the blade. The tubing also pivots to raise or lower the arm hinges, which also moves the enclosed space forwards or backwards relative to the blade arbor. The two plastic faces can be moved apart to enclose a variable width under the guard.

There is no need to get your hands anywhere close to the blade. One of the ways to rip a narrow strip is to use another thinner board as a pusher. This consumable board is meant to be cut by the blade, while another pushstick or feather board can be used from the side to hold the workpiece against the fence. In sort of a one-man band arrangement, I had hooked up a lever to turn off the saw with my foot so that I don't need to take my eyes or hands off the table saw to cut the power after finishing a cut.