Mini Max FS 35 knife guard

[keith wootton]

i recently helped a friend buy a used fs 35 ($800.) now today, he calls me and tells me a piece of wood fell on the plastic guard and broke it. are parts for this machine still available, or has someone else had this problem and made their own? do they have pictures?

[Jim Becker]

Parts are available at https://www.scmgroup.com/en_CA/scmwood/spare-parts

He might also want to consider replacing the "pork chop" with a Euro "bridge guard". I did that after blowing up two of the plastic "pork-chops" and much prefer the bridge guard. The are not inexpensive, are easy to use and don't swing out in front of the machine like the "pork chops" do.

[keith wootton]

jim,

thank you for the link, and for the guidance.

[Rod Sheridan]

I agree with Jim on the bridge guard, I really like using it.

If you have a business, the bridge guard is not allowed under OSHA regulations in the US.......Regards, Rod

[Mike Kees]

Rod ,I wonder what the heck they are thinking ? I made my own bridge guard for a 16" jointer that I bought this summer. In the short time I have used it I would say that I never want to see a pork chop guard again. Cutterhead covered and clearly visible with a clear definition of exactly where it is, versus a guard that leaves a nasty chunk of cutterhead exposed at the end as a board goes through when face jointing.I am sure they have there reasons ,yet I wonder what they are ?

[Charles P. Wright]

Rod ,I wonder what the heck they are thinking ? I made my own bridge guard for a 16" jointer that I bought this summer. In the short time I have used it I would say that I never want to see a pork chop guard again. Cutterhead covered and clearly visible with a clear definition of exactly where it is, versus a guard that leaves a nasty chunk of cutterhead exposed at the end as a board goes through when face jointing.I am sure they have there reasons ,yet I wonder what they are ?
I have a pork chop on a FS41, and had one on a RIDGID 6" jointer. The 6" jointer's guard was much more sturdy made of metal, and didn't come out too far. On the 16" the guard can come out quite a bit; and just kind of flops all over. I wonder if really, different widths of machines should have different types of guards. On an even wider jointer, I can only see the pork chop getting even more unwieldily.

[Mike Kees]

I think you are right Charles. I had a 8'' Delta before I bought the machine I have now and the guard on it worked fine. When I was trying to make a guard for my new one I mocked up the shape with scrap plywood pieces and a "pivot" that I welded up and clamped on my machine to experiment. It took about three shapes and one hour to figure out this was not working. The bridge guard is so basic and works very well on wider machines. I adjusted to using it in about a day as well.

[John TenEyck]

I had an Inca with a bridge guard on it for over 25 years. Now I have an FS-35 with a pork chop guard, which I prefer by far. When edge jointing with the Euro guard the blade is always exposed by at least the thickness of the board you are jointing. When face jointing the Euro guard must always be lifted up by at least the thickness of the board and when working with 8/4 stock that's a lot. It requires you to reposition your hands from behind the guard as you begin face jointing to the other side of the guard as you push the board over the tables. The pork chop guard completely covers the blade before the board is jointed, whether edge or face jointing. It exposes the blade as the rear of the board clears the cutterhead, to be sure, but if your hands are on the board, or on push blocks, it seems perfectly safe to me. Further, you can move your hands, or not, as you choose, not as the guard demands. My two cents.

John

[Rod Sheridan]

Rod ,I wonder what the heck they are thinking ? I made my own bridge guard for a 16" jointer that I bought this summer. In the short time I have used it I would say that I never want to see a pork chop guard again. Cutterhead covered and clearly visible with a clear definition of exactly where it is, versus a guard that leaves a nasty chunk of cutterhead exposed at the end as a board goes through when face jointing.I am sure they have there reasons ,yet I wonder what they are ?

Hi Mike, OSHA doesn’t mandate a pork chop, they mandate that it be spring closed (or I presume closed automatically like a Suva guard).

My post was not correct, and no, I can’t understand why they don’t allow a manual bridge guard.......Regards, Rod.