Anyone ever create their own overarm table saw blade guard?

[Christopher Herzog]

Thinking about adding one to my saw. Son is ready to learn more about it and I am thinking one would be a good idea.

Thanks for your time!
Chris

[Robert Engel]

Christopher,

Google overarm dust collector you’ll get plenty of ideas.

A blade guard will not prevent an accident and can’t be used in certain operations like dados and grooves. A guard is fine but ther safety features of equal or greater importance include riving knife or splitter, feather board, stock guides and push blocks.

SawStops weren’t around when I taught my boys, but I would seriously consider one. Mine were a bit precocious, so for me the best safety feature was throwing the breaker when not in use :-)

[Christopher Herzog]

Great advice! Found some good concepts that I plan to turn into something.

Chris

[Rod Sheridan]

Blade guards do prevent accidents, and they can also prevent stock kick backs caused by contact with the top of the blade.

Overarm as well some types of riving knife/splitter mounted guards can collect dust off the top of the blade.

As others have said a riving knife or splitter can also prevent kick backs.

You can use different types of guards to allow use when making non through cuts such as rebates or dadoes.

If you can't do an operation on the saw without removing the guard, you're either using the wrong machine to do the task or the wrong guard for the task.

I have 3 guards for my saw although the overarm spends most of th time on the saw.........Regards, Rod.

[Jack Frederick]

I use the factory over arm on my SS. It has worked well except when trimming an edge where the blade is not fully enclosed in the wood. Then it spits most of the dust our at you. As you are going to build your own it might be worth making yours either wide enough to cover the edge cuts or maybe an attachment to the guard for those edge cuts.

[John TenEyck]

I made this guard for me old Unisaw:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dLqhl-zIoJU4zPj63nvx14yT0efNEeydUddttCRxOyo0uNvBIosnXakM Mlvj2OzR24VnaeVdPEPv8OsX6sYU6-LO47xY-LamiMejO-syhbpAa0yx1gzhgM5gabxhhnac1TReAeYp_J71GzhwMEUlARYo PLhJAmeCZYX7HEd2K6HRK4mSwMcibGxSwkp5uxI7sFsU9oLxoO Ewn_iN0cNxjgIBC8WhErbILGIEcFt1RjjAuiNS-rQvWYj9YNyIuBF2ojnJTeQBi0N713gM94nkHRUMOCvtwh4Ca3e aYCE8yLSNU8JBxwZBLlZbY_xjedeq7MeePraQezlyFxXFvSLAk YXv-yqqy_y5oMPyrNrkqWmdhmh0BPFSCuOT2sHA9GrZGnckYZR1lIS e-1NNxheTNBPDQfj444kBqy_ECbHd74k0rTFhJT1HLRuhCb1z46_ zxNTYQkBWdAuLrrw_75mmCexinsmFHLZJJRIfCQK-EX4-V97Y9xRmsnvQsW89IxVp49iAZGRTOTlfuwjxNkmmSPdAcwHgWY cWFMX3QKNfZzF0wf2D1W4OMq7RW4NScvHR4jtk1EA2L1lI71A2 zk9-zS6xV-8Qhja7oELb-i_U5bRD0hLOMRkEtXrk8BxY4jv0G1KEGzpyFRlhrES4h3Cbqq8 rUaogMx_CJXLYBNulD18Di0KC9HNRQTDObM2c=w835-h626-no?authuser=0

The vertical post is attached to a floor joist. The guard is off an old Sears TS and slides over a wood block on the splitter to keep it centered on the blade. It can still be left over the blade when cutting dados. It does not tilt with the blade so that's a disadvantage. Since I took this photo, I added a dust collection hose on top of the guard to help pick up sawdust, and a spring to give it neutral balance..

The guard provides physical protection but also a visual reference of where not to put my hands.

John

[Matt Day]

I have Shark Guards on both my Unisaws. All that’s needed is a flex hose from the ceiling.

[Jim Becker]

There are multiple threads at SMC around shop-made overhead collection, largely in the Workshops forum area where dust collection is discussed.