Delta 12" miter saw guard repair or recommended replacements

[Wes Billups]

Had a minor kickback on my miter saw (no injury) this weekend that managed to damage the clear guard. It's still intact but it cracked it bad enough I don't feel comfortable continuing to use the saw as-is since some of the broken pieces could pretty easily flex into the blade resulting in flying projectiles while using the saw.

Delta Model 36-235 (the clear plastic with the red label is what has cracks and a couple small missing pieces)
441145

My search for a replacement guard has not been very fruitful as it appears they don't make parts anymore. This is understandable since the saw is at least 22 years old.

I figure I'll just reinforce the cracks and relegate the saw to utility work outside the shop (construction projects). Would superglue work to repair/reinforce cracks in a clear plastic guard? I'm not sure what type of material the guard is made of thus my question about what to use to repair. I've never liked the angle adjustment on this saw which is why I believe it's best to just relegate it to rough work.

I'm also interested to hear everyone's recommendations for replacing this saw. I've always lusted over a sliding miter saw and based on having a couple 12" Forrest Chopmaster blades I'm looking at the Bosch but would like to hear everyone's thoughts. Since a new saw will be primarily used in the shop I'm having a hard time seeing how I'd use the extra width capacity as my old saw only had 8" crosscut capacity so I've become accustomed to use the table saw with a sled for anything wider. The Festool Kapex is also a strong contender but I'd like to find a used one. I realize it's pretty rare to see used Festool tools but that's how I've bought all my current Festools and I'm in no rush to replace the current saw.

Do you guys with sliding miter saws in your shop feel like the extra width capacity is a benefit?

Thanks,
Wes

[Robert Hayward]

Do you guys with sliding miter saws in your shop feel like the extra width capacity is a benefit?
Thanks,
Wes

I have the Bosch GCM12SD. Started with a Dewalt 10" chop saw that was dead nuts accurate. Wanted to get rid of a very old Rockwell radial arm saw to make room in the tiny garage shop. The Dewalt had a very limited cross cut capacity, like your Delta. I wanted a cutoff saw with a wide capacity to replace the radial arm saw and the Bosch fit that want to a "T" with its 12"~13" capacity. It is a super nice miter saw but not as accurate on angles as the cheap and simple Dewalt I actually gave to a friend when I got the Bosch. I was disappointed with the angle accuracy at first but got over that and use the table saw with a good miter gauge for angles.

So for what I wanted, a wide cutoff saw, the Bosch is a good saw.

[Lee Schierer]

I would suspect the guard is polycarbonate. You can use methylene chloride solution to bond two pieces of Lexan polycarbonate together. Methylene chloride is a solvent that softens Lexan enough that it can attach directly to another piece of Lexan. The solvent dissolves, and the two pieces of Lexan become fused together.