TS overhead guard vs. standard guard

[Jameel Abraham]

Haven't used a guard since day one (probably 15 years since I bought my first saw), but now I want one for dust control.

I've never liked the standard guards that attach to the saw and that you must force up with the workpiece, but the LeeWay SharkGuard looks very nice and inexpensive and the reviews are very good. Plus install would be fairly quick.

However, the floating style guard (Excailbur etc.) seems nicer for actual use since it doesn't touch the work. But building one of these is a big project, and I don't want to dish out the money for one.

I know that for rabbets, non-through cuts, etc. I'll have to remove the guard. So which of these designs is easier/quicker/less hassle? I figure I'll get good collection from either the LeeWay or the overhead type, so ease of use is my primary concern.

[Paul Girouard]

Lots here ,

http://www.mikestools.com/biesemeyer-table-saw-blade-guards_1407.aspx

a shop I worked at had a over arm Biesemeyer guard it worked well and was pretty easy to remove for rabbiting and other odd operations.



Spendy but by the time you gather up and / or make all the parts, IMO , one already made would be the way to go. Unless your time is free and you also weld. Down time on tools to me is $$.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Jameel, I have an Excalibur on a General 650 and really like it. It can be set up at a fixed height so that the work doesn't touch the bottom of the guard, or it can be left floating so the guard rides on top of the work, and then falls back on to the saw table.

Dust collection is excellent, if the work is larger than the bottom area of the guard, reasonable if the work is smaller than the guard.

The best part about the over arm guards of course is the ability to be used for non through sawing operations.

regards, Rod.

[JayStPeter]

I have an overhead guard that I bought for the combination of safety and DC. Mine is similar to the Exaktor, but is actually an older Excalibur. I haven't really liked it since day one and will eventually get the Shark. In order for the DC to be somewhat effective, it's easiest to push the thing down against the top and use the piece to push it up to the right height. If you let it ride a little higher, the DC is not nearly as effective.

[Dave Cohen]

Jameel,

Also when you are rabbetting and dadoing, I think a portion of the dust is blocked (and pushed down below) by the wood itself, so having overarm dust collection is not as much of an issue as with rips.

Depending on your saw (I just started using a JET), Lee Styron has certain guards with splitters that remove fairly rapidly with the flick of a lever. The lever replaces the nut on the saw that holds the original guard in place.

[Glen Blanchard]

Well, I have both the Excalibur and Lee's "Shark". I have always liked the Excalibur, but found that the guard itself was somewhat visually restrictive. I purchased Lee's guard, made for the Excalibur, and am very pleased. There is no metal frame to block one's vision, and the dust collection seems vastly improved over the stock Excalibur guard.

[Paul Johnstone]

Haven't used a guard since day one (probably 15 years since I bought my first saw), but now I want one for dust control.

.

I was in the same boat as you.. I was all ready to get an Excalibar, but then I talked to a guy that had one. He said that the horzontal arm was a real negative, as he would constantly bump into it.

Thus, I went with the Sharkguard (with the 4" dust port).. I have 4" duct hanging from the ceiling. When I use a dado blade, I leave the shark still attached to the ductwork, and just use a bungi cord to hang it from the ceiling..

The shark guard is really nice. You might have to wait 4-6 weeks to get it, but it is well worth the wait. Also, go ahead and order the brass shims with it, unless your saw is already perfectly lined up for the splitter. It makes setup much easier.

[Jameel Abraham]

Thanks guys. Great info. I think for the price and effort involved I'm going to try the Shark for a while and see how I like it.

I don't see much advantage with the overhead guard. The horizontal arm gets in the way (assuming your duct for the Shark comes down from above), and for non-thru cuts like dados, both gaurds don't come into play, since most the dust is forced down. Maybe it's less hassle to swing an overhead out of the way or retract it, but the Shark sounds pretty quick to remove.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Well, I have both the Excalibur and Lee's "Shark". I have always liked the Excalibur, but found that the guard itself was somewhat visually restrictive. I purchased Lee's guard, made for the Excalibur, and am very pleased. There is no metal frame to block one's vision, and the dust collection seems vastly improved over the stock Excalibur guard.

Glen - is your Excalibur the older or newer model? I have the older model, and would like to know if the Whale Shark guard will fit it. Thanks.

[Glen Blanchard]

Glen - is your Excalibur the older or newer model? I have the older model, and would like to know if the Whale Shark guard will fit it. Thanks.

Dave,

My Excalibur is the newer model, however, was there any change to the guard itself - or were the changes confined to the boom? If the guard itself was not modified, I would think Lee's guard would be a simple replacement for the older Excalibur as well as the newer one.

I have posted a few photos below. I think you can see the improvement in visibility.

http://smilesrus.com/woodworking6/IMG_0447.jpg


http://smilesrus.com/woodworking6/IMG_0450.jpg

http://smilesrus.com/woodworking6/IMG_0452.jpg

[Dave Falkenstein]

Dave,

My Excalibur is the newer model, however, was there any change to the guard itself - or were the changes confined to the boom? If the guard itself was not modified, I would think Lee's guard would be a simple replacement for the older Excalibur as well as the newer one.

I have posted a few photos below. I think you can see the improvement in visibility.

Glen - Thanks for the photos. The old guard is a bit different, but basically the same. I suspect the old and new guard are the same size, and mount the same way, judging from your excellent photos. The counterbalance mechanism is different on the old model, but the rest of the guard looks the same to me. I emailed Lee to ask if he knows for sure that the Whale Shark will fit my older Excalibur, but I have not heard back yet. I suspect I will be ordering one shortly. The visibility appears to be much better, which is my only complaint about the Excalibur. Funny, but I have NEVER bumped into the boom, as mentioned above. Well, maybe once, but that was my head! I like the Excalibur, wish I had the newer model (because of the ease of rotating it out of the way when required), and would buy it again. Thanks for your help.

[Rob Blaustein]

Glen--is that rear window part of the shark guard made of the same material (I think polycarbonate/Lexan) as the rest of the guard, or is it like the Excalibur which has a flexible material there? I mounted my Excalibur a bit more forward than is ideal, so the pawls of my splitter push up on that window when ripping.

So is the only advantage of the Shark guard addition to the Excalibur the added visibility? I can't say I've noticed a problem with my stock Excalibur setup.

-Rob

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Jameel, the problem with the splitter mounted guard is that you cannot use it for non through sawing operations. That's why I purchased mine, the dust extraction was a bonus..Rod.

[Rob Blaustein]

I have the newer Excalibur and like it. It took a while to install (I had to make an extension for my right TS wing) but it functions well. It pivots away very easily and dust collection is excellent. The only aspect I find tricky is cutting narrow pieces--I like to use the magnetic hold-downs and I find I have to position them outside of the range of the hood of the Excalibur, and I slide the guard as close to the blade as I can to leave more room between the guard and the fence.

[Glen Blanchard]

Glen--is that rear window part of the shark guard made of the same material (I think polycarbonate/Lexan) as the rest of the guard, or is it like the Excalibur which has a flexible material there?



Rob - The entire guard is made of Lexan.





So is the only advantage of the Shark guard addition to the Excalibur the added visibility?

-Rob

I actually always felt that the Excalibur guard was too limiting in regards to visibility, so Lee's guard was a welcome addition to my shop. I also get the gut feeling that the dust collection is better (although I would be hard pressed to offer an explanation for it, as the design is very similar to Excalibur's OEM guard).

[Norman Pyles]

I don't have a guard as of yet, but I think if you are going to make dado cuts then you will be changing blades. While you are changing blades how much trouble is it to remove the Shark guard. It would seem that this would not be a reason to favor a overhead guard to the Shark. I am using the MJ pro splitter and looking at a homemade overhead guard, but the Shark guard is also high in running.

[Bob Genovesi]

I don't use a guard, never have never will. I find guards very cumbersome and even when I bought my new table saw I tried to get used to it but off it came. I found myself paying more attention the the guard than what I was trying to cut which is an accident waiting to happen.

I'm very careful and keep the blade no more than 1/4 above the stock. I use zero clearance inserts and when I use a dado setup I have a special insert for that as well.

For the most part 98% of the sawdust is vacuumed away through the dust port and 4" collector hose directly beneath the saw itself.

[Dave Falkenstein]

An update - I ordered the Whale Shark from Lee for my older model Excalibur guard. The Whale Shark fits the older model Excalibur with no modifications at all. And the visibility is a whole lot better. A Whale of an improvement!

ps - Bob - After you have had a table saw accident like I did, maybe then you will start using a decent guard. Good luck, and stay safe.