Bandsaw under table blade guards

My Jet 14sfx has two chunky red guards underneath the table on either side of the blade. They do not get anywhere close to the blade but they do make adjusting the roller guides very difficult. In fact you have to loosen the guards and slide them out of the way to access the the rollers for adjustment. The guides also have to be loosened and slid out of the way (actually easier to remove them entirely) when replacing the blade.

I am not sure what function these guides serve. If it is to protect the user’s hand if he were to accidentally put it under the table with the blade running I think I could safely live without them. But if the guides (for example) prevent the blade from coming out at the user if it breaks or slips off the wheels at speed then maybe it is too dangerous to remove them…?

Thanks for your insights

It looks odd.

All BS I knew had switches in the access doors (over and under the table) that cut power when opened. If it also apply to your particular BS model, I would take off any guards without a second though. In the case any event that a guard could protect to a major accident, the enclosed space probably would replace the guard.

Thanks Osvaldo. You actually can run the saw with both doors open, although once I discovered this, I never do. Here's a photo of the under-table blade guards so folks can see what I'm talking about.

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Do you have a dust collector hooked up?? I have a different saw but they help keep the dust going in the correct direction so the dust collector works better..

Ed,

I do use a dust collector. That makes sense although they seem like a pretty poor design (overkill and not very efficient to boot) if that is what they are for. I would think a piece of 4” hose around the area would work better.

The first time I saw those an image of a horse with a seat belt came to mind. If you're one who puts a blade on and runs it to the end of its life the inconvenience would not be so great. If you use a variety of blades appropriate for the task at hand I would take them off.

Thanks Glenn, that's my view (and Osvaldo's too). I do change blades and I do like to keep the saw running true, so I think I'm going to leave them off. If dust becomes a problem I'll try putting a piece of 4" hose (cut open on one end so that it is easily removable) there and see how that does.

My 18" Rikon has an exposed blade there and no guards. I actually put the space to good use with plastic sort-of box around the lower guides. This keeps sawdust from escaping, pulled down instead by the vacuum from the angled dust collection port at the top of the lower cabinet. I hold the plastic cover on with a few magnets so it pulls out in a second.

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JKJ

Thanks John. That’s very clever and right along the lines of what I was thinking.

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Originally Posted by Dan Gaylin

Thanks John. That’s very clever and right along the lines of what I was thinking.

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I first made one from cardboard to prove the principle. It worked so well it took me years to get around to making the one from plexiglass!

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