Getting stuff out of the SawStop blade guard

[Andrew More]

I've had the saw for less that a week, and messing around with it I cut a 8" long, 1/64" strip off. Since I also had it hooked up to a shop vac, the pressure was enough to pull the strip up into the dust collection nozzle, but not enough to pull it all the way.

Is there a trick to it? Can I just take the guard apart?

[Jon Nuckles]

I have the overarm dust collection for my SawStop and the hose pulls off the back of the guard with just a firm tug. I take it off all the time to stow the guard when I cut dados and such. Is the piece caught in the guard, the hose, or the metal tubing? The tubing is also easily disassembled. I have never had an offcut get stuck in a place where I cannot easily reach it, but I am hooked up to a dust collector and probably don't have as much suction as a shop vac provides.

[Jack Frederick]

I do not have the overarm, but do have the factory blade guard with the 1.25" or so DC attachment. I have a 1.5 Grizzly DC connected to the cabinet and my old Fein vac hose connected from the wye at the DC to the guard. When cutting really thin I get some spitting out the side of the guard and occasionally a feather of wood up into the BG but it never packs or obstructs the guard. I might have to raise the guard to pull a piece that remains, but it is not a common occurrence. Perhaps the difference is that most of the dust and debris on my set-up is going to the cabinet connection and not out the blade guard. I find the BG does a pretty good job handling what escapes the larger connection.

[Jon Nuckles]

I do not have the overarm, but do have the factory blade guard with the 1.25" or so DC attachment.

Jack,
After reading your response, I wonder if I have my terms confused. What I have and referred to as the overarm is the dust collection guard that SawStop used to sell for $199 or offer for free with a PCS purchase on occasion. It has the metal tubing that extends out to the end of the right side extension table and back toward the blade guard, with flexible hose making the connection there. It connects with a tee at the back of the cabinet to the dust collector hose (been meaning for a long time to convert that to a wye, which I understand works better). Hope I didn't cause any confusion.

[Andrew More]

This was in the clear plastic at the top of the guard, but it seems to have worked itself out. Went to go take a picture to make things clearer, and it's not there anymore.

[Brian Tymchak]

Where I volunteer, one of the Sawstops with the stock blade guard gets plugged fairly often with small bits of wood, knots, etc. We pull the hose off the back of the guard and run a coat hanger in there to try to push the block forward in the guard where it usually falls out. I guess the DC is good enough on the guard to pull small offcuts up, but the construction of the guard won't allow them to pass thru.

[Andrew More]

Since this happened almost immediately after buying it, I think I'm going to need a coat hanger close by. Thanks for the suggestion!