A quick search says the guard is about $1800. I'm having a hard time picturing how a guard can cost that much.
A quick search says the guard is about $1800. I'm having a hard time picturing how a guard can cost that much.
I wondered when that would get noticed
Seriously, though: Suvamatic stuff is awesome but not cheap. We can order it as an OEM option on Format4 machinery (just like Aigner) but not on the smaller Felders or Hammers. They make an awesome riving knife mounted pop-up sawblade guard. The issue with Suvamatic is that they don't (unless that's changed recently) have any direct distributor here in the US. Scott & Sargent in the UK is the nearest I can think of.
Erik
Ex-SCM and Felder rep
I’m just glad there are folks out there making nice equipment. Things tend to get exponentially more expensive as they improve, that’s the nature of this.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
My guard is on its last legs so I plan to buy a guard for the SCM 'Nova' jointer and either use it as is or turn it into a segmented style guard. The nova guard has a cast iron mounting point and is a bit more substantial than the plastic job that comes on the minimax machines.
I used the Martin segmented guard when I was at Chris Hall's shop last year and it was nice to be able to joint narrow pieces without having to walk around 20" of guard, 9" of guard or any amount of guard. It folds down completely flat to the machine.
Ultimately I feel about this like I do about any of the other machines I own, situational awareness and careful planning and going to do more to prevent injury than anything else.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
my view still is they need to be better. They impede too much depending on how you work.
If you edge joint a board you can pull your fence over and work in the first three inches. At that point the guards that stick out the side are almost comical. I know of two people that have lost fingers and think both were pork chop guards. The board held the guard away. Even the pork chop the folds over the side is still a fail at the end of the board, its only purpose like the pork chop is to cover knives the further to the right you work on the machine. No protection on he final of the board as it passes over the knives. When the board is on the knives the board is a guard in itself and the longer it is the better.
I had looked for a world class fail I had seen before and didnt find it and while you tube bouncing saw this, far from ideal. how do you get rid of the photo below.
9A.jpg
Last edited by Warren Lake; 01-07-2021 at 2:54 PM.