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Thread: Delta Unisaw Blade Guard

  1. #1

    Delta Unisaw Blade Guard

    Anyone with a blade guard reccommendation for an old Delta 34-806 10" arbor saw? I've found one from shark guard and where to buy the original guard, but they're both pricey ($315-$375 and $289 respectively). Can't find the original guard or mount and the guard is required for my work.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Cache Valley, Utah
    Posts
    1,722
    The OWWM BOYD subforum might be your best bet.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    2,162
    I paid for the Sharkguard. It is well worth the cost. The dust collection alone makes it worth getting one. I went with the 3'' connection and have to close my blast gate about halfway to keep from sucking up thin offcuts.

  4. #4
    Another vote for the Sharkguard, mine attaches to top of the Biesmeyer splitter.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,247
    I bought an aftermarket over arm guard because the splitter mounted guards can’t be used for non through cuts.

    They also have good dust collection….Rod

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,647
    I use an old Sears TS guard on my Unisaw. It's mounted to an overhead arm so I can use it cutting dados. I use a shop built splitter for through cuts.

    John .

  7. #7
    Made my own overhead guard system using some parts from a Uniguard, a Whale Shark basket, a bunch of steel along with some cutting and welding. It's worked very well for me.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    1,830
    I use a ceiling mounted Brett Guard, and when needed, I have a Delta Pop-Up Splitter to pull up into place from below the insert. I also have a laser line generator mounted on the ceiling for use when not using the Brett Guard. A remote on top of my fence lets me turn the laser on and off. It projects a line on the saw and work to chow the cut line well past the saw table in both directions, which help when doing long rips. If my hands and fingers are ever near the red line, they are in the wrong place, and I stop and find another way. This is especially important when doing blind cuts without the blade set to cut completely through the work, like DADO cuts, as the blade can rise up during the cut if the saw height is not locked, and break through the surface, or a thinner spot in an unsmooth board could also cause the blade to suddenly break through the surface.

    Charley

  9. #9
    I have a Biesemeyer overarm guard (not available now) which I more or less like. The main issue I have, and all guards will have this same issue, is that when I really need the guard, like when I am ripping narrow boards (less than an inch) which I do a lot of, I can't use it, because it gets in the way of the push stick. It works great for ripping large pieces of plywood and big crosscuts, but for those, I don't have my hands anywhere near the blade already, so its value is somewhat diminished.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    1,363
    Andrew, I feel the same way. In theory, they're great and I've always wanted one but I honestly don't see how an overhead blade guard adds a layer of safety. Any operation that would require me to get my hands close to the blade (which i don't do as there's always another way) would also require me to remove the guard. And on cuts that don't require the guard removed, your hands are usually well away from the blade.

    Dust collection is the only real argument here, I believe.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Mid-Michigan
    Posts
    269
    I use a shark guard and have found that a low fence in conjunction with a bench dog offset push stick from Rockler lets me do most narrower rips with the guard still in place. For really narrow, long rips I remove and hang the shark from the ceiling and leave the splitter in place.

    I leave the guard in place whenever possible as the dust collection really is excellent.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by John Kananis View Post
    Andrew, I feel the same way. In theory, they're great and I've always wanted one but I honestly don't see how an overhead blade guard adds a layer of safety. Any operation that would require me to get my hands close to the blade (which i don't do as there's always another way) would also require me to remove the guard. And on cuts that don't require the guard removed, your hands are usually well away from the blade.

    Dust collection is the only real argument here, I believe.
    Here's a comment. I made my own guard system, that includes parts from a Uniguard. One thing I did was use a Whale Shark basket for 90% of my sawing. When doing small strips etc, I have a way to replace the Whale Shark basket with the one from the Uniguard. That lets me cut close to the fence and still have a guard in place. I have a popup splitter so that's covered. Those times when the guard is in the way (like using a tenon cutting jig), it's simply a matter of pulling a pin and the whole arm swings out of the way.

    There are solutions though you may have to make it yourself.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,247
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    I have a Biesemeyer overarm guard (not available now) which I more or less like. The main issue I have, and all guards will have this same issue, is that when I really need the guard, like when I am ripping narrow boards (less than an inch) which I do a lot of, I can't use it, because it gets in the way of the push stick. It works great for ripping large pieces of plywood and big crosscuts, but for those, I don't have my hands anywhere near the blade already, so its value is somewhat diminished.
    Andrew, that’s when I use the feeder on the saw, or a Fritz und Franz jig……Regards, Rod

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Marc Fenneuff View Post
    I use a shark guard and have found that a low fence in conjunction with a bench dog offset push stick from Rockler lets me do most narrower rips with the guard still in place. For really narrow, long rips I remove and hang the shark from the ceiling and leave the splitter in place.

    I leave the guard in place whenever possible as the dust collection really is excellent.
    As I mentioned earlier, I made my guard so I can use either the Whale Shark basket for dust collection along with the Uniguard basket. The sides of the Uniguard basket are independent so you can lift either side without affecting the other. I use that one when I cut thin strips and have used a push stick between the side of the guard and the fence.
    If you can find one and adapt it to your overhead arm system, that could be a solution for you.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    1,830
    There is no blade guard that will work for all needs. It will depend on the cut and the size of the work piece. When ripping solid stock is when a splitter is needed, with a provision to prevent the work from lifting. I own 3 Grrippers, two for feeding work on the table saw, and one with it's narrow side removed, for feeding work past the router bit in my router table. There are times when I use a 2 X 6 or 8 scrap with a notch in the bottom edge to hold down as well as feed the workpiece forward. I have a thin rip jig that's a 5" wide board with a notch in the left side and the right side rides against my fence. I can position a board in the notch and cut identical thickness narrow strips until the work piece is too small to feed, using a Grripper and to hold the workpiece down and feed it, and the handle on the jig handle with the other hand to push it forward as well as hold it against the fence. I don't need to move the fence every time to cut thin strips this way. I never use what is called a "push stick" because it doesn't hold the work down while pushing it forward. The only use that I have for a push stick, and it's a shop made one, is when feeding small size strips past a router bit in the router table, when I have feather boards above and to the side of the work. This push stick is usually just an excess piece of stock and used to clear the final strip from the router bit. Push sticks have no place in my shop unless used for this one purpose on the table saw or the router table. They fail to hold the work down, leaving a strong chance of a "kick back". Especially when using a table saw, you want to always use a pushing device that also holds the work down as you feed it to the blade. The worst kick backs happen when the work piece isn't being held down as the rising blade teeth at the rear of the blade rub on the work piece and try to lift it and throw it at you. It needs to be held down at this point to keep the saw blade from throwing it at you.

    A blade guard will not work for all occasions, but you need to have other types of guards to use when no blade guard can be used. Grrippers work great, but need adjustment for each use. A 12" length of 2 X 8" with a notched step in the bottom, works to feed the work while holding it down, and it's sacrificial, meaning that you can feed the work completely past the blade, even if it's only 1/4" wide. The blade will leave a kerf in the heal of the pusher, but after you do this several times at different fence settings, there's likely another scrap of 2 X 8" near by to make a replacement.

    I only use my pop-up splitter when ripping solid wood, because no other material has wild grain that can close against the blade after it is cut. When my Brett Guard is not in place I'm especially careful to use a method that will not let the blade lift the work. When doing any blind cutting, but frequently making any cuts, I use my ceiling mounted laser line generator to show me where the blade is cutting under the surface of the wood, so I can keep my hands, and even my pushing devices away from the blade cut line.

    My uncle taught me to use a table saw at the age of about 8, and one by one he taught me how to use everything in his shop and do it safely. One of the things that he taught me about using the table saw or other woodworking power tools was to use pushing devices that also held the work down. He also taught me to make certain that my hands of fingers never came less than 6" from the spinning blade or router bit, etc. If I ever realize that my hands are or will become closer than 6" from the cutter or blade, to stop immediately, and find another way. There are many ways to work wood. The alternatives may take a little longer, but most are way safer than risking your flesh and bones. I'm 80 years old now and I still have no blade or bit scars from my woodworking tools. Thanks, Uncle John. You taught me well. He died 8 years ago at the age of 94, and I think him often. Especially when I'm woodworking.

    I have done my best to teach each of my three sons, and even my grand daughter, who is now a farmer, and does many of the farm chores, including woodworking. I helped her build two horse stall gates, and then she built the remaining two stall gates after I left. This was 2 years ago. She started in grandpa's shop when she was 7 and we built many things together over the years.

    Charley
    .

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