thanks to all who replied to my earlier post -- sorry, i've been away from the computer for the past few days.

in that first post i didn't make it clear that this is just a hobby shop, not a commercial shop -- however the owner is a very decent guy who just doesn't know much about the safety issues yet. i am one of two guys renting shop space from him.

we've have had several conversations about safety and shop efficiency. he wants to, and fully plans on doing the right thing -- he's not a dirtbag, quite the contrary -- in fact, he offered that i could help him set up the tools, and safety equipment, in exchange for greatly reduced rent -- which is a fine deal by me.

hence my post here and on 2 other forums. i was the one who said $150 -- it was just a guess or a reference point -- it was not his "safety budget." clearly i was ignorant of the costs of some of the items, esp. OH guards! but fyi after doing some research i really think you CAN get a lot of bang for the buck for under $150 -- esp with the sharkguard.

i've done a lot of looking, and have gotten good input from those here and elsewhere. so below is my safety list or "plan" -- i'd really appreciate people's comments and experience.

MY SAFETY EQUIPMENT LIST/PLAN for the UNISAW:
(comments welcome.)

1. align the saw (done), replace worn belts, check bearings, buy Leecraft ZC inserts for different cuts. plan to modify the ON-OFF switch to include a knee-accessible OFF switch, and build a height-matched outfeed table.

2. continue to wear safety glasses and ear protection, and continue using push blocks, featherboards, and magnetic hold-downs (the owner has grip-tite system already), miter and cross-cut sleds, and standing rollers for infeed, etc.

3. buy a SharkGuard for the unisaw -- ideally the newer one w/the wider DC mouth, also because it provides a slightly wider view of the blade. (we'll attach it to our shop's existing overhead collection.) it seems like the SG can be used for most through cuts, straight or beveled, and offers various splitter heights. the only situations that seem hard or not possible are dados or very short/very narrow cuts.

4. buy the Grr-ripper -- for almost everything else not protected by the Sharkguard. being able to keep the stock held down firmly on both sides of the cut, and held straight against the fence seems like a very good safety solution for dado cuts, ripping short or very narrow pieces, and even resawing -- plus it will work on other tools too. although i am a little alarmed by leaning over the TS blade area, the grr-ripper seems very well engineered and documented, and has been very positively reviewed.

5. we may eventually get or make an overhead guard/cover. i'm not sure i understand the merits well enough yet, or if there's enough budget for that too, so for now we'll hold off.

that's it -- again, i'd love to hear how other guys address safety with the TS -- particularly their working style for different cuts, as well as their favored equipment.

thanks!
philip