Need ideas for table saw safety guards

MTG | Posted in General Discussion on August 19, 2004 05:19am

We’ve just been paid a friendly visit from OSHA and much to our dismay we were sited for not having a guard on our table saw. We would like to be as safe as possible and realize the dangers in removing the guard. However, there seem to be times when the factory guard is not a practical safety device for certain table saw operations and at times can be more dangerous than having no factory installed guard. So my question is; Is there a good resource for shop made guards that cover the wide spectrum of use that our table saws receive?
Looking for any advice. Thanks.

Replies

hammer1 | Aug 19, 2004 06:20am | #1
I retro-fitted some older Deltas with the Uniguard. It can be flipped up when making set ups easily. Loosening one knob will allow it to be removed. There is a long arm version for 50" fences. Does a good job of not interfering with the operation of the saw. Nice and solid.

Down side is no dust collection or anti-kick back. The front of the guard that closes the space between the two side pieces is weak and easy to break. Unless you have long arms, it is hard to remove and adjust from the front of the saw.

Adrian | Aug 19, 2004 02:58pm | #2
Is this for a shop saw, or a jobsite saw? Can't help on the latter....on the former, I have two saws with Biesemeyers, and one with an Excalibur, all for 50" fences (I think I saw that Excalibur has a newsplitter attachment too, that flips out of the way for dadoes etc., but I don't have that). Neither setup is perfect, but I'd choose the Excalibur over the Biesemeyer.....it can connect to dust collection, but most importantly it doesn't hang up on the material at the start of the cut the way the Biesemeyers do, and it just seems to be a smarter design.

I used to be macho, and down on blade guards, now I'm a believer (after having to do first aid on a student, and seeing other close calls).....my rule here is you absolutely have to try to do the operation with the guard in place.....if, and only if, you can't, then remove the guard and use whatever other options are available to make sure the operation is safe (featherboards, two pushsticks, etc.). Usually the only thing you can't do once you get used to the guards is ripping thin pieces....or dadoes if you have a splitter in your setup, but in some places you aren't allowed to do dadoes anyway.

If you want to be proactive, you could write out a simple safe work procedure/safety rules sheet to keep at the saw (I have them posted permanently at each saw), and make sure every employee gets trained on safe work, and signs off to that effect. Believe me, if you ever do have an accident, having procedures in place, and having your bases covered, goes a long way with OSHA.cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

MTG | Aug 20, 2004 12:33am | #6
I realize that I should have been clearer on the type of saws we use. These are jobsite, portables such as Bosch and DeWalt. these guards make it impossible to make cuts even as wide as 1.25".

Its frustrating.

BossHog | Aug 19, 2004 04:29pm | #3
I once saw a guard that was suspended from the ceiling on a balance arm.

Don't know how well it worked, and don't remember any details. Just thought it looked interesting.

You pused the thing down when you needed it, then lifted it up out of the way when you didn't.

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to enjoy.
parrothead | Aug 19, 2004 11:01pm | #4
MTG, here is a link to a shop made blade guard adn dust collector. It was from the old fourm Badger Pond that is now found on the Wood Central site. I hope this is what you are looking for.

Good Luck

Mike

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/blade_guard.pdf

We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
WayneL5 | Aug 20, 2004 12:30am | #5
Guarding is required when ripping or cross cutting on a table saw, but when dadoing, grooving, or rabbeting, the spreader bar is not required (because these operations cannot be done with a spreader bar). But, the blade guard and anti-kickback pawls are required always.

Here's the exact language of the regulation. A table saw is both a "hand-fed ripsaw" and a "hand-fed crosscut table saw".
1910.213(c)
1910.213(c)(1)

Each circular hand-fed ripsaw shall be guarded by a hood which shall completely enclose that portion of the saw above the table and that portion of the saw above the material being cut. The hood and mounting shall be arranged so that the hood will automatically adjust itself to the thickness of and remain in contact with the material being cut but it shall not offer any considerable resistance to insertion of material to saw or to passage of the material being sawed. The hood shall be made of adequate strength to resist blows and strains incidental to reasonable operation, adjusting, and handling, and shall be so designed as to protect the operator from flying splinters and broken saw teeth. It shall be made of material that is soft enough so that it will be unlikely to cause tooth breakage. The hood shall be so mounted as to insure that its operation will be positive, reliable, and in true alignment with the saw; and the mounting shall be adequate in strength to resist any reasonable side thrust or other force tending to throw it out of line.

1910.213(c)(2)

Each hand-fed circular ripsaw shall be furnished with a spreader to prevent material from squeezing the saw or being thrown back on the operator. The spreader shall be made of hard tempered steel, or its equivalent, and shall be thinner than the saw kerf. It shall be of sufficient width to provide adequate stiffness or rigidity to resist any reasonable side thrust or blow tending to bend or throw it out of position. The spreader shall be attached so that it will remain in true alignment with the saw even when either the saw or table is tilted. The provision of a spreader in connection with grooving, dadoing, or rabbeting is not required. On the completion of such operations, the spreader shall be immediately replaced.

1910.213(c)(3)

Each hand-fed circular ripsaw shall be provided with nonkickback fingers or dogs so located as to oppose the thrust or tendency of the saw to pick up the material or to throw it back toward the operator. They shall be designed to provide adequate holding power for all the thicknesses of materials being cut.
1910.213(d)
1910.213(d)(1)

Each circular crosscut table saw shall be guarded by a hood which shall meet all the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section for hoods for circular ripsaws.
Shop made guards are permitted, so long as they meet the regulations above.

I think you were "cited", not "sited".
foolsrushin | Aug 20, 2004 01:53am | #7
I have the 50" uniguard on my unisaw and am pretty happy with it. It comes with a separate splitter with anti-kickback fingers that is easy to remove and replace.