What's a TS blade guard for?

[Igor]

OK, a TS blade guard protects the user from a spinning blade. But, I ask this because of the overarm blade guard/DC combos. Is the blade guard on those arranged with a counter-balance so that it sits on the table and rises up when a piece of wood starts sliding towards the blade? Or, is it manually adjusted before starting the saw so that it will clear the wood? If the latter and one is cutting a 3" thick piece of wood, is having the guard 3+ inches above the table an OK thing after the wood has been pushed through -- which I ask of the people here who believe in blade guards?

I am thinking of a very simple home-made device attached to my 8' ceiling to approximate the store-bought systems and if the guard does not have to auto-move as the wood approaches, then the design can be much simpler. Thanks.

[Igor]

PS: Why do the guards have to be made out of polycarbonate or the like? How about "shatterproof" polyethylene -- as in a clear Tupperware-like container?

[Jeff Gorman]

: PS: Why do the guards have to be made out of polycarbonate or the like? : How about "shatterproof" polyethylene -- as in a clear Tupperware-like : container?

If the workpiece is guided by either fence, there is absolutely no need to see the blade whilst it is cutting.

Steering the workpiece is just asking for a kickback, especially in the period before the leading edge reaches the riving knife.

In any event, transparent guards soon become obscured by dust.

Jeff G

-- Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK Email address is username@ISP username is amgron ISP is clara.co.uk Website

[Larry Jaques]

It's for de-blooding your TS top, blade, and DC system.

--- Annoy a politician: Be trustworthy, faithful, and honest! ---

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[Ramsey]