And you’ll need to remove it for table saw jigs and fixtures, such as a crosscut or miter sled. They are sometimes ineffective when making bevel cuts or need to be removed altogether. It also needs to be removed when making non-through cuts such as dados and grooves. And if I’m cutting to a line, or nibbling boards to fit something, being able to see the blade is very handy.ģ) Also, the blade guard needs to be removed for cutting thin pieces or re-sawing lumber on its edge. Maybe this is just a psychological thing, but I like to see where the blade is. I admit this is kind of a weak reason because once you set up for a cut, you don’t really need to look at the blade. But you cannot use a push block at all with a blade guard in place.Ģ) The second reason I’m not a fan of a blade guard is that it makes it difficult to see the cut being made. For me, this seems safer and gives me far better control over of my work-piece. I really like to use a push block to support a board and guide it through the blade. These are all compelling reasons to use a blade guard.ġ) Probably the biggest reason I don’t use a blade guard is that I get better control of the wood without it in the way, especially when using the rip fence. This would most often happen if you’re reaching over the spinning blade to grab an off-cut. And it will protect your hand from inadvertently skimming over the blade. Table saws cut super quick, and if your fingers are too close to the blade, the blade guard won’t protect them.īut it’s a good way to remind yourself where to position your hands before every cut. It can block your fingers from the side and back, but the front of the blade is still exposed…and that’s the choppy direction. It can also keep any small chips from flying into your eye, but you should always be wearing safety glasses.Ī blade guard does provide some finger protection, mostly serving as a visual reminder to keep your fingers away from the blade. It can possibly protect you from a cutoff piece flying back at you in a kickback situation, but if you use a riving knife you shouldn’t be getting kickback. This can happen in different ways, the most common is from reaching over the blade to grab a cutoff and dropping it or dragging it over the blade which will cause it to shoot back at you. That’s partially correct, but its main purpose is to prevent wood from falling on a spinning blade. Most people think the primary purpose of a blade guard is to keep your fingers safe. It will dramatically reduce the chance of kickback. You may need to remove it when using dado blades, but for all other cuts, make sure it’s in place. I also want to stress that using a riving knife is non-negotiable and I believe it is the single most important safety feature on a table saw. I think demonstrating safe procedures with that in mind is important. Especially if you are new to using a table saw, I recommend using every safety feature it has.īut in the real world, I have to acknowledge that many, perhaps most people are not using blade guards. It would be wildly irresponsible for me to do so. I want to start out by saying that I do not advocate that you use a table saw without a blade guard. Two of those were in a high-end shop with industrial equipment, where the blade guard is used to assist in better dust extraction. Out of fifty, I found three that seem to regularly use a blade guard. I did a quick check on fifty of the biggest woodworking channels that I subscribe to.
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