decided to install the guard on my PM66

[Steve N]

I am a little concerned about the guard trapping a small offset, but I'm not sure how often that really happens

ZCI, Never. Using the dado slot for rips, often enough that it isn't a good idea. It's not so much that the guard catches, it is the slot in the table insert most often. Splitter keeps it going left and right pretty much, guard is low, but high enough, and it raises with little force that it just doesn't allow a hang up, those come from the slot.


PG I'm with you on that PM66/Shark blend

[EricU]

Do you make your own ZCI's?  Price is high enough to make me want to do that, but I'm not really set up right now to do anything like that.

Which part of the shark guard would you put on the PM 66 guard?  Or is it just a matter of independent sides on the shark guard?

[Steve N]

Yes to making ZCI's easy to do, you can make 4 years worth in a day, and one sheet of MDF.

I liked the sides, but to tell the truth the thing I miss the most about the 66 guards is the weight, they stay down if a knot decides to misbehave, the clear poly one's that Lee uses on his Sharks are great for keeping fingers out, but will jump up if strange things happen under the hood. I have always used the entire board, and don't cut a mile wide around a knot. Trying to look at a defect and decide if it will remain sound or not? Only proven way is to saw it up. Probably going that way I see more hiccups under the guard than most. I like that tank aspect of the 66's guard. As I stated earlier, not being able to see the blade doesn't concern me a bit. I know where it is


I should add if you have a 66 and a hand held router you can make inserts. Many use a a BS to rough cut the shape, but you actually use a guided router bit to trim them right to spec. Nothing says you can't fully rout them out from a rectangular shape off the TS. You would just want to make sure your workpiece is held to the guide piece, and also clamped/held down so it doesn't go shooting off. Then using a 7" circ saw blade you can saw out your slot, and all I do after that is put a pin nail on the far edge, to keep it tucked in. I used to finish them with poly, but now I don't even bother with that, I've found the MDF lasts about as long as the slot remains tight, once the slot is gone, it's best use to keep it is just for a guide to route out another one.

[EricU]

what thickness MDF do you use?

Watched some videos on making these, doesn't seem like a big deal. At least, once I get the construction detritus off of my saw

[JGrout]

what thickness MDF do you use?

Watched some videos on making these, doesn't seem like a big deal. At least, once I get the construction detritus off of my saw

1/2"

[Steve N]

yes 1/2" is almost a ringer for the thickness of the original.

[Stytooner]

I liked the sides, but to tell the truth the thing I miss the most about the 66 guards is the weight, they stay down if a knot decides to misbehave, the clear poly one's that Lee uses on his Sharks are great for keeping fingers out, but will jump up if strange things happen under the hood. I have always used the entire board, and don't cut a mile wide around a knot. Trying to look at a defect and decide if it will remain sound or not? Only proven way is to saw it up. Probably going that way I see more hiccups under the guard than most. I like that tank aspect of the 66's guard. As I stated earlier, not being able to see the blade doesn't concern me a bit. I know where it is





Steve, not sure how old you last Shark Guard was, but they are a little heavier now. Started earlier this year including a posilock tail hook on them. http://thesharkguard.com/SG3Dtailhookup.html
I don't have the upgrade listed yet under support on my site, but will soon.

If you want heavier, you can always stash a barbell weight vertically on the front.


As for independent sides, they are not conducive to good dust collection. If you want to get that extra bit of dust collection when cleaning up an edge, place the guard on the material being cut. Then add a clear plastic, cardboard, thin plywood, for sale sign, etc to the left side of the guard to support and hold the guard at that height. Spring clamps work great for this. That will let you snatch more dust from that type of cut than you would have managed otherwise. 

I have designed independent fins a long time ago similar to what Saw Stop had.They were a production and a maintenance nightmare and cost you guys more for the headache. A temporary support shield is a much more economical solution.

[WilliamHodge]

I have the original guard, it's never been on the saw.  One thing that sticks out about it is that you can barely see through the slotted aluminum side plates.  Anyone swap them out for polycarbonate?  

Why do you need to see the blade? I look at the fence, to be sure that the wood is against the fence.

Polycarbonate can shatter if it contacts the blade. I was running an old industrial miter saw with a polycarbonate blade guard. That saw stayed running, it didn't come with a safety switch and brake. I bumped the guard with a board, the blade caught the guard, and the guard shattered all over the room. Aluminum just gets cut.

[Stytooner]

Polycarbonate just gets cut too. It is highly impact resistant and is part of the sandwich that makes up bullet proof glass. Acrylic on the other hand will shatter quite easily.
Like many plastics, there are different grades of polycarbonate that have special additives and or coatings that gives it strength in other areas besides just being impact resist.
Polycarbonate is what all good guarding should be made of.
I have seen polycarbonate chip and crack, so it is not indestructible. You have to be trying really hard to do something really wrong for that to be the result though.

[EricU]

I think a lot of industrial guards are made of acrylic.  It's a little better to mold, I think.  But it does crack really easily. I have never had any problems with polycarbonate, works just like wood.  We covered the stain glass windows of my church with polycarbonate, it worked really well.