upper saw arm guard

[arbarnhart]

The thread on removing the hold down (which I did a long time ago) got me thinking about another "safety" feature I have thought about removing (actually, I have tried it with and without) - the uppper arm guard. I am talking about the inverted U channel over the upper saw arm. It seems to have three purposes - to protect you from being hit by the upper saw arm, to house the bellows for the blower and to wake the dead when you break a blade.

It can make fretwork a bit more difficult because it limits how far you can raise your workpiece to fish the blade through the hole (yeah, I'm a bottom feeder). I have thought about cutting/grinding the lower front corners off and/or maybe cutting it off just past the bellows. Another option would be to just take it off and have no blower. And yet another is to take it off and build a replacement bellows holder out of something less resonant. If you haven't owned a saw with an arm guard, you may scratch your head about the resonance issue, but if you have, you know what I am talking about. When I break a blade, it just about gives me heart failure. It sounds like somebody firing a machine gun in a steel drum factory.

Anyway, I am curious if others with similar saws have modified, removed or replaced the guard.

[lucky788scroller]

I am not sure what saw you have, I'm presuming a delta? I use a yella saw, and really have only broke one or two blades since i started using it, both spiral blades.I havent yet broke a regular flat blade on the yella saws.On my older Ryobi I have broken a few though

[William Young (SE BC)]

I am curious about what upper arm guard you are referring to and what make of a saw it is that has a removeable upper guard. . I didn't even read all the long thread about the hold down this time because that topic comes up so often and the replies are always so numerous and basically the same.
I don't break a blade year in , year out on my Delta P-20 except for just recently when I broke a couple tiny blades when I was trying jigsw puzzles for the first time and that was my own fault because I had never used blades that small and I was pushing on them like I would a number 5. Once I found the limitations of the blade I started cuttting out puzzles with hundreds of pieces effortlessly with just one blade and no more broken ones.
This upper arm guard you refer to is a new one on me so I am just curious about it.
W.Y.

[arbarnhart]

What I have is this saw:

http://www.toolcenter.com/8354sl.html

in another color with a different label. Where the big label is - that is just a big piece of U channel and if you take it off the saw works fine but the moving arm is exposed and you have no blower.

Interesting variance of experiences with breakage. I scroll mostly thick hardwood. I haven't ever broken one on thinner stuff (except when stacked; the 3 trains in my album are 3/16" maple and I cut them all at once and did break two #5 blades). Maybe I go too tight?

[William Young (SE BC)]

Thanks Andy. That is one saw that I am not familiar with and I see now what you are referring to. Looks like a pretty decent saw and we don't often see a 5 year warranty on that price range of a saw. Glad you like it and you are a happy scroller.
W.Y.

[arbarnhart]

It's a single speed direct drive induction motor that requires a T wrench to change blades, cast iron base and table. All stuff that has been in production for about a million years, hence the low price and long warranty. Mine is actually a "Master Mechanic" - the Tru-Value store brand. Would I rather have a DeWalt? Absolutely! But for reasons of convenience and flexibility, not reliability or accuracy.

[Blade Man]

Andy

That saw must be made under many names. I have not used it for a couple years, but I have one that looks like the picture gave the link to. The only thing I see is mine is Gray colored, and it does have electronic speed control.

The first order of business when I got it was to rig up the blower so it can be used without that plastic guard.

In my pre DeWalt days I used this one, and it did an all right job for me. Would not want to go back now though, I have been spoiled with the easy blade changing, and bigger size of the DeWalt.

[arbarnhart]

Your guard was plastic? I wish mine was. Mine is aluminum. The aluminum is incredibly loud when a blade breaks. You had its newer slightly more expensive brother with speed control and some other minor changes (which I guess includes a plastic guard). I think that the actual manufacturer is Rexxon and yes they are happy to paint it any color and slap any label on it.

What did you use to rig the blower?