Was just cruisin’ the Penn State web site (thinking ahead to the holidays, LOL!) and saw that their overhead blade guard/dust collector (for table saw) is on sale for $149.95. That’s $50 off, so thought it was worth mentioning.
[oops, forgot to provide a link, here it is; the price today was $174.95]
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Edited 9/23/2004 1:06 pm ET by forestgirl
Replies
I just purchased this. I also got the dust kit that comes with it for $22.00. It has two 8' sections of 4" pipe a Y and a blast gate and clamps. The pipe is not all that heavy duty but doable when you look at all the parts together. It is heavy duty tubular steel. The part that covers the blade is not extremely thick but will get the job done. I'm in the process of mounting it now, but think it was worth the money compared to the cost of the Excalibur.
Thanks for the report, bones. So far I've heard good reviews of the unit, and I really, REALLY, need to get a guard! Replaced my stock guard/splitter with the Merlin last year, which of course is only a splitter. Am going to try and talk hubby into an early Christmas present this weekend, LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG,
Last year I scored a showroom condition 52" Unisaw with the Unigaurd for a great price. I wasn't really looking for the overhead gaurd, but knew it was a good idea. I've got to tell you an overhead gaurd has to be one of the most importaint safety devices in the shop! Just yesterday I was ripping a 8' long piece of 10" wide 8/4 oak. It probably weighed 45+ lbs. I wasn't using push blocks ( Ive had close calls with them on these types of cuts as well), mabey I should have. Anyway, the top of the board was dusty and my hand sliped on the board right onto the blade gaurd! I don't think I would have caught the blade had the gaurd not been there, but it was close enough to cause me to give a loving kiss to the Unigaurd. On my old saw I never had it on because I dado a lot and installing it was a PITA at best. The Unigaurd moves the switch onto the cross arm as well, which is great when you are ripping a sheet of ply. The shutoff is never hidden under the stock. I would imagine that you could rig up any overhead gaurd like this. It sucks to spend money on safety stuff instead of tools but you gotta do it. I highly recomend these devices.
Happy x-mas,
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
Mike, I'm really glad you had that guard on the machine! Scary stuff. I know for the most part, gloves are not a good idea around tools, but I wear those rubberized garden gloves when pushing a piece of heavy stock on the tablesaw, at least on one hand, to help keep my hand from slipping (when a push shoe/block isn't practical).
Sweetie agreed to buy me the blade guard! We'll order it tonight, but it'll be delivered to Oregon so I may not get it for a couple/three weeks. Yipeeeee!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I'm happy with the PSI guard. Quality is good, and the price rivals building your own. It's not as solid as a $400 guard, but I think it's more than adequate for non-industrial use.
The instructions take you through the basic installation steps, but without much detail, so a little mechanical ingenuity will come in handy. There are two mounting options: extension table or ceiling mount. Ceiling mount makes a lot of sense if you don't roll your saw around, but my basement ceilings were too low to fit without modification, so I built an extension table. Here's my setup:
View Image
I realized pretty quickly that the 1 HP dust collector shown in the picture was not sufficient to keep up with both the blade guard and collection form under the saw, so I recently upgraded to a 2 HP canister collector. Seems to work great so far.
Hey, Kent, our table saw areas look alot alike, except that (a) your saw is white, mine's an antique blue Jet and (b) your floor looks pretty smooth. I have those rubber mats all over my floor and just love 'em.
Seriously, thanks for posting the pic, and for the tip that the 1 HP DC isn't the way to go, even for just hooking up to the saw. I have the canister DC on my "must buy" list, but occasionally feel a lack of willpower in waiting 'til the dough is available.
So, I need to get an extension table built before the guard gets here? Any specific things I need to build into the design??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Another option for splitter and guard is felder's. here's a link
http://www.felder.co.at/index.php Go to accessories, then protection devices
I adapted this to my general TS. You might need to cut the legs of the splitter to fit your particular saw but it works extremely well taking up little space. The splitters come in various thickness for different blades.
This option is also the least expensive I have seen, less than $100.00 for both the splitter and guard
Here's a pic of my setup.
Hope this helps
Bill
Oooops, too late, already ordered the PSI unit. However, I'd be interested to know how the splitter attaches. I'm having trouble getting my Merlin splitter aligned lately -- it's not made specifically for my saw (saw toooo old) and I'm getting pretty frustrated.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forest girl,
The splitter is held on by the original bolt and 1/8" thick square washer. I had to drill to the side of the slot for the splitter to go far enough back to allow for full blade height (though I rarely raise the blade to full height). Hope that made sense, if not I can send a more detailed photo. To remove you have to loosen the bolt and washer and slide the splitter out. Also it does not raise and lower with the blade adjustment like the felder or minimax saws.
alignment was not a problem. One thing that might work for you, is to use brass shim stock ie .002" folded as many times as you might need to pivot the merlin to proper alignment. Lee Valley sells rolls of various shim stock for reasonable prices.
Congrats on your psi unit, hope it does well by you.
Bill
Thanks, Bill. Unfortunately, I never had the bolt for the stock splitter on my old, blue Jet contractor's saw, and was unable to locate the correct replacement, despite expert help. Hence the Merlin splitter. I'll take another look and see if some shimming is possible. Truth be told, between the funky Jet fence and the futzing around with the splitter, I'm this close >< to opting for a new saw. Probably just passing grouchiness, LOL.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG
Any reason is a good one for a new tool.
Jeff
Forestgirl,
Penn State just started a coupon special until 9/28:
Use Coupon Code "BF10" to Save $10 off Purchases of $100 or more
Use Coupon Code "BF15" to Save $15 off Purchases of $150 or more
Good deal if you can still use it... if not, hey, it's only 10 bucks. If it makes you feel better, I paid $200 for the guard last spring.
Funny you should mention about the shop similarities. I saw a pic on another forum of someone's Jet TS, same color as mine, same floor mats... made me do a double take. My floor is smooth, but so far from flat it makes me dizzy - about 4" of slope from the "shallow end" to the low point where the floor drain is.
My extension table is particle board laminated with formica and edged with oak. I put a chamfer on the front edge to sort-of match the bevel on the TS table. The inboard side is secured to the TS with C clamps, and the far side is on legs with adjustable levelers. Is your saw stationary or mobile?
One last thing - you still need a splitter! I'm using the MJ Splitter - $15 and works great with the guard.
Hey, Kent. Yep, I have a splitter -- which is why I don't have a guard. Weird, yes....when I bought the Merlin splitter and installed it, there I stood sans blade guard. Oooops. Suffice it to say, I've been extremely careful the last year using the saw, but can't (and don't want to) get used to working without a guard. Love the Merlin splitter though!
Noticed also the Incra miter gauge. Nice, eh? I have the 1000 and love it.
My saw is, technically, mobile, but the base isn't all that great and I rarely move it. I might start out with ceiling mount if I don't get an extension table made before the guard comes. Actually, this whole thing may get me off my keester to install the cast-iron wings on the saw. They've been sitting in a cabinet for over a year -- will have to redesign my router table installation when I replace the stamped-steel with cast iron.
Thanks for the input! See ya. (PS: too late for coupons, placed the order last night. No biggie, others might be able to use them)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Here is you new Table-saw. Guess where I'm going next Thursday?
Have fun installing you Exaktor er I mean PSI guard system.
Sucking.......Whoosh.......Yowl........Whoosh.........Thrump puttytat up the DC..
Drool, droooool. , , , , ,forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi Kent, looks like I won't actually get the PSI unit for about 2 weeks (it's being shipped to my hubby's work in Oregon, and the delay is due to his schedule). In the meantime, I'll be setting up the extension table. Was hoping you could describe how the unit attaches underneath the extension table. Thanks!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Pictures will explain better than words:
http://www.users.fast.net/~kkfitzge/psiguard.html
The instructions weren't at all specific about the mounting details, so I just did what seeemed reasonable.
Ahhhhhh, fantastic! Thanks much!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forest Girl,
Just a side note when mounting the turnbuckles from the mast to the table saw wing - be careful with how much you tension/tighten the turnbuckle. Too much tension can pull the wing out of shape. Its easy to avoid, just be aware of it when installing the unit. I'd also recommend supporting the boom by suspending it from the ceiling. (From ceiling to somewhere close to the boom's locking knobs.) This will keep the boom parallel to the table's surface. The metal strap pipe hangers with vinyl coating around the loop (found in the plumbing section of local home center) works well for a nonslip support hanger.Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
Thanks Dan, will keep that in mind. May end up mounting the whole thing from the ceiling for starters.
Sad thing is, won't lay eyes on it until October 9th. Bwaaaaaah!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG,
Better to get it late, than not at all! If you mount it to the ceiling, you should still add some additional support to the boom.Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
One question: how wide is the edging on you extension table? forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The edging is 2.25" wide.
I have the G1023S with the 7' rails and extension table. I used 1'"-20 bolts to attach mine to the edge of the wing on the right side and used nylock nuts on everything. I made the extension table from 3/4" cabinet plywood, then laminated it with black Wilsonart, commercial grade(thicker) melamine. The edges are about 3" high, made of oak flooring extras from the home my parents had built in the early 50's, glued and screwed to the top. I then installed a plate for my router, so I have that mounted in the extension table and the whole thing is on a Shop Fox mobile base since I need to park in my garage.I cut this piece four times and it's still too short.
The ironic thing about this product is that the code for it is "TSGUARD", but when I dowloaded the manual for it, one of the first statements in it was somehting to the effect:
I imagine their lawyers insisted that this be in there.
I've been thinking about getting something like this, and the ceiling mount option looks pretty good (I have 12' ceilings). Pair this with the Delta snap-in splitter, and I'd be in good shape for saving my fingers and lungs.
Hi Barry, yep, there was a discussion about that discrepancy early in this thread I think. I really like the unit -- seems very well made and engineered (for what I know about engineering, LOL!). If your machine is a stay-put saw (you don't need to move it around) a ceiling mount would be great. I had visions of the top of the mast being mounted to a 2x6 dovetailed to slide between 2 other 2x6's mounted to the ceiling so that I could get several inches of movement to the right or left.
Ceiling hanging would be my preferred option, to keep the right side of the saw clear.
Their lawyers, or their insurance company, LOL.
Ah I just had another "vision" -- 200-pound-pull magnets on the ceiling in strategic places. Ahhhh, that's silly.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Kent, do you think a quality 1.5HP dust collector would handle the 2-point dust collection OK? I'm hoping to get the Jet canister model with end-of-the-year sales money, but it's a stretch even to buy the 1.5HP, let alone the 2HP. Lemme know what your opinion is. Thanks!
PS: Got the PSI unit last week. Swapped out the steel wings on my saw for cast iron the other day, so just about ready to mount the PSI unit and give it a whirl. Now, if I just don't get called in for my jury duty this week!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
"do you think a quality 1.5HP dust collector would handle the 2-point dust collection OK?"
I haven't tried a 1.5 HP DC, so I can only guess it will work, but not as well as a more powerful DC.
To paraphrase the old hot-rodder's saying, "there's no substitute for cubic feet per minute." Having made the good choice of getting an overarm guard, I think it only makes sense to maximize it's performance by moving as much air as possible.
Also, I just noticed that due to a recent price hike, the Jet DC-1100CK is only $30 less (at Amazon) than the DC-1200CK.
If you want to keep the cost down, it might make more sense to forego the canister filter, at least for now. The PSI DC2000 (on sale, $295 delivered) or Grizzly 1029Z ($318 delivered) come with decent felt bags. You could always add the canister upgrade later.
Hi Kent, thanks for the input. Late this afternoon, I did a little research on the Grizzly canister, which Bart just posted a pic of in his "Brown stopped at my shop" thread. It is a 2HP canister collector priced at about $20 less than the Jet 1.5HP, compares favorably in the specs, and has 3 flaps/paddles inside instead of just two.
I'm holding out for the canister -- want to avoid the mess created during bag emptying and also need to get as many of those 1, 2 and 3 micron particles as possible. A looooonnnnnnng history of sinus and bronchial problems.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi Ken, I got my PSI unit up on Monday. Wow, talk about a poor instruction manual, it really sucks. But I love the unit itself!
What did you do with that short bracket with the 4 holes drilled in it. They want you to use it somehow for the mast attachment, but I couldn't figure out what good it would do me.....
Right now everything's clamped in place and real solid. Have to move the saw a few inches in a couple of weeks when some other stuff gets straightened around, then I'll bolt it all down.
Thanks for your help on this!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Gee, only a month from "just about ready to mount the PSI unit" to actually doing it? : ) : )
To answer your quesiton, here's the photo link I posted a while back:
http://www.users.fast.net/~kkfitzge/psiguard.html
Look at the second pic. The flat plate with 4 holes is sandwiched beween the mast bracket and the ext table. Two wood screws go thru the plate into the table, and two machine screws stick out of the plate and attach to the mast.
I suppose you could just as well bolt the mast directly to the table. If that's what you already did, it should be fine to leave it.
Ooooo, you're mean! Other things did intervene.....
I looked at your pictures yesterday, but really couldn't (can't) discern that plate. So, it simply reinforces the oak I guess, right? Almost seems like it should be on the opposite site of the wood from the mast-plate.
I wonder what kind of ceiling they think we all have. Mine's too low to use the ceiling mount too. I was going to use a sliding dovetail arrangement to hang it, so that if I moved the saw a little right or left, I could just slide the guard. Then I realized I'd have to cut down the legs to the table saw stand, LOL. Oh well. Sure like the guard though!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi all, is somebody able to write here the dimensions of PSI table saw dust guard hood? I cann't find them on their webside..
Thanks in advance
Dan
Dan, sorry I didn't see your post before I left home. If nobody gets to it before tonight, I'll measure and post (west coast time).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Yeah, I guess the only real function of the plate is that you can use smaller wood screws into the ext table, rather than making larger holes for the machine screws. But it's not really necessary.
I've considered cutting a few inches off the mast so I could use the ceiling mount, but for now, the table mount is working well enough.
Yeah, cutting off the mast crossed my mind, but was discarded immediately. I'm not all that bummed with it floor-mounted, it's OK.
Did you use the plate that goes in the back of the dust hood? When I get dust collection, I'm sure I'll be interested in using it, but the half-plate doesn't match up with it very well. I think I'll cut a kerf in the full plate, so it'll fit over my splitter, when the time comes that is.
If people don't start shopping for the holidays pretty soon, it's gonna be next year though. Yikes!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG
When I mounted my PSI guard from the ceiling, I did't use their parts at all.
I built mine from some angle iron, and can adjust it as needed.
Sorry I can't post you a picture.
Jeff
What did you use, Jeff?? Just the hood and multi-pivot-point suspension assembly?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG
I used the hood, pivot assembly, and the short piece of pipe siupplied with the unit.
The pipe is attached to 2 pieces of that Right angle metal with the holes in it.
Both hang from the ceiling from some more of the same metal.
By using some of those "U" shaped clamp bolts with knobs and not the nuts supplied, I can move it side to side an extra few inches.
Works pretty good.
Also, the metal allows me to swing it up out of the way or change things around as needed.
The nice thing is this keeps the table clear for large panals.
Jeff
Hi FG
When I originally mounted my guard I fastened a piece of angle iron from down at the bottom of the vertical support tube over to the table-saw to give it strength & it also allowed the whole system to be portable & move with the table Saw. The lower end of this tube never touched the floor on my saw.Sucking.......Whoosh.......Yowl........Whoosh.........Thrump puttytat up the DC..
Hey, Bart, thanks! I have the mast plate (bottom) mounted to a big block of wood (laminated 2x6's from a construction site, about 10" long). That must be substantial angle iron you have. Do I have pictures of that somewhere?? Not quite following the lack of floor contact. I definitely want the mast to move with the saw, eventually, so would love to know how you did that. Does it interfere with storage under the right wing/extension of the saw?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Actually with the other ties to the extension table where you fasten it at the right side the table & the pieces that run up at an angle to tie it in the angle was only a piece of old bed rail angle run from the base of the tube over to my Rockler mobile base & fastened with a couple of screws. You see its kinda like a bridge if you have it tied in at the right places & proper angles its pretty strong.Sucking.......Whoosh.......Yowl........Whoosh.........Thrump puttytat up the DC..
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