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Table Saw Guards

If blade guards are designed to provide protection from both the spinning blade and kickback, why do so many “expert” table saw users remove them and continue to operate their saws without them? Sounds preposterous, but if you check the Internet woodworking discussion forums you’ll find posts from experienced woodworkers who poke fun at table saw manufacturers for continuing to provide blade guards which are not used. While it is true that some cross-cut and rip operations cannot be completed with the table saw guard in place, many older blade guards have the saw’s anti-kickback mechanism attached directly to the guard. Removing the guard removes the anti-kickback mechanism – the splitter and the anti-kickback prawls. Newer table saws have true riving knives, which attach directly to the blade mechanism, not the guard assembly. In addition, some now have guard assemblies which are easy to remove and reattach. Yet you still here from woodworking pros who talk about their OEM blade guard’s gathering dust on a shelf. Why wouldn’t you simply reattach the blade guard when the operation is done?

Part of the problem has to do with how table saw manufacturers allocate resources – read costs – in the design and construction of their models, especially those in the low to mid price categories. Rather than invest dollars into better quality guard assemblies many manufacturers choose to focus on more popular features, like portability and power. Again, check the woodworking forums and you’ll find complaints about the flimsy construction of many original equipment (OEM) blade guards. Bosch is a notable exception here as their blade guards feature a split left/right design which can be removed and reattached without tools.

What to do? Enter “safe table saw blade guards” into your favorite Internet Search Engine and you’ll find an article at thewoodshop.20m.com in which a professional user describes in detail how he designed and built his own blade guard. Of equal importance is his rationale for doing so – he lost part of a finger in a saw accident. If you think that’s a rare occurrence, think again. Every day, ten people experience serious mutilating injuries – many involving amputation of fingers – while operating their table saws. As an alternative to building your own guards there are a few aftermarket blade guards that deserve your attention. While both Excalibur and Exactor have products out there, HTC – a leading manufacturer of quality table saw accessories – has gotten a lot of attention with their Brett-Guard system, introduced in 2003. Let’s look at their most popular and cost effective offerings.

HTC 10A-L Brett-Guard Table Saw Guard

This model retails on Amazon for $199 so it is well within reach of most table saw owners. It features a box style clear plastic guard that slides back and forth on two steel rods that can be raised and lowered with the attached hand crank assembly. The guard actually sits on top of your wood stock in a fixed position, eliminating the problems associated with a traditional basket style gravity driven blade guard. The entire assembly needs to be bolted directly to your table saw and reviewers – while generally positive – have found the assembly instructions to be woefully lacking. But once installed, the guard performs well. The 10A-L is a left hand mount but there are also models for either a left or right mount – the 10A-LR – as well as a model suitable for mounting on the left, the right, or in the rear – the 10A-LRP. The LR retails for $219 while the LRP goes for $249. If you want to “touch and feel” before you buy, you can find these HTC blade guards at a Woodcraft outlet.

HTC 10A-M50P Brett-Guard Table Saw Guard

Since the 10A-L series are fixed mount, you’re going to limit your cutting capacity on the side on which you mount the guard. The HTC 10A-M50P circumvents this problem with a cantilever design which allows unobstructed cutting capacity on both the right and left side of the saw. This model is designed for saws with 50 inch fence systems. All HTC blade guards are both OSHA and ANSI compliant.