Interchangeability of Saw Guards

ddvann79 · Post by **ddvann79** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:52 pm

Interchangeability. I thought I just made that word up but apparently Firefox has a dictionary entry for it.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my 1962 Goldie and mounted the 9" saw blade I have. After I fired it up I came to a startling realization that I never expected. As a result of the open table construction with no sides (by virtue of height adjustment) the saw blade is largely exposed below the surface of the table. You're thinking, "Well, duh, Dalton. That's stating the obvious." OK, this I knew, but it wasn't until this weekend that I fired it up with the saw blade in motion that I felt woefully under-protected and it was not a comforting feeling at all.

See, I'm used to blades in an enclosed table. I think that because the blade is exposed below the table, it results in an entirely different feel. Not only that but the spinning wheel of death is about the height of some parts of me I'm not ready to part with. It's one thing to talk about table saw safety. It's another entirely to experience the Shopsmith table saw in action. I feel now as though I must eat a little crow from some of my earlier comments about table saw safety.

That said, I am definitely going to invest in an upper and lower saw guard SOON. I wanted one prior to this realization if for no other reason than the splitter and pawls but now I REALLY want the lower guard too. My question is: is the current 505875part number compatible with my 1962 model 500? Furthermore, is the Greenie upper and lower guardcompatible?

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:41 pm

This is the one to get. I put one on my 55 a few years back, Well worth it some drilling and tapping is required but again, well worth it. I can now use 10" blades with a guard.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:48 pm

The new Shopsmith guard offering can take a 10" blade. I'm not sure, but I doubt the Greenie guard can go that large.

The latest-gen guard set can be accumulated piece-wise in the "used" market, too. (It is a modification of a next-to-latest-gen guard-set anyway.)

ddvann79 · Post by **ddvann79** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:53 pm

terrydowning wrote:This is the one to get. I put one on my 55 a few years back, Well worth it some drilling and tapping is required but again, well worth it. I can now use 10" blades with a guard.

I purchased a second table off the secondary market and it came with a light gray plastic piece bolted to one end of the tie bar. Now I think I know what it is. Is this the part that would require tapping of the original table tie bar?

If I'm looking on the secondary market, is there an obvious and marked difference between the 500 guard and the 510/520 guard? Other than the curved splitter and pointed upper cover on the 510, they look pretty much the same. Thanks for the help, guys.

michaeltoc · Post by **michaeltoc** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:41 am

ddvann79 wrote:
I purchased a second table off the secondary market and it came with a light gray plastic piece bolted to one end of the tie bar. Now I think I know what it is. Is this the part that would require tapping of the original table tie bar?

If I'm looking on the secondary market, is there an obvious and marked difference between the 500 guard and the 510/520 guard? Other than the curved splitter and pointed upper cover on the 510, they look pretty much the same. Thanks for the help, guys.

There is a big difference between the 500 and 510 guards, and they are not interchangeable. Also be sure if you are getting a used 500 lower guard that it is the new style as shown in the picture. The old style 500 guard has a small dust port (1.5") coming out the back - pretty useless for dust collection.

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:28 am

IMHO and personal experience, the dust collection on the newer 500 model is less than stellar. But coming from no dust collection and no guard I can say that it is better than nothing but I still require manual clean up. The upper guard and riving knife are nice to have and I do use them regularly. I bought the guards fro safety and any improvement dust collection is a bonus.

Edit: it uses a splitter not a riving knife. Sorry for any mis-representation.

ddvann79 · Post by **ddvann79** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:39 am

terrydowning wrote:IMHO and personal experience, the dust collection on the newer 500 model is less than stellar. But coming from no dust collection and no guard I can say that it is better than nothing but I still require manual clean up. The upper guard and riving knife are nice to have and I do use them regularly. I bought the guards fro safety and any improvement dust collection is a bonus.

Good to know. I would definitely prefer a riving knife over a splitter any day. Judging by the images I was under the impression that the upper guard has a splitter, but I guess the plastic guard pivots on the knife as opposed to being stationary.

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:09 pm

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between a riving knife and a splitter. It may in fact be a splitter. Either nomenclature, the upper guard does pivot on a vertical piece of metal that keeps the kerf separated. It also has anti-kick back pawls that do work well enough to keep from getting a piece of wood sent back in the operators direction.

EDIT: I love google http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?70761-Splitter-vs-Riving-Knife By the definition provided and apparently agreed upon in the linked thread the shopsmith solution uses a splitter.

ddvann79 · Post by **ddvann79** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:52 pm

terrydowning wrote:Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between a riving knife and a splitter. It may in fact be a splitter. Either nomenclature, the upper guard does pivot on a vertical piece of metal that keeps the kerf separated. It also has anti-kick back pawls that do work well enough to keep from getting a piece of wood sent back in the operators direction.

EDIT: I love google http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?70761-Splitter-vs-Riving-Knife By the definition provided and apparently agreed upon in the linked thread the shopsmith solution uses a splitter.

I just learned the difference about six months ago. A riving knife is curved over the blade and attached to the arbor so it it is always the same close distance from the blade. I.E. it moves up and down with the blade. The splitter is stationary and sits behind the blade that prevents the kerf from closing. It's distance from the blade varies depending upon the height of the blade.