Shopsmith Forums

If you are using a sled for sawing, what is the proper way of using saw guards?

stonemason wrote:If you are using a sled for sawing, what is the proper way of using saw guards?

I would be concerned about the pawls.

I await others comments on this having hardly any experience with guards myself.

stonemason wrote:If you are using a sled for sawing, what is the proper way of using saw guards?

I use a sled frequently and there is no guard. I don't even believe my upper guard can be installed with the sled mounted. I'll have to check on that.

I believe the sled is safer, however, because the stock rests firmly on the sled.

It would be easy to install hold downs on the sled. Hold downs would prevent kick back as well as the upper saw guard does.

Without the saw guard, do remember that there is nothing protecting your fingers.

Minor correction. Some sleds are built with blade guards, usually plexiglass.

I used the shopsmith crosscut sled last night with the upper guard installed with no issues.

fredsheldon wrote:I used the shopsmith crosscut sled last night with the upper guard installed with no issues.

I am unable to envision how you did that. It seems as though the riving knife would make that impossible. I am missing something.

Since I'm new to shopsmith I'm sure I did something incorrectly. I may have misunderstood the original question. I will go out tonight and set up my saw again to see what you might be talking about. All I know is I was able to rip some 2 inch strips with no issues on the cross cut sled and the shield down over the saw blade. Can you describe why you don't think it should have worked and I will see what I was doing wrong.

fredsheldon wrote:Since I'm new to shopsmith I'm sure I did something incorrectly. I may have misunderstood the original question. I will go out tonight and set up my saw again to see what you might be talking about. All I know is I was able to rip some 2 inch strips with no issues on the cross cut sled and the shield down over the saw blade. Can you describe why you don't think it should have worked and I will see what I was doing wrong.

No, I can't do that. You very clearly said the Shopsmith Cross Cut Sled and I was thinking my cross cut sled. The Shopsmith sled sets off to one side of the blade while mine sets astrandle of the blade (has a kerf cut). The Shopsmith Sled, because it sets off to one side does not interfere with the riving knife and upper guard as I was "incorrectly" thinking it did.

Sorry for having caused this consternation. All my bad.

Question though: Are you ripping or cross cutting? If ripping, how are you employing the sled to do that?

If you search the internet you will see some home built sleds that have a built in saw guard; plexiglass top and sides that rise and fall in grooves cut into the front and rear fences. I believe it would be impossible to use the Shopsmith upper guard with most home built cross cut sleds.

I recently have used the Shopsmith sled with the upper guard. All went well. I also used the upper guard without a sled. Which also was okay. No I usually do not use the upper guard. As I age I feel the need to have a clear field of vision. The Shopsmith upper guard does not offer me a comfortable feeling in that one area. When I return to the Shop in a few weeks I will try again.

I hope this next comment will not constitute a wide ranging rant. I seem to remember someone a long time ago recommend another option for upper guard that seemed to offer a greater visual field. Anyone remember what that may have been?

End of comment and rant. Soap box retired, for now:D Jim

dusty wrote:No, I can't do that. You very clearly said the Shopsmith Cross Cut Sled and I was thinking my cross cut sled. The Shopsmith sled sets off to one side of the blade while mine sets astrandle of the blade (has a kerf cut). The Shopsmith Sled, because it sets off to one side does not interfere with the riving knife and upper guard as I was "incorrectly" thinking it did.

Sorry for having caused this consternation. All my bad.

Question though: Are you ripping or cross cutting? If ripping, how are you employing the sled to do that?

No, I meant cross cut, not rip:eek: