Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm crossing my fingers (which I plan on keeping), July 12, 2000
As a woodworking beginner, I'm very focused on safety. I've read dozens of posts about fingers being severed on table saws. These accidents, it seems, are usually due to removed blade guards.The uniguard is a blade guard you won't remove. The two split halves rotate back independently, so you can still guard the blade when cutting very thin pieces. And the guard hangs from above and rests on the work, so you can use it when performing non-through cuts. The splitter that comes with the uniguard is its second great feature. It is easily removed for non-through cuts, and more to the point, easily replaced afterwards. The splitter is separate from the guard, so you can remove it and still guard the blade, unlike the standard blade guard that comes with the table saw. The quality of the uniguard is first rate. The large tube you see in the picture is heavy gauge steel. The only improvement I might suggest is making the blade guard (the pieces directly over the blade) were a little wider. I like the guard to be centered over the blade, but in this position, you can't fully tilt the blade without hitting the inside of the guard. All that means is that you have to shift the guard to the right an inch or two when you tilt the blade. Not a big deal. The tray on the big black bar is handy, but could stand to be an inch or two deeper and wider. My uniguard arrived in a rather heavy, long narrow box with 1/4" plywood backing. Set up is relatively straightforward, and takes about an hour. Depending on your saw, you may have to drill a couple of holes in the underside of your extension table to mount the bracket, but that is a pretty simple procedure. Another pair of hands is useful in holding the big black bar while mounting (it gets pretty heavy while trying to adjust it) but I managed to do it alone. The instructions caution against having the power cord from the table saw motor come in contact with the guard. On my saw (Delta 10" contractors platinum edition) this clearance is very tight, but there is no rubbing of the cord. As you can probably tell, I'm convinced the uniguard adds considerably to the safety of my table saw. And, if for no other reason than I spent a chunk of change to get it, I'll be using it every time I turn on the saw.
|
|
|
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Flashbacks Of Blade Injuries Are Over!, August 18, 2000
I didn't want to but I had to...buy a blade guard! I got my new Delta Unisaw with a 52" Biesemeyer Fence and I assembled it minus the blade guard it came with for obvious reasons...they get in the way! So, I figured I'd just go without until I made my first few cuts with this power horse machine. Well, I started having flashbacks of an accident that almost cost me my thumb a few months ago because the guard that came with the blade kept getting in the way. Remembering the sound of my hand hitting the blade and how quickly bad things can happen...I ordered the Deluxe Uniguard.It came a day ahead of time on Fedex 3 Day Express. I opened it up and took out the plans AND as usual, there was no indication that this would fit on a saw with Biesemeyer Fence. It only showed the Unifence and some other type but not mine! After looking the situation over, I had a choice. Either send it back to Toolcrib and get the Biesemeyer Blade Guard (which [costs] more) or make it fit! I decided to make it fit. For those of you that have a Biesemeyer Fence, it can be done but you have to turn the three support brackets upside down, mark and drill three 3/8 inch holes along the rear fence rail. What made mine a little harder was that I installed an outfeed table too so I had to work around it. Anyway, three hours and three titanium drill bits later, I had my Blade Guard installed and it works great. I may get rid of the splitter but my mind is at ease now as my hand passes by the blade. All in all, I like it...for a blade guard. It was hard to spend the money but how much is a thumb or finger worth? Besides the heads up on the Biesemeyer problem, I sure wish they would have included all the stuff to move the power switch to the arm of the guard. Giving us a plug box at the base of the vertical post with a pre-wired switch would have been great. As it is, it just makes for a good picture. I'd give it a five star for quality but it just too hard for me to give a blade guard a high rating!
|
|
|
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Value - But read the warning below, December 10, 2004
The Deluxe Uniguard is a good value at $270 - and I took advantage of Amazon's $25 off sale so my final cost was $245. Such a deal!
Now the details:
The UPS people did their usual guerilla routine with the package. So even though Delta packs this guard very well using both wood and cardboard, UPS still destroyed it. On delivery day when I answered the doorbell, I found the 6 foot tall package at my door - one end crushed and wide open and the UPS driver already back in his truck and driving away.
Upon inspection I found that the plastic accessory tray was cracked and that the splitter assembly was nowhere to be found. It's probably on a UPS loading dock somewhere.
I called Delta immediately and to my suprise, a human answered the phone! No waiting, no music on hold and no message telling me how important my call was to them. They took my information and they agreed to send out replacement parts. Satisfied that I wouldn't need to return the rest of the unit, I decided to go ahead and install it.
It was pretty straight forward and the instructions were clear. Just a couple of things I should mention. The clear plastic blade shields slip over a steel pin and are held by allen head set screws. It seemed that they required a tiny allen wrench. I mean really really tiny. Smaller than any I had ever seen before. I am embarassed to admit that I puzzled over this for a full 15 minutes before I figured out that the set screws had been installed backwards at the factory - on BOTH guard shields. Simple matter to unscrew them and put them in right. Sheesh!
Also, the instructions suggest cutting 12 inches off both the top and the bottom of the main "J" shaped steel tube if your fence is less than 52 inches (mine is). Based on suggestions I read here on Amazon reviews I waited to cut mine and I'm glad. In the end, I cut just 9 inches off mine for a perfect fit.
And last, my shop-built right extension table has a double thickness top (one and a half inches thick). This guard attaches to the saw at three points. Two are pre-drilled and tapped holes on the rear of the cast iron top of the unisaw. The third mount attaches with an "L" bracket to the underside of the extension table way out at the corner farthest from the saw. With my thicker table, the third mount was 3/4" lower than the other two. Fortunately, there was enough room on the mount to redrill it. Had my table been any thicker, I would have had to get more creative.
The final installed guard is solid. I don't plan to relocate my table saw's ON/OFF switch to the supplied switch bracket but I installed the bracket anyway. I have found that it's the perfect spot to attach one of those magnetic base task lights. Delta sells a light made just for the uniguard but the mounting holes for it are out on the detachable part of the uniguard. This would put it closer to the blade for brighter light but would also require you to deal with the electrical cord when you remove the guard for raised panel cuts.
***** WARNING - WARNING - WARNING *****
I'm editing my review to warn everyone that the Uniguard will prevent you from fully opening your motor cover. If you have a right tilt unisaw with the metal box-shaped motor cover you'll find that it can't swing open more than about 6 inches before it hits the uniguard's steel pipe. It opens far enough to get a vacuum hose in for cleaning or for one arm to reach in to feel around for that arbor nut you dropped inside ;) but it won't open all the way after you install this guard.
I called Delta and they said that's "normal" and they suggested that I leave the cover off or unscrew the hinge each time I want to get full access. Seems to me that Delta should let us know these things before we buy.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Doug Stowe
