Thread: In praise of the Triton blade guard!!

Originally Posted by Emerald Pete

. . . . Another feature is the auxiliary vacuum attachment which aids the Proshop's crappy extraction, as this saw sprays dust everywhere off the blade. I also like the narrow profile of the guard.

Attaching vacuum cleaners to saw blade guards is a bit like trying to hold back the tide with a kids sand castle. The problem is not what dust can be seen, as that is not a health issue, but what is unseen. Unfortunately there is little other recourse than to use at least 400 cfm or more of air flow out of a guard. Unfortunately this simply cannot be done through a 37 mm vacuum cleaner attachment. Effective dust control on a blade guard starts with something like this https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200/m...66/index3.html

Hi Bob, interesting segue! I am more concerned, in this thread, about controlling mess, not dealing with dangerous micro particles maybe better to just lock the shed. With the factory guard, I was more inclined to not use it as it seemed clumsy & awkward. The Triton guard is far safer, as it has anti kick back, a good view of the blade & additional chip extraction. Manufacturers seem tied to outdated 1950s American concepts of machine design. My Proshop is a great saw, but suffers from these flaws. I love my workshop, love making stuff, love tinkering & love wood. I will have to live with dangerous micro particles as I live with exhaust fumes, the legacy of asbestos exposure & a former smoking habit. Gotta say though, love your setup!! Pete

Originally Posted by Emerald Pete

Hi Bob, interesting segue! I am more concerned, in this thread, about controlling mess, not dealing with dangerous micro particles maybe better to just lock the shed. With the factory guard, I was more inclined to not use it as it seemed clumsy & awkward. The Triton guard is far safer, as it has anti kick back, a good view of the blade & additional chip extraction. Manufacturers seem tied to outdated 1950s American concepts of machine design. My Proshop is a great saw, but suffers from these flaws. I love my workshop, love making stuff, love tinkering & love wood. I will have to live with dangerous micro particles as I live with exhaust fumes, the legacy of asbestos exposure & a former smoking habit. Gotta say though, love your setup!! Pete

I agree about outdated concepts of machine design - one of the worst has to be the design of dust extractors and blade guards
For a table saw blade guard to efficiently grab chips the collection point needs to be as close to the front of the guard as possible.

In terms of dust control I guess different folks have different priorities.
I see similar thing at a lot of demos, guy wears eye, ear and foot protection and exposes himself and all the viewers to a heap of dust.

BTW that setup is not mine - It's John Samuel's.

Interesting, I was considering doing the same thing but creating my own guard (similar to John's and Bob's) to accommodate at least a 4inch hose. My main concern is the weight of the hose on the guard and splitter, although if made rugged enough it should be fine.

The under table dust extraction of the Proshop is fairly awful, I've created a temporary blade shroud to help eliminate spill. The dust collection on my TS is being overhauled to accommodate some larger ducting. Why companies continue to fail in addressing the issue of dust frustrates me.

Originally Posted by GarethR

Interesting, I was considering doing the same thing but creating my own guard (similar to John's and Bob's) to accommodate at least a 4inch hose. My main concern is the weight of the hose on the guard and splitter, although if made rugged enough it should be fine.

another alternative is to support the guard/hose from the ceiling using a long occy strap. Perhaps not so easy to do if your saw is on wheels.

The under table dust extraction of the Proshop is fairly awful, I've created a temporary blade shroud to help eliminate spill. The dust collection on my TS is being overhauled to accommodate some larger ducting. Why companies continue to fail in addressing the issue of dust frustrates me.

Rather than shroud the blade (since shrouds restrict airflow) It's better/easier to seal the cabinet and cut a hole in the cabinet. Even so holes will need to be cut in the cabinets of most tables saws ro aid flowt

Originally Posted by BobL

another alternative is to support the guard/hose from the ceiling using a long occy strap. Perhaps not so easy to do if your saw is on wheels.

Was going to use a strap of sorts from the ceiling, this should relieve some stress put on the guard and splitter. All my machines are on wheels, the plan is to wheel each machine over to dusty as needed thus eliminating hose lengths, etc. Might be an inconvenience but will see how I go.

Originally Posted by BobL

Rather than shroud the blade (since shrouds restrict airflow) It's better/easier to seal the cabinet and cut a hole in the cabinet. Even so holes will need to be cut in the cabinets of most tables saws ro aid flowt

Was thinking about this last night. I have numerous holes in the underside and while I'd like some (at the bottom of the cabinet) to be sealed I could use others to help with the airflow. Is there a prefered airflow hole location, I'm assuming as close as possible to where the dust is discharged, i.e. in line with the blade? Also, what is the ideal size of the hole needed, for a 6inch pipe with an area of ~30sqin?

That's a great use of the Triton guard.I have a Carbatec TS and the guard is far from good and I was in the process of looking for a better one,had seen a couple of posts that the price of a replacement (but better) of the same type was very exy.
I had used my Triton for many years and allthough it has some shortcomings the guard was always no problem.
Heading down to the work shop to start making one of those,GREAT IDEA

All done,used the pieces of the old riving knife to make one just like posted,took about 30 minutes.
Great idea

Originally Posted by GarethR

Was going to use a strap of sorts from the ceiling, this should relieve some stress put on the guard and splitter. All my machines are on wheels, the plan is to wheel each machine over to dusty as needed thus eliminating hose lengths, etc. Might be an inconvenience but will see how I go.

Thats the penalty paid for machines on wheels - Been there and done that and even though I have very little space I now prefer to have fixed machines where I can.

Was thinking about this last night. I have numerous holes in the underside and while I'd like some (at the bottom of the cabinet) to be sealed I could use others to help with the airflow. Is there a prefered airflow hole location, I'm assuming as close as possible to where the dust is discharged, i.e. in line with the blade?

The hole does not need to be near where the dust is being made as long as the major air flow path goes past the discharge point

Also, what is the ideal size of the hole needed, for a 6inch pipe with an area of ~30sqin?

If you have a 6" pipe and a existing number of smaller holes leading into the cabinet then the rule of thumb I use is that where possible the total cross sectional area of holes should be twice that of the cross sectional area of the 6" pipe. Now I know it is hard to cut holes in a nice cabinet but one approach is something like this.

Hi E.Pete, getting back to the topic of this thread:

[QUOTEHopefully, the pics show the easy height adjustment & for those familiar with the guard, the built-in anti kick back pawls are very clever! Another][/QUOTE]

i am not familiar with this guard. How is the height adjustment done, and where are the anti-kickback pawls?

how will it go over a 10" saw blade?

do you know where I can get one of these guards, please?

also, how many bolts are holdining your splitter / riving knofe in position?

The height adjustment is done by undoing the black knob then sliding up/down to suit the thickness of the stock you are using.
When you slide it down have the guard just in contact with the stock that's when the anti kick back comes into play,the small plastic lugs on the bottom of the guard do very well,just don't have it too far down that it jams.
Will it handle a 10 inch blade ? yes the Triton was made to have 935 mm portable saw fitted.
How many bolts lock the new system on,I have one that locked the riving knife in the old mode.The fitting mine bolts up to has a base that keeps it square and very rigid.
Can you get these guards? I believe you can as a spare part from bunnies or other Triton retailers.

IMO this idea is a beauty,wish I had thought of it.

Just an after thought,on my TS with the fence on the right hand side I reversed the locking knob on the Triton guard to lock on the left side as it prevents the fence getting close (Triton operates with the fence on the left side)

NRB, thanks for the follow up. As the internet attests, American style guards almost encourage users to remove them as they are so clumsy to use. The Triton guard & push sticks are a much safer option & it is easily fitted. I am keen to cobble up a 100mm port over the guard as BobL suggests. I will modify the factory Proshop guard with sewer pipe. Will post some pics if it works. Pete