Adding some safety

About a year ago I added an extension table and fence to my table saw. When I did that, the blade guard could no longer be mounted on the saw. Along with that went the splitter and anti-kickback pawls.

After paying my friends at my local Woodcraft a visit, I ordered the Excalibur Over Arm Blade Cover. The arm mounts to the end of my table extension and reaches over to suspend the guard over the blade. It includes a connection to my dust collector to remove dust from the area of the blade.







The support bracket mounts on the end of the extension table. There is an unpublished requirement that the table top be a minimum of three inches thick. I rabbeted a 2x6 to fit the end of the table to expand the thickness. The six mounting bolts go through the end of the table top and the added board.








The mounting bracket includes a lock mechanism. When unlocked, the arm can swing to the back of the table to be completely out of the way. When in the locked position, there is an adjustment to make sure the arm returns to be in alignment with the blade. The vacuum system attaches to the bottom of the arm at this point.







Installed, the arm has plenty or reach and strength to be over the blade. Support arms under the table provide adjustment to get the arm parallel to the table top. A flexible pipe delivers the suction from the overhead arm to the guard.






















Parallel arms keep guard level to the table.













 A handle locks the guard out of the way.

Next stop, a zero clearance insert and splitter.