PSI Woodworking TSGUARD Table Saw Dust Collection Guard
by PSI Woodworking
|
Our Price: $231.93 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of PSI Woodworking TSGUARD Table Saw Dust Collection Guard
Customer Review: PSI Woodworking TSGUARD Table Saw Dust Collection Guard
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been looking at this item for a few years now. I am a woodworker with 40 years of experience and was getting concerned over my fingers and the spinning saw blade. Probability and statistics will catch up with you. I reviewed all the comments and decided to purchase the item even though many of the comments were negative. Here are my findings after installing and using the guard. First, the item arrived intact with no damage to either the box or the parts inside. The parts are well made and should last for many years. Second, the instructions were not the greatest but there were several valuable pieces of infomation in them which should be followed to help insure a properly installed and functioning unit. I would suggest that you read the instructions a few times before you begin any installation. I would not follow some of the advise which told you to throw the instructions away. Third, have a plan before you begin. I changed the basic installation plan by combining the ceiling and floor mount together. I moved the floor mount to the center of gravity of the horizontal red dust tube and suspended it from the ceiling. This resulted in a rigid installation with zero sag on either end of the long red tube. I then connected the end of the long red tube to my central 2hp cyclone dust collecting system duct at the right hand side of my saw using the supplied adapter and 4 inch hose which feeds into a 5 inch pipe. I mounted a 2.5 dust gate to the other end of the red tube and then mounted a 2.5 inch Rockler swivel between the gate and the 2.25 inch supplied dust hose. This reduced the amount of force it took to raise the blade guard since you were not twisting the 2.25 inch hose. The guard assembly now moves freely up and down with no sag or binding. The blade guard assembly was installed per the instuctions. This total installation provides 78 inches of clear space to the right of my saw blade. By paying attention to the air flow and keeping all the flexible hoses to a minimum, the system works great. There is no problem with the airflow in the long red tube. The clear plastic blade guard provides great visability while still keeping you fingers away from the blade. Would I buy this unit again? The answer is definitly yes. Would I spend three or four times the amount for another brand which basicly does the same thing using the same principles--definitly no. Hope this helps-Retwoodeng
Customer Review: Works very well
Summary: 4 Stars
My unit arrived in good condition. I have used it on a table saw bolted to the ceiling for 18 months and my only complaint is that it gets in the way of lumber taller than 9" and my head when I want to check alignment from above the blade. The dust hood and suspension assembly can be removed but this takes a minute and is therefore not convenient. To solve this I see I can change the TSGUARD to the floor mounted option where there is a built-in swivel at the top of the main mast tube that will allow it to be easily pushed out of the way.
This unit operates easiy and the counter balance works well. The reason it is not a 5 star is the 2-1/2" flex tube size restricts the air volume, in this regard the Exaktor with 4" tubing is better -but $220 better? Perhaps this has as much to do with the 1-1/2hp dust extractor I use being marginally sized? If I were to do this all over I wonder if I wouldn't simply build something from scratch as there is nothing particularly complex about the components.
Update June 2010 - 6 months ago I upgraded my dust extraction to a 5-hp cyclone unit by Clearvue and I moved the TSGUARD to floor mount. The 2-1/2" flex tube does restrict air but if the guard is close to sitting on top of the wood being cut I do not see any dust escaping, only larger wood fragments thrown forward from the blade on some dense but brittle hardwood. I have 7-foot rails on the table saw fence so the reach of the TSGUARD when floor mounted is just over 6-feet. It took some steel diagonal bracing on the vertical member to keep the horizontal tubing even close to horizontal. I don't think any reasonably priced design could correct this amount of flexing, but to fix this I added a hook and chain from the ceiling above the blade which supports the horizontal tubing right at horizontal. For the times I want more blade access I unhook the horizontal tubing and push it away. All in all I am very happy with the TSGUARD. In writing this it occurs to me that the 45-degree bracing I used on the mast is actually doing most of the flexing, that if I stiffen this bracing I might remove much of the flexing. I will have to play with this some more.
Customer Review: marginal value received
Summary: 3 Stars
I have a Powermatic 2000 with a zero clearance insert hooked up to a 3hp cyclone dust collector, and don't use the supplied blade guard. Because I was still getting dust off the blade, I thought this type collector would do two things: 1) catch more dust, and 2) provide some additional safety. It helps with the safety factor (unless I have it swiveled out of the way), but is only marginally effective in gathering more dust.
Although connected in the recommended fashion to the dust collector, in practice, dust exiting the blade continues to move primarily horizontally across the board towards the user - NOT sucked vertically into the collector. This is because the unit conflicts with either the fence or the miter gauge*, effectively preventing the unit from riding close to the surface. As I spend more time working with it, a better way to operate may become obvious, but at this point, the dust collection improvement isn't significant.
NOTE *: the unit can be horizontally adjusted which would change the relative position with the miter gaure/fence and allow lowering it to the wood's surface. Doing this might help improve the collection effectiveness, but adds a step to the process.
Regarding the shipping: the unit came poorly wrapped/packaged - taped and torn, and material barely contained within the box. Although the pieces were all there (except one hose clamp), some were scratched. Others have previously commented on this - with no apparent improvement by the mfr.
Regarding the construction: seems to be sturdy, easy to adjust the vertical movement; wouldn't pay more for one of the higher priced units if they are similarly effective. I have mine mounted to be able to swing away from the table, and it easily handles the movement without problem.
The 3-star rating is based on the limited additional collection perceived, and the poor shipping method.
Customer Review: Sure, there are better ones, but you can't beat this one for the price.
Summary: 4 Stars
The only flaw I can find with this unit it that the blade guard is not designed to sit flat against the table and ride the work piece as you push it through the saw. You have to set it above the table at just enough distance for the piece to pass under it. The guard also sits a little cockeyed due to the somewhat rigid hose pushing down on it. But that's all I can complain about. The unit is made of some pretty heavy gauge steel and I suspect it can take some abuse.
Before adding this over arm system to my saw I was getting a face full of saw dust, and I was more than a little concerned for the safety of my saw due to the absence of the blade guard. I use a dado blade frequently and the fixed blade guard was a nuisance to remove and replace, so it just remained removed. Now it's nice to have a little something covering the blade. It's also a pleasure not having to gear up with full facial armor to ward off the steady jet of saw dust that made a bee-line for eyes and nose. I got everything I needed in this unit for about $300 less than every other model.
Set up was easy, despite the fact that I had to make a platform to fasten the base to. There is room to get creative in the way you secure this to your saw if you don't have the traditional cabinet saw with an extension table. Just think outside the box a little and you will have this unit up and running in about an hour.
It was delivered in good time and the packing was appropriate. The item arrived in pristine condition with all the parts.
Customer Review: Good for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this item on Amazon. The packing could probably be better, but then sometimes small items are wrapped so much you destroy them trying to get them out of the box and the plastic wrap. I had someone working on the installation and when I went out to see how he was doing, he was having problems with the instructions. However, the whole thing is pretty intuitive if you are a little mechnically inclined. We decided to bolt it to the side of the Hitachi saw table and it took a little manuevering to get it where it needed to be, but now very stury. The cover it a bit crooked when up in the air but straight put over the blade. I added an extra handle, and want to look for a light. I was going to pay almost $600.00 for the HTC but glad I did not. This seems to be just fine. I haven't actually cut any wood yet but for a novice, I feel better about the safety if affords and the extra dust collection. The arm was much too long for my use, but the portable band saw corrected that problem with little trouble. I think it has a lot of flexiability, is built very stury, and for the price, you can't beat it with a stick--well you could beat it with a stick and do no damage. :)