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Shop
built Blade Cover
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The basic design I borrowed from
Al
Amaral's design, which I found by searching the
web and also from a design found in a Badger Pond article that
now in
Wood Central's archives. Mine is essentially a
Beisemeyer design with a Brett-guard style basket. After looking
at the commercial units (and their prices), I decided to build
my own.
If you are looking for another GREAT design, complete with a
listing of the materials used and design thinking, check out
John
Veillon's guard. He has come up with a very
elegant solution to shop safety and the blade cover. He also has
a great Powermatic!
I have had tons of emails about construction details and
measurements for the blade cover system. So, I decided to add
this page to provide more information and save typing the same
thing over and over.
If you have any questions or are curious about various
measurements, please feel free to contact
me.
The main arm attaches to the table via a piece of angle iron
to prevent forward/back motion and upright is bolted at the
bottom to the mobile base to prevent right/left motion. It's
rock solid!
The box simply bolts to the bottom 7" piece of 1" aluminum
tube. I filled this tube with a piece of hardwood so I could use
screws to attach it rather than nuts and bolts.
I like the low square design of the blade cover because it
maximizes a clear view of the cut line and it also clears away
the dust better.
1" Horizontal Tube Dimensions List (right
picture above)
Top tube = 12"
Middle tube = 14.5"
Bottom of cantilever section tube = 8"
Tube that connects the box to the frame = 7"
1/8" X 1" flat stock (right picture above)
(2) 8" front pieces that freely pivot (left
side of picture)
(2) 9" rear pieces that lock down by the 1/4" bolts and
thru-knobs (right side of picture)
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The "secret" to connecting the tubing together and making the
90-degree turn is placing a piece of hardwood in the 4" piece of
tube (right picture). First, this avoids having to weld the
aluminum tubing (very expensive). Second, the two 9" X 1" X 1/8"
flat stock are simply attached with a couple flathead screws.
The flat head screws seen on the front of the tube (right
picture) simply hold the wood in place, although these are not
really needed.
 
The picture (left) shows an end view of the top most piece of
tubing with the plastic cap removed. What I did to make the
90-degree turn in the tubing was to screw in a hanger/bolt into
the center of the end grain of the top of the 4" piece of
tubing. I also placed a small finish nail about 1/4" from the
hanger/bolt. The nail stops the 4" tubing from spinning on the
hanger/bolt. I then simply drilled matching holes in the side of
the end of the top piece of 1"X12" tubing.
The picture on the right shows the front flat stocks that are
connected to the tubing with 1/4" bolts with the treads cut off,
a hole drilled through the end and a washer and cotter key to
hold it on.
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The 1" aluminum tubing slides into the 4 1/4" X 1 1/4" long
steel tube headstock. I drilled a hole in the top of it and had
a 3/8" nut welded to it. A 3/8" carriage bolt, thru-knob and
locknut locks the tubing in place. The headstock is welded to
37" of 1 1/4" steel tubing, which slides into the 1 1/2" steel
tubing (below). This allows the cover assembly to slide
laterally left and right, to place the blade in the middle of
the cover for wide cuts and the blade to the far right side of
the cover for ripping thin strips. Folks do not like blade
covers because they get in the way. If it slides left and right
like mine does, this adjustable action alleviates much of this
hassle.
The horizontal 1 1/2" steel tube is 25 1/2" long. It has a
bolt and locking system like the headstock above. The 9 1/2"
gussets add support and are welded to the horizontal tube and
vertical steel tubes.
  
The two 1 1/2" steel tube uprights are 21 1/2" long (left
picture). They are welded at both the top and bottom. The leg
(middle picture) is 38 1/2" long and is welded at the top but
bolts to the mobile base below (right picture). The wood block
is simply filler for the gap.
The 1 1/2" X 22" angle iron is welded to the uprights and
ensures the uprights stay rigid!
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