# opinions on Shark Guard?



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Want to get a grip on table saw above table sawdust collection. Thinking of the Shark Guard. It's about $200 with shipping. Anyone using one? How do you like it? How well does it work? Any hints about it?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I really like mine, Tom. I hated having to take off the old Delta OEM guard; the Shark guard is a much more efficient design. 
For most operations you don't need to remove the rear fin-mount...it's actually the splitter, but for any normal through-cut you'll need to undo the rear fin mounting bolt as well (assuming your saw is set up that way).
In shor,tIMHO money well spent.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Appreciate the query as I was unaware of the device. I'll definitely read up on it.

Dan, care to share a photo of the installation?


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Here's an engineering drawing of the device. Slight differences based on the saw you have. I'm planning on dropping a 2.5 inch flex hose down from ceiling supports. A 4 inch adapter goes on the other end so I can drop it into the long hose that will soon go through the wall, out to the DC unit.


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## artman60 (Nov 22, 2015)

First, an acknowledgement that I am hoping to become a woodworker, I am not one (yet). I have a Shopsmith, my shop is in the basement of our townhouse, and it is also where the washer, dryer, HVAC unit, hot water tank, and all our storage is, so the space serves many uses. I bought a Shark Guard for the Shopsmith. There is a huge difference in the sawdust on top of the unit, and on the floor, than whenI just used the DC on just the bottom of the table saw. This is coming from a highly inexperienced woodworker, but I strongly recommend the Shark Guard. I saw a huge improvement.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Hi Artie, that's exactly the kind of feedback I wanted. I use the table saw as much as possible because it collects a lot of the sawdust, but there's still a ton of it flying around. I think I'm going to get one.


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## artman60 (Nov 22, 2015)

To me the only negative is the cost. You have to rerig your hosing from the DC to get two inputs. If you get one, I’d like to hear your thoughts about it. There was a 2-3 month long wait to get mine, but the guy there (his name escapes me) was very upfront about that.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Yeh...the wait. They are custom made, one at a time so, yup.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*A Little Light Housekeeping*



JFPNCM said:


> Appreciate the query as I was unaware of the device. I'll definitely read up on it.
> 
> Dan, care to share a photo of the installation?


You're gonna make me clean up the tablesaw aren't you....


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

artman60 said:


> First, an acknowledgement that I am hoping to become a woodworker, I am not one (yet)


You work with wood, inexperienced or not, you're a woodworker.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

DaninVan said:


> You're gonna make me clean up the tablesaw aren't you....


No need to "clean" unless the gaurd is buried. :surprise:


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Artie may believe he's inexperienced however, he is well on his way.


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## rrrun (Jun 17, 2014)

I believe this is just the ticket for me.

I do use my table saw to break down long stock. I have some concern about how the above blade dust collection will be rigged, as the saw sits under my garage door. Any pix on how to do that well will be most appreciated!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*I Think of it as 'Protected'*



JFPNCM said:


> No need to "clean" unless the guard is buried. :surprise:


My lips are sealed...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Gene Howe said:


> Artie may believe he's inexperienced however, he is well on his way.


Artie's the kind of guy I think I'd like to hang out with. Sounds pretty open to me.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*Motivation...*



JFPNCM said:


> No need to "clean" unless the guard is buried. :surprise:


How bad can it be? (For $40)
https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/6-in-orbital-palm-polisher/A-p8336877e
I'll be going out to the shop to face the music, pretty soon...I need to water the garden first.


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## artman60 (Nov 22, 2015)

JOAT said:


> You work with wood, inexperienced or not, you're a woodworker.


I’ll cheerfully admit to being a sawdust manufacturer LOL.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Pictures.
On Delta Contractor saw.
-black fin on table is for taller material
-star knob securing rear vertial fin is my addition...it's a bit of an issue if tyou want to do an angle cut as the knob hits the underside of the insert.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Well, I want ahead and ordered it this morning. All the feedback is very positive. I got the 2.5 inch version and will use a Y 4/2.5 inch splitter and blast gate to connect it to the DC. Says they have a 1 week lead time, which suggests I should look for delivery in 2-3 weeks. Thanks guys for your help, I appreciate it.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

2-3 weeks?! Is that Metric or Imperial?
I think mine was three MONTHS. Sounds like they've really ramped up production; Musk, take note.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

The shop only needs cleaning when you walk into the shop and you can't see anything below your ankles.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

It's gotta look like something was done in there!!


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> 2-3 weeks?! Is that Metric or Imperial?
> I think mine was three MONTHS. Sounds like they've really ramped up production; Musk, take note.


I'll let you guys know how long it takes.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Preaching to the choir, John... 
Seriously though, the one thing I do try and keep reasonably clear is the floor, ie tripping hazards. (Foot-in-mouth is a figure of speech; I'd like to keep it theoretical.)


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Regarding shop cleanliness, I've never been accused of getting near godliness.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Gene Howe said:


> Regarding shop cleanliness, I've never been accused of getting near godliness.


The subject has come up in my shop (a couple of times), in the form of profanity.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Isn't a little swearing a normal part of completing a project?


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Reminds one of the old story of a VERY prim and proper gentlemen who entered a pub one evening and found the only seat available was at the bar next to a very filthy old man best described as a 'bum". In need of his evening gin and tonic the gentlemen sat down and with great disdain looked at the bum and said "Cleanliness is next to godliness", Shakespeare. The old bum looked up through his reddened eyes and replied, "F**** you", Tennessee Williams. >>

Apologies if the above is too offensive I assume a Moderator will pull it.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

@DaninVan

How well does it work with a zero clearance plate? Assume one would have to notch out the back accordingly. 

Jon


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

JFPNCM said:


> @DaninVan
> 
> How well does it work with a zero clearance plate? Assume one would have to notch out the back accordingly.
> 
> Jon


Good question. I have mostly factory blanks that have the guard cutout already. You'd have to cut that opening, I'm sure. I only use full kerf blades anymore, so as long as the blade is 90 to the table, I only need a couple of inserts.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

DesertRatTom said:


> Good question. I have mostly factory blanks that have the guard cutout already. You'd have to cut that opening, I'm sure. I only use full kerf blades anymore, so as long as the blade is 90 to the table, I only need a couple of inserts.


Tom:

Thanks. I've not been able to find any factory blanks for my JET so I bought mine through Lee Valley. I'll search JET again.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Jon; the only through connection is that black vertical fin /splitter. The anti-kickback pawls will hit the face of the zero-clearance insert but that wouldn't affect anything...maybe leave marks on it ...they're pretty sharp.
The only other consideration is how well the dust collection would work(?). If you're using the moulded in outlet on the top of the guard then I'm guessing there'd be excellent efficiency.
My only 'complaint' is, and I've found work arounds, that the guard is fairly wide, and kind of limits the width of material between the blade and the fence. I just made up a longish block (sort of looks like a wooden plane) that allows me to move the fence about another 3" away from the blade. In other words, the block is low enough that it doesn't interfere with the guard but I still have a parallel edge to run my stock against.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Jon; ...My only 'complaint' is, and I've found work arounds, that the guard is fairly wide, and kind of limits the width of material between the blade and the fence. I just made up a longish block (sort of looks like a wooden plane) that allows me to move the fence about another 3" away from the blade. In other words, the block is low enough that it doesn't interfere with the guard but I still have a parallel edge to run my stock against.


Really good idea Dan. It is one consideration I had because I often cut narrow pieces. This would help with that problem. Kind of a fence extender. Might work even better with use of the thin rip gadget Harry posted recently. You could even find a way to connect it to the fence.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

@DaninVan @DesertRatTom

Appreciate the comments. I currently use Microjig splitters on my zero clearance inserts and they work great. I could stay with that approach but then mounting the guard becomes an issue. Food for thought. 

Jon


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I guess it comes down to what you're comfortable with. For me having a blade guard and anti-kickback pawls is what I need for feeling safe around the TS.
I recognize that a lot of members work without that security, and have done for a long time.


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

DaninVan said:


> My only 'complaint' is, and I've found work arounds, that the guard is fairly wide, and kind of limits the width of material between the blade and the fence. I just made up a longish block (sort of looks like a wooden plane) that allows me to move the fence about another 3" away from the blade. In other words, the block is low enough that it doesn't interfere with the guard but I still have a parallel edge to run my stock against.


Just a thought...could you rest the edge of the Shark on the top of the fence?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Absolutely, Gene, but in my case I like to use a saw handle style push stick on that side of the blade. The low lying spacer block gives me lots of room to get in there without interference from the guard while I'm pushing my material through.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Gene Howe said:


> Just a thought...could you rest the edge of the Shark on the top of the fence?


I don't think that would work reliably. It definitely needs to mount on the riving knife. A little FYI, you have to choose the thickness of the Shark Guard supplied riving knife. My existing one was .090. It's apparently about centering the knife on the full kerf blade. Got me motivated to put the existing knife back on. 

The delayed delivery gives me some time to rearrange the DC setup and move it out into the new breezeway. Ordered a through the wall, 4 inch tube to get the inside hoses connected to the DC setup. Have a Y connecter somewhere around here.


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Oh, I wasn't aware it attached to the riving knife. I'm sooo mechanically inept.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Gene Howe said:


> Oh, I wasn't aware it attached to the riving knife. I'm sooo mechanically inept.


Not to your knife, the send you a new knife made of stainless. It has the clip on, fast disconnect hardware on the top. They make a number of models to fit different saws. The mounting lets you take it off when necessary.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Good catch, Tom; I wasn't picturing what Gene was asking. You could in theory rest the guard on top of the fence_ only if you had the tall fin mount installed_and maybe not even then depending on fence height, otherwise, with the shorter fin mount, the hardware at the back end would be stopping the fence from getting any closer to the blade.
Having said that, it's only a couple of seconds to pull the guard off it's fin mount; but If you're going to do that, why use it in the first place.


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## artman60 (Nov 22, 2015)

Gene Howe said:


> Artie may believe he's inexperienced however, he is well on his way.


I don’t even know, what I don’t know, yet.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

artman60 said:


> I don’t even know, what I don’t know, yet.


By the time you know all you don't know, you'll be gone. The next project is often where you find out you don't know for sure how to do it. Unless you're Stick, of course. 240 years in the trades you know. :wink:


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

You never know the depths of your knowledge. It gets deeper every time you reach for it.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Gene and Artie, what there is to do is to just start making stuff. Start with cheap wood. so you don't bust your bank as you learn. At first, concentrate on having your tools set up as square as you can get them, you'll be surprised how fast you start getting nice stuff. Then you can buy some GOOD wood.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

JFPNCM said:


> @DaninVan
> 
> How well does it work with a zero clearance plate? Assume one would have to notch out the back accordingly.
> 
> Jon


I saw a tip a while back on adding the splitter groove to an aftermarket zero clearance plate

- with another plate installed in the saw, raise the blade and drop the plate that needs to be modified over the blade.

- move the fence until it touches the edge of the plate that is to be modified.

- remove the plate from the saw blade, mark the extent of the splitter slot on the top of the plate.

- raise the saw blade to max height and cut the slot for the splitter in the plate.

I have different zero-clearance plates, depending on the kerf width, and swap them out depending on the blade that I'm using so guess that I would have to keep doing this.

Because the blade will cut a deeper (longer) slot on the bottom of the plate, you may need to make an adjustment to the mark to cut the slot shallower and then rework by hand.

I've been trying to modify my OEM guard to add dust collection with very mixed results. I hadn't heard about the Shark Guard before, looks like this may be the way to go. I use a mix of thin- and full-kerf blades, and it would seem that the "thin" option on the splitter would be the way to go. I sent an e-mail to the company to confirm this, waiting for a reply.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I have an HD shop vac, would it be strong enough to suck up the dust? I think mine is the biggest they sell.


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## OBG65 (May 5, 2018)

Had it on a Rigid contractor saw and it was fantastic. I now have a Grizzly G0833P hybrid that uses the same concept as the Shark Guard. You won't go wrong with it.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

hawkeye10 said:


> I have an HD shop vac, would it be strong enough to suck up the dust? I think mine is the biggest they sell.


I'd bet you $20 that it will do fine for the guard. But it likely won't be enough to pull both above and below the blade output. I have a couple of Harbor Freight 4 inch DC units, one for each of two shop locations. The one for the saw is getting moved outside into a covered breezeway area between the shop and office sheds. I'm putting a Y splitter attachment where the DC pipe goes throught he wall. The small connection will go to the Shark Guard, the 4 inch will suck out the below table sawdust. I'll put a 2.5 inch blast gate on the small port for when I don't need it. 

I also have a Shop Vac, but it's gone largely unused since getting the HF units.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

DesertRatTom said:


> I'd bet you $20 that it will do fine for the guard. But it likely won't be enough to pull both above and below the blade output. I have a couple of Harbor Freight 4 inch DC units, one for each of two shop locations. The one for the saw is getting moved outside into a covered breezeway area between the shop and office sheds. I'm putting a Y splitter attachment where the DC pipe goes throught he wall. The small connection will go to the Shark Guard, the 4 inch will suck out the below table sawdust. I'll put a 2.5 inch blast gate on the small port for when I don't need it.
> 
> I also have a Shop Vac, but it's gone largely unused since getting the HF units.


Tom, I have a Grizzly DC hooked up to the lower half of the saw but that doesn't do anything for the top, does it?


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

hawkeye10 said:


> Tom, I have a Grizzly DC hooked up to the lower half of the saw but that doesn't do anything for the top, does it?


You have to have a splitter in the shape of a Y. The straight through portion is 4 inches, the other opening is 2.5 inches and comes in at a 45 degree angle. You can see it in the picture. I will place a blast gate in the 2.5 inch part so I can close it off when I'm not using the table saw.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Well, been sidetracked a little by this 6mm kidney stone that keeps poking at me, but finally got my Shark Guard ordered this morning. Lee confirmed that the correct splitter would be the thin kerf option as I use both thin- and full-kerf blades. My 4" DC hose is attached to the output on the saw with an "old-style" Rockler Dust Right Handle - a much better design, IMO, that the current one as it fits tighter on the output fitting - as I switch the hose between machines. This means that I'll have to buy another 4"-2-1/2" Y-splitter. I do have the 90° splitter that I took of my router table following the discussion about the increased flow of the "Y" versus straight fittings a while ago, and may try that for a while to see what kind of results I get before spending more money


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

@tomp913

Bummer on the stone. Hope it passes peacefully.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

@JFPNCM

Thanks. No such luck unfortunately. Oh well.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*Doin' It Right*



tomp913 said:


> Well, been sidetracked a little by this 6mm kidney stone that keeps poking at me, but finally got my Shark Guard ordered this morning. Lee confirmed that the correct splitter would be the thin kerf option as I use both thin- and full-kerf blades. My 4" DC hose is attached to the output on the saw with an "old-style" Rockler Dust Right Handle - a much better design, IMO, that the current one as it fits tighter on the output fitting - as I switch the hose between machines. This means that I'll have to buy another 4"-2-1/2" Y-splitter. I do have the 90° splitter that I took of my router table following the discussion about the increased flow of the "Y" versus straight fittings a while ago, and may try that for a while to see what kind of results I get before spending more money


I love it that the 'Boss' takes the time to deal directly with the clients!
Good folks to work with.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

My guard shipped out a couple of days ago, but it's coming USPS and has spent two days so far in a post office back East. It will likely arrive after I've left on Wednesday. Oh well.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

tomp913 said:


> @JFPNCM
> 
> Thanks. No such luck unfortunately. Oh well.


regrets on that one. Hopeful for a better passing.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Well, the Shark Guard arrived today. The box was kind of crushed, but they'd put some spacers in to protect the parts. Unfortunately, I don't have any time to try it out until next week. But it fit on the saw just fine. The 2.5 inch port on the Shark looks a little light weight to me, and maybe 3D printed. I'm going to mount the hose so it doesn't apply angular forces on the port, maybe some light springs. Guess I'm moving the DC next. I'll post a review after checking it out.


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