# New to me tablesaw



## sead0nkey (May 18, 2011)

I picked up a used Ridgid 2412 table saw. Its missing the entire blade guard assemble. I was thinking of adding the MJ splitter to my ZCIs. Is a splitter alone enough to be safe? Of course I would still be using push sticks/pads/feather boards. I was thinking of adding the MJ splitter to my ZCIs.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Hi,
Splitter with guard is safer than just a splitter. Having just the splitter is safer than no splitter at all. Every safety device added decreases the chance of having a bad injury when things go wrong.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I've found that a splitter and 2 grrippers provides me with more safety than any blade guard, push stick system that I've ever used. I like the way the grripper holds down both pieces throughout the cut while keeping my hands well above and protected from the blade. After the cut is complete you can continue to hold both pieces in perfect alignment with the grripper while you move them around to the side of the blade and back to you. No other method that I've found provides this capability.

Charley


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

CharleyL said:


> I've found that a splitter and 2 grrippers provides me with more safety than any blade guard, push stick system that I've ever used. I like the way the grripper holds down both pieces throughout the cut while keeping my hands well above and protected from the blade. After the cut is complete you can continue to hold both pieces in perfect alignment with the grripper while you move them around to the side of the blade and back to you. No other method that I've found provides this capability.
> 
> Charley


While I agree that having a splitter helps with kickbacks, having the blade guard would help is something happened also. It will keep your body parts from coming in contact with the spinning blade in that blink of an eye & severing them off for good. But your are right in that keeping control of your material goes a long way.


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Welcome, just remember to be carefull on the table saw even with gaurds in place they can be one dangerous machine as well as prolly one of the most used causing people to get extra comfy with them ....


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## sead0nkey (May 18, 2011)

Shark guard sounds like what I need. Hate to spend more on the guard then the saw but I guess I need to look at it as a package deal.Thank you to all reply's.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

sead0nkey said:


> Is a splitter alone enough to be safe? Of course I would still be using push sticks/pads/feather boards.


In a word, No! You need a guard as well. The suspended overhead guards used on some industrial machinery is probably the safest style of guard and they can be bought in (like the Brett Guard) or home-made; take a look at this one and this one to see what I mean. 

I know this will potentially get me some grief but personally I'm against pushers such as the Gripper because they can leave your hand next to the saw blade. Over here we're taught to use longer push sticks which leave the hands at least 12 inches behind the blade at all times, but to achieve this you have to modify your rip fence to produce a European-style short rip fence, like this one demonstrated by Steve Maskery. The reason for using the short rip fence for sawing is that, in conjunction with a riving knife/splitter and a guard, it is a far safer way to rip down timber and you're a lot less likely to experience a kickback (and is why this approach is mandatory in European commercial wood shops). For further information I'd suggest the article by Barb Siddiqui & Richard Jones as worthwhile reading.

Safe sawing!

Regards

Phil


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## May23 (Jul 20, 2011)

Splitter with guard is much safer I think.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Go to youtube and watch the demonstration videos for the Micro Jig Grrriper. They can't be used with a blade guard, but they can be used with the Micro Jig splitter, and they are orders of magnitude safer than using a blade guard and push sticks. Using the Grrriper gives you much better control of your stock than you can ever have with push sticks and, while you are hanging onto the Grrriper handle, your hand is well above and completely clear of the blade.

Both your work and the offcut are being held down against the saw table and the fence all the way through the cut. This prevents both the work and the offcut from lifting and kicking back at you. By holding both pieces in perfect alignment with each other and against the fence all the way through the cut you are in full control of them and you get more accurate cuts with no blade induced taper at the trailing end of your pieces. After 50 years of using blade guards and push sticks I had some difficulty adjusting to the Grripers, but I am now totally convinced that they are the most significant table saw safety device yet to be offered. They will work with any table saw and router tables too. Yes, they're more expensive than push sticks, but they're much cheaper than a Sawstop, and the cost of finger surgery could pay for a whole wood shop.

I have no connection with Micro Jig except for being very satisfied with their products.

Charley


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