PSA:Check your Grizzly bandsaw blade guard

Jeff Horton

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Yea, I got bit. If you have a Griz with a riser block check that add on blade guard to make sure if can't move and expose the blade. It isn't clear in this photo but the blade guard leaves the blade just barely exposed at the top.

Imgp8945.jpg


Tonight I was cutting out boat frames. Placed one on the table and when I spun around for some reason I had my left hand up in the air and you guessed it. I backhanded the guard right at the top and sliced to fingers. Just one of the freak things that I still not sure why happened. I can't figure out why I hit it but I did. The guard bent and my fingers hit the blade.

Cut looks bad but it just a flesh wound. Needless to say it bleed really good and was hard to get it to stop. After the initial panic I could see it was not serious. Just didn't want to stop bleeding though. Of course it scared my wife. She was just certain it was bad and it did look it. But just a deep flesh cut.

Not sure how to fix the guard but odds are slim of ever hitting it way I did again.

And for the morbidly curious, here is photo. Notice how it sliced the nails too? :D
http://www.kudzupatch.com/temp/Imgp8946.jpg
 
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Ow! Glad to see that it wasn't worse. I'm guessing the blade guard helped keep your fingers from going deeper into the blade. The guard on my Shop Fox saw is also kinda dicey near the top when it's extended all the way down. Like you, I don't know of a good fix. :dunno:
 
Glad to see it was only a deep scratch. I just looked at mine and it doesn't exposed the blade, when down. Maybe it is bent just a hair different where it bolts up. It actually all but rubs the blade.
 
Jeff,
Glad it wasn't any worse... gonna be sore for a few days though... gave me the willies though to look at it... don't think I would ever make it as an ER doctor..

I'm definitely afraid enought of my saws that I don't take my eyes off the blades for any reason until I'm clear of the saw.... I didn't like that the Grizzly blade guard is a two piece unit... doesn't really work all that well... I actually had to take the top half off mine because it kept rubbing the upper wheel... makes me nervous being off, so probably will put it back and try to bend it so it's clear of the wheel.
 
I hate to be a bore, Jeff, but that probably needs a stitch or two which you probably don't want to get. I can hear it now, :rolleyes: "I don't need no stinkin' stitches."

As a general rule, if you put direct pressure on a cut for 15 minutes, lift the pressure and it's still bleeding freely, you need stitches. And a tetanus shot! if you haven't had one in the last 10 years!

I know you're going to ignore me. Be glad I'm not your wife. :rofl:
 
I have one wife, I don't need another thank you for the offer though. :D

Had the tetanus shot about this time last year when the kickback mangled my thumb. I remember it well, Nurse was giving me the tetanus shot and the Doctor told me to grab something and gave me the shot of pain killer in my thumb at the same time. Trust me, that was an oxymoron! The shot was worse than the injury! I can only imagine how much it would hurt in your fingers.

The cut isn't as bad as it looks and even my wife didn't see the need for stitches. It's not really sore today, unless you bump it. I am sitting at my computer working/typing with them.
 
Jeff, after reading this I went out to check my saw. I have the Grizzly 14" with riser kit and my guard extends well up into the upper cover. Even with the bearings setting all the way down on the table my guard is about 2-3 inches up inside the cover. Did you replace your guard with the one that came with the riser kit? I bought my saw about 2 years ago.
 
Mine extends up into the cover too.

I managed to twist it a little out of shape but it now covers the blade and will not push out of the way exposing the blade like it did.
 
Jeff, after reading this I went out to check my saw. I have the Grizzly 14" with riser kit and my guard extends well up into the upper cover. Even with the bearings setting all the way down on the table my guard is about 2-3 inches up inside the cover. Did you replace your guard with the one that came with the riser kit? I bought my saw about 2 years ago.

+1 on that as well. My Grizzly has the same setup and measurements as yours. My saw is about 3 years old and is a 14" as yours is
 
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