# Circular saw blade guards .....



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I know a few framers who either wedge the guard in the full retracted position OR remove it entirely leaving the blade exposed. :surprise2:
Today I had occasion to wedge the guard on my 18 V DeWalt trim saw up so I could plunge cut some siding to remove it. It's impossible for me to securely hold the saw and retract the guard in certain positions while standing on a ladder and cut to a line. There were no "issues" while doing this operation and I have done it previously on rare occasions.
I know one experienced framer who has said more than once "I have done more cutting running the saw backwards, than most guys have pushing it forward normally". Not quite the same operation as I did, but not one of the "normal" methods for most folks. 

This was part of a whole house painting project where we discovered some water damage to the OSB under the siding. What a nightmare! In addition to that, I needed to completely remake the door jams for the French doors for the second floor. More water damage because the jambs were made from that chessy finger jointed piece work crap. I used PT this time and milled down 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" and routered in the hinge pockets in the PT, another PITA. 

I had to duplicate the spacing exactly as I was reusing the steel Therma True doors. They fit so closely that NO shims were needed and the were plumb and level! 

The new OSB from the Homeless Despot is now 7/16" thick, not 1/2" as when the house was built 40 years ago. I hate OSB. It should be banned. :sad2:




Has anyone else wedged their circular saw blade guard up? :vs_OMG:


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

The first step out of your French doors is a doozy...looks like you did a good job on your repairs.


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## homestd (Aug 24, 2018)

I've never wedged my blade guard, but I have held it clear more often than I care to admit. This is without a doubt the most dangerous thing you can do with a circular saw and should NEVER be attempted by someone who is inexperienced. That said...In framing and repair, sometimes it is a necessary evil unless you are really just that good with a chainsaw.


And I have never been lucky enough to install a door that didn't require shims.


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## CharleyL (Jan 13, 2019)

I knew a carpenter who removed the guard from his circular saw "because it kept sticking". A month later, when I met him again, he had 74 stitches in his upper leg and he was going to be out of work for a couple of months. I asked him then "why didn't you just adjust it?" His reply "I was in a hurry".

I've moved my saw guard by hand when the use required it, like plunge cutting or cutting angles where the guard interfered, but always made certain that it worked properly before using the saw. The sight of his leg in stitches has come to mind every time I pick up a circular saw to this day, and it was almost 60 years ago that he did it. He damage quite a bit of his upper leg muscle, so he never walked normal or climbed ladders well after that.

Charley


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Sometimes it is best not to mention some of the things we do, most people can come up with enough dangerous ideas on their own.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

As I said some things should stay secret.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Well said, Frank....*



FrankC said:


> As I said some things should stay secret.



The secrets I have shall remain in my head. The other stuff I feel can be posted without the "do this at your own risk and woodworkingtalk is NOT responsible for any occurances that result in loss of bodily fluids or body parts...... warning."


Of course the safety police won't like anything that's the least bit controversial or risky, but we all know taking some chances are just part of the trade/hobby. FYI, I wear a helmet when riding my Harley at all times, even when the state laws to not require it. I went over the handlebars in a slow speed high side years ago and remember the sound of my full coverage helmet hitting the concrete just before my right shoulder also made contact, dislocating my clavicle. 



Almost anything we do is risky these days with drivers on cell phones, spinning blades and cutters, even going up a ladder which I am now very good at ...... after this project.


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

I thought I pointed out the most dangerous thing in the original post. I guess russian air space isn’t as dangerous as it used to be.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The safety railing was removed ......*

In order to replace the door jams, the railing had to come off and that was OK because it needed a coat of paint anyway.


All the siding and sheathing has been replaced as well a the door jams and rehung doors.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

CharleyL said:


> I knew a carpenter who removed the guard from his circular saw "because it kept sticking". A month later, when I met him again, he had 74 stitches in his upper leg and he was going to be out of work for a couple of months. I asked him then "why didn't you just adjust it?" His reply "I was in a hurry".



I had a friend who was working a summer job as a contractor when he had a bad upper thigh accident with a circular saw when the blade guard didn't spring back into place. Supposedly he won $30,000 from a lawsuit against the manufacturer.


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## KenZ (Oct 9, 2019)

I had one of those cases where I needed to jam it open. All good, I was very careful. EXCEPT I forgot to restore it. The next time I used the saw , I set it on the bench before it spun down, it gouged the bench and then skittered towards my other hand. Scared the bejeezes out of me. I have vowed to never do it again.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I have a friend who wired the guard up. He now has a nice 6" scar on his right thigh.


George


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I don't know what the obsession is with using power tools for every job, I have seen guys standing on top of a step ladder with a circular saw reaching up over their head to cut a 2X4 when a good sharp hand saw would have been almost as quick and a lot safer. I guess it is a generational thing, some of us grew up using hand tools in an age before power tools.


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## MaintenanceMan (Jun 25, 2010)

I keep a rubber band on the saw handle and if I need to keep the guard retracted for a cut I can use the rubber band to hold the guard open. I always put the guard back to it's closed position afterwards. It's also dangerous when your used to sitting the saw down while the blade is still winding down. If your guard is up and your not careful you can easily ruin some floor or other surface.


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## MaintenanceMan (Jun 25, 2010)

I can certainly see how water would be prone to getting behind siding run at an angle like that. Caulking between each clap board would be prudent. IMO.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Our home was built in 1962. All the interior door jambs are cheap steel. The hinges are attached using 'rosettes' with a head that emulates a slotted screw. I had to replace a door and figured that I'll just use new hinges pre-installed on the door. "Wrong woodworker, not a carpenter." The new hinges were off a bit but a plane solved that problem. The new hinges (Metric probably) were close in spacing but I had to file the hinges to make them mate. Yuck.

We had an addition added. I'm watching the framing carpenter rip some white wood for the edge of the roof next to the plywood sheeting. He was on the top of the ladder, with a worm drive circular saw with the wood resting on his leg as he held the saw in his right hand pulling the wood through with his left hand. I got up and closed the drapes so I couldn't see. He didn't have an accident (Is stupidity an accident?) on my property but I'm not sure about later. If I had known what he was going to do, I would have ripped the white wood for him on my table saw.

As for the blade guard on a circular saw. . . . . There have been times when cutting a hole is necessary and the blade guard becomes a hinderance rather than a safety device. To solve that problem I use blue masking tape to hold the blade guard out of the way. 

I always wait for the blade to stop spinning before moving any wood that is in contact with the blade. Even using my SCMS I wait for the blade to stop before raising the blade. As an instructor at CC said, "We don't want to cut the wood twice."


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