The origin of the band saw can be dated back to 1864. The safety of this 153 year old machine was first formalized in 1917 when the American Society of Mechanical Engineers first promulgated their safety standards for woodworking equipment. For the next 100 years, the safety of the vertical band saw has enjoyed a progress-free existence. Review of the ANSI standards indicate no significant change, in spite of the classical shortcomings that always subject workers to an unguarded saw blade during the band saw¡¯s idling, run-down, and stationary phases. During operation, most of the space between the table top and the upper guide rolls is filled with the workpiece. The portion of the blade above the guide rolls is required to be enclosed. This paper describes an invention that always guards the entire band saw blade unless cutting is called for. The guide rolls are constantly in contact with the table top until a foot control causes the guide roll to raise to a preset elevation exposing the band saw¡¯s ¡°point-of-operation.¡± A simple retrofit uses almost all of the original hardware and adds only a foot controlled ¡°lifting/lowering¡± capability to the guide post or the attached blade guard. Examples of a retrofitted meat saw and a vertical wood/metal working band saw are explored.

meat saw, band saw, vertical band saw, saw guard