LeeWay Workshop -Ridgid and Craftsman Saw Shark Mounting Guide

LeeWay Workshop

November 21, 2008

HOME

MY SHOP

PROJECTS

OTHER SITES

SHARK GUARDS

SHARK GEAR

CONTACT

Installing the Shark Guard (newer version splitters)
When you receive your Shark Guard, verify that nothing was damaged in shipping. Here is a current list of parts that should be included with a standard package. The Shark Guard Clamp assembly Three different sized splitters rear mounting bracket with spring plunger 1/16" hex wrench Shark face decals Other accesories you may have ordered

Installation
Lets start with the Shark Splitter, since this is the heart of this guard system and will be used most often. I suggest you apply some Johnson's Paste wax or Minwax Paste wax to the Splitters. This should be done periodically to clean the splitters and to slick up the surfaces to reduce friction. Disconnect the power source. Never count on your switch alone to control the power when working on machinery. They can fail. Currently, these splitters are designed to mount similar to your OEM blade guard. You can find the original splitter mounting instructions in this PDF on pages 36 and 37. The shark splitter utilizes the mounting bracket at the rear of the saw. Your original blade guard/splitter mounts to this triangular aluminum bracket using 2 screws and nuts. These splitters were not bent at a 90 degree angle. They were off some. For this reason, I have 4 set screws in the rear shark bracket. These are used to align the splitters to 90 degrees to the blade. You will only have to align these once. Once set @ 90, it should maintain this setting. You may need to swivel the aluminum bracket forward on it's pivot to get the new splitters both closer to the blade and parallel to the table. The two larger splitters are for use with the guard. The one you would use most I think is the middle sized one. This is for use when cutting stuff like plywood and material that is less than 1.5 inches thick. The taller splitter should only be used when cutting stock thicker than 1.5 inches.

The images below are from the original beta test models, so these will look slightly different than what you receive now. The exploded image above more closely resembles these packages with the exception of the new spring loaded bracket at the rear. This spring plunger is fairly easy to operate. You pull the knob back to install or remove each splitter. The splitters have a hole that this plunger seats into. Make sure the knob seats fully back to the bracket and then you are certain that the splitters are captured.

There are 4 set screws on the right side next to the knob. They are used to remove any play between the splitters and the bracket. They press on the brass shim. Don't make thee too tight. Just tight enough so you can easily install and remove splitters and they have no play once installed.

Splitter Alignment
At this point of setup you will need to align or verify alignment of the splitter to the blade. Install your blade if you have removed it earlier. You will need to use a straight edge, steel ruler, framing square or something similar. The splitter needs to be completely in the shadow of the blade. If you looked from the front of the blade dead on at the blade while squinting, you should not see the splitter at the sides of the blade. Alignment can be accomplished a couple different ways. There are two slots in the rear of each splitter. These slip into the new shark bracket at the rear. Tighten the two knobs well. You may have to loosen and rotate the screw some, but you want the knobs to tighten so that the wings on the knob are in the same plane as the table top. This way they will not interfere with cutting.

Shorty Splitter Info
Your Shark Guard comes with a shorty splitter. This is to utilize when you can't have the larger splitter or the guard in place. Removal of the guard and splitter is a necessity for doing some sawing operations on your saw. This short splitter is also helpful in the prevention of kickbacks. It serves three functions. It helps to prevent the saw kerf from closing in on itself and grabbing the rear teeth of the blade. It assists in maintaining the width of the stock from the fence to the blade and helps prevent twisting of this stock into the rear teeth of the blade. This splitter may also be useful when using things like the "Gripper" push shoe.

Installing the 8.0 version and better Clamp
Here are a couple exploded diagrams of an 8.0 and better clamps. The larger bushings on an 8.4 go to the left side. The curves on the bottom of the clamp halves are at the front. Plain bronze bushings are on the rear bolts. Machined brass bushings are on the front bolt. It will be basically the same setup without pawls.

Shark face decal application
I have had two different styles of decals. The first type is self adhesive type. The decals come in two parts. The mouth and the eye. If you are looking at the shark from the front, the decals go in on the left side. I like to use Windex (any glass cleaner) and a soft cotton cloth like a T-shirt to clean the guard first. It may help to look at a photo like this one below. Remember, you are looking at the reverse side in this image. This was done so that you wouldn't have to handle the decal when moving the shark. It also gives is a nice appearance from the outside of the lexan. Next I spray a little pool of Windex where the decal will go. Then I peel the backing off the decal (can be difficult at times) and place the decal on the Windex. I hold it in place and start gently pressing the windex and air bubbles out from under the decal. Once all the air bubbles are out, that one is done. Repeat for the other. If you need to position the decal, it is easy before it's stuck. You can lift a corner and apply more Windex. You should be able to reposition it then. The second type is water slide decals. Below are the instructions for those. These are the newer ones. They have a white opaque backing. You will only be needing to do step 5 and 6. * Step #1: Design your decals using any graphic software program. (Use 8 1/2 " x 11" sheet INK JET Decal Paper or cut sheet into half if desired.) * Step #2: Set your printer as follows: o Resolution = Best o Paper = Photo Gloss o (Print your decal on the glossy side of INK JET Decal Paper.) * Step #3: Spray your printed sheet evenly with Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear High Gloss spray until the sheet has a shine (2-3 coats). Allow 30 to 60 minutes to dry and set. (This product is available at any craft or hardware store such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Walmart, etc. Any acrylic clear coat spray will work.) * Step #4: Cut out your image using a standard pair of sharp household scissors. * Step #5: Place decal into a cup of clean water for 45-60 seconds and remove when the thin decal film begins to slip along backing. (Discard backing material after the decal has been removed) * Step #6: Apply decal to clean surface; ceramic, glass, metal, plastic, soap, candles, mylar balloons, model trains, planes, cars, etc. Here is a link to a PDF file that you can print out. It will help you get the proper placement for these. Just print page two. Lay the guard down on the image and then you will be able to place the decals on the inside where they should go.
Decal placement file.

The 8.4 model 4" dust port Shark Guard
Here are some initial photo's of the 4" port model. I have offset the port to the left side of the guard. I have also left the clamp where it was and extended the bushings on the left side to get the extra width. This guard is the same distance from the fence as the 8.0. 1" is the distance from the right side of the guard to the blade. The guard in these photo's is actually longer than the typical guards for a 10" saw. The smaller of the two is the typical length. The bigger one is for a new line of 12" saws that I am just finishing up. The Grizzly 5959. There will be an added $15 cost for these larger ports. More material and the 4" polycarbonate is not only much more costly, but also a heck of a lot harder to bend and install. Now I tested this with some mdf and my dust collector. I wasn't really expecting to get that much better result. I typically get a few crumbs after a cut with the 2.5 inch port. I couldn't find ANY crumbs after 4 cuts with a 4" port. So, I guess bigger is better. After quite a few field trials now, some guys have stated that perhaps the dust collection may be too good. It likes to suck up everything including small offcuts. This can be bad because the offcut may want to rattle around inside the guard dancing on the blade. I suggest that if you do use the 4 inch port, you also employ a blast gate to this hose and close it off some if you anticipate having thin strips or small offcuts. Open it fully for larger parts. Some guys have also had trouble getting the hose onto the port. The dust port is kinda confusing. The whole thing is welded in at an angle, but when I cut the top back parallel to the top of the shark, it looks straight again. It really isn't. I have made this illustration to show that you need to attach the hose to the port at an angle. Once the hose is over the port, then you can straighten it back up and install a clamp. It will be a tight fit. The port is welded in there pretty good and can take a little handling. See the illustration below.

Tail Hook
Below are a few photo's of how the tail hooks work. They are fairly simply and serve to keep the guard from coming off when not wanted. Simply raise the hook to remove the guard. Lower it down onto the stud when installing it.

Using the Shark Guard
The Shark Guard has a horizontal hooked slot at the rear and a vertical slot further forward. These slots are the mounting slots for this guard. The hooked slots get hooked on the rear studs of the clamp. There is now a safety hook that slips down over the rear stud to keep the guard from coming off when not intended. You can see in this image that the guard can be left in the upward position by hooking only the rear slots and resting the guard on the front stud. This feature is beneficial when measuring between the fence and blade with a steel rule. The front slots just slip down over the front studs with care taken to use the smaller bearing surfaces. With this done and your red tail hook slide down into place, your blade guard is installed. It will seem to some that the guard isn't clamped down anywhere and only rides or sits on these studs. Can that be right? Yes, the guard itself isn't really fastened to the clamp in the normal sense. What does happen is it's locked onto the studs when you feed stock under the guard or when the blade height is low. In either case the guard can't be lifted up enough to remove it from the clamp while in use. Dust collection can be hooked up to the top of the guard or you can simply cap off the dust port. I suggest that something be done to the port though. If left open, you can get a fountain effect of sawdust right into your face. I will have caps that plug this port available soon. For a good fit with something that is readily available, spray paint tops will serve as a good cap for the dust port. You can even get color coordinated caps this way. Rockler, Woodcraft and other outlets sell a nice 2 1/2 inch clear flex hose that fits this dust port well. It is a fairly snug fit by itself, but can be clamped down as well. I like leaving mine as a slip fit, because I utilize the same overhead hose for my router table. There are numerous ways the you can support the hose for the dust collection. On my Gallery page, you will see some photo's of different setups. On my Review page, you will find links to individual websites where some owners used varied methods of supporting this hose.

If you have any questions about installation, setup or usage of this blade guard or parts associated with it, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks a bunch and I hope that you enjoy using your Shark Guard.