LeeWay Workshop, LLC -Ridgid/ Craftsman

Leeway Workshop, LLC

July 30, 2010

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The Shark Guard 10.0
Lots of info below. Prices and options are toward the bottom of the page. Please scroll down.

The lead time for new orders is around 1 to 2 weeks. Feel free to ask about the status of your order at any time via email.

NEW MODEL Ridgid/Craftsman Shark Guard Mounting Info

OLDER MODEL Ridgid/Craftsman Shark Guard Mounting Info

The Ridgid/ Craftsman Shark Guard

I have a brand new design for these models. Instead of the two knobs that tighten on the rear bracket, I will now use a spring plunger setup. This will make swapping splitters basically a snap in and out operation by pulling the knob back. This design accomplishes two things. It makes it even quicker to swap these out and it gives a much better positive lock to the splitter system. That makes it safer. This does cost more though. This is a heavy system and cost more to ship as well as more time for milling and material and hardware costs. If you already have one of these on order, your cost will remain the same as initially ordered. As of 6/26/08, all new orders will have the new cost relflected. I will leave all the older model photo's up and add new model pictures as they become available to me. I am shipping the first few newer model systems tomorrow. I have completed the update to this model and I am in the process of making the final versions to send out. I am confident that these will fit and work well now, so ordering is a go now. As soon as I hear back from my Beta testers, I will have some updated pics and reviews. This model will fit the Ridgid 3650, 2424, 3612 and some Craftsman models to include the 113.298151, 298240, 298470, 298720, 298721C, 298722, 298751, 298761, 298762, 298842, 298843, 298844, 299040, 299510. If you are wondering about other models, just contact me. The way this model should mount is to first mount the rear bracket to the triangular shaped aluminum splitter mount that came on your saw. This bracket is fully adjustable and has two mounting holes and 4 set screws to adjust the splitter to 90 degrees with the table top. The OEM guard has a slight bend at the bottom and this counters that. Install one of the splitters into this bracket using the two knobs. Now you can align this splitter to the blade using a straight edge and a speed square. Use the speed square to set the splitter bracket so that the splitter is 90 degrees to the table top to bottom. Then you can use the straight edge to align the splitter to the blade. Once this is all aligned, make sure everything on that bracket is tight. You will no longer need to remove this bracket. You can now just swap out the three splitters using just the two knobs and they should be aligned each and every time with no more adjustment. The rest of the shark works like it does on the other model guards and you can see that elsewhere on this site. You can also use some paste wax on the splitters to help things slide along a little better. My splitters are thicker than what came with your saw. I will have more complete info as soon as I hear back from my Beta testers. It's cold were they are.

I produce these guards using the best material and techniques possible in the Leeway Workshop. These are all handmade and powder coated to order. As such, I do not have a warehouse full of them. I do now use my shop built CNC router for the slots and dado's on the sides. This affords speed, precision and repeatability, but I did make the cnc by hand. ;) They may also have minor imperfections on them. There are very few perfect ones that I have made. To glue them up, I have to remove the protective film. This is inviting Murphy to help out. If they have more than one or two minor scratches or drips, they are sold as seconds. I make them on a first come first served basis. Orders for these have been tremendous. I do love building anything in my shop and these are no exception. I have the plans on my site for the 1.0 version and some of the upgrades and newer patterns of the Shark Guard. If you are handy, you may choose to make one of these yourself.

Disclaimer!
All of the items that you get from me are guaranteed to be of good quality, handmade from the best material available. If you aren't pleased with the condition of what I send you, you get your money back. As with any aftermarket accessory, you must decide if these are the right additions or modifications for your comfort and safety. There is no way to use your table saw and be risk free. The items that I make are merely aids. They will not prevent injury. Saws are very dangerous machines. Saws can KILL or MAIM you. These accessories may not comply with rules and regulations in your area. You must decide for yourself whether to use these accessories or not. It is your safety that is at risk when using any power tool or accessory. Since I can not be there at each and every setup and cut that you make, I can not be held responsible for any accidents that occur as a direct result of any information or equipment that you receive from me or this website. Any responsibility for the use of these product(s) ultimately rests on your own shoulders. Ordering anything from me is an acknowledgement that you understand these risks and responsibilties and that you are willing to accept the consequences of using them. If you are un-certain as to who is responsible for the setup and usage of any of these accessories, DO NOT PURCHASE THEM.

Payment Methods and Shipping Details.
The standard shipping rates apply to US shipping ONLY. Shipping is now INCLUDED in the price shown on this site. Canadian orders can use the cart item provided to bring Canadian shipping to the correct price. The only payment methods that I accept are Credit Card Payments through PayPal, US bank check or US money order or International Money Order in US Dollars. I cannot accept credit card info over the phone. Paypal takes CC info for me so that I never see your card numbers or info. You can E-mail for more details. If you are wanting to send a check or money order, here is my mailing address and other contact information. If you live somewhere other than the US or Canada and want to know the shipping, just email me with your address. There has always been a lead time of weeks when you order. This is due to the popularity of the Shark Guard. These require a lot of time to produce. I will turn your order around as fast as is possible. It may be that I have the items you want on hand. Just be prepared for possible delay. You can contact me to get a rough estimate as to how long an order might take. I always ship using USPS Priority or International Priority mail. You should receive an email from them on the day that your order ships. It will have a delivery confirmation #. It generally takes two days, but three days for some. I don't mind shipping to a PO Box.

How to determine your splitter/riving knife thickness.
These are my typical recommendations on which thicknesses to choose when ordering. The thicknesses I offer are actually just standard steel gauges. 13, 12 and 11. The smaller the number, the thicker the stock. Here is a link to standard steel sheet gauges. Steel Gages. Most factory supplied guards use 14 gauge and even less in some cases. Very few use thicker, but there are some. These are the thicknesses I start out with. Then when I powder coat them, it adds 3 or 4 mils of coating to each side. It has been my experience that getting a splitter very close to the blade thickness is bad. It can often result in sticking and pinching on nearly every cut. This is also not safe. It will cause you to want to apply more pressure to feed and that is undesirable. You may have seen guys cut lumber the exact thickness of the kerf and use this as a splitter mounted into the throat plate. I think the reason that works is because the splitters are so small, they don't have enough area to cause much friction. The larger area of bigger splitters will cause issues if they are too thick. I only sell just a few of the thickest versions. They would be ideal on a saw in a cabinet shop that was dedicated for sheet goods. They also work on saws that have an easily adjusted splitter mounting bracket. Some are easy and some can be a bear. I sell the thin kerf the most. .090 inch thickness. I recommend these for guys that use both type blades. Thin kerf and standard kerf. It actually works well for both because of the area of the splitter surface. Guys that don't own any thin kerf blades usually order the .105". These are just a little thicker and may even support the guard just a bit better because of it. I would say that a good splitter should be just a bit less than the thickness of your kerf. Safety should be easy and trying to use a splitter that is too thick is a step in the wrong direction.

Canadian Shipping $12

This is for those in Canada that would like to use Paypal to order the complete package. Add this to your cart and it will correct the site price for shipping to Canada. This is anywhere in Canada. I will need you to send me your phone number in an email. This is for the shipping slip. I ship these using Priority International.

Ridgid Shark Guard Packages.

Shark Guard 10.0 Ridgid including US shipping. $177
This includes a clear Shark Guard with a 2 1/2" od dust port - A new receiver bracket for mounting the Shark splitters to the triangular shaped aluminum bracket making mounting a tool free operation, this now has a spring loaded plunger knob instead of the two knob setup - 3 Steel Splitters with powder coated semi-gloss black finish - Adjustable Clamp assembly. To the right are some of the colors that are available for the Shark Guards.

Shark Guard 10.0 Thin $0

This is the option for the thin version of the Shark Guard. No extra cost on this. If you want this version, just add this cart item to your paypal cart and I will know you want the thin. The largest dust port that can be installed on a thin version is a 3". I cannot put a 4" port on these. Otherwise mention it in an email. Because this cost is zero extra, add 1 to the quantity in the paypal cart. If you have any trouble, just email me. You can see more about the Thin version here.

Shark Guard 10.3 Upgrade $5

This is the upgrade for the 3" dust port. The dust port is 3 in. od and 2.75 in. id. Just add this to your cart. It will bring the total of the Shark Guard to the correct price for this model.

Shark Guard 10.4 (Mega Mouth) Upgrade $15

This is the upgrade for the Mega Shark. The dust port is 4 in. od and 3.75 in. id. Just add this to your cart. It will bring the total of the Shark Guard to the correct price for this model. Here is a link to see more about the 4" ports.

Shark Guard 10.4 Heavy Duty option $24

This is the upgrade for the Heavy Duty version of the Shark Guard. The dust port can be whatever size you choose from the sizes above. Just add the appropriate size to the cart. Here is a link to see more about the heavy duty version.

Add Shark Pawls to the Shark Guard package. $10
These pawls are semi-gloss black powder coated hardened steel. They come with special brass bushings for use on the adjustable clamp. These are now spring loaded and have keepers in the design. This lets you disengage them out of the way when not needed.