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LeeWay Workshop |
November 21, 2008 |
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Upgrade your 1.0 and 1.5's to a 2.0 Shark Guard
I have been striving to upgrade the quality and safety on the accesories that I offer. I wanted to make these upgrades fit both the new 2.0 Shark Guard and the older 1.0 version. I feel that I have accomplished this goal and I am now offering these upgrades for the Shark Guard. These upgrades are the result of some issues that came about after having the original Shark Guard in use for about 5 months. Very few problems have occured to the 1.0 Sharks because of design or quality, but I want to go the step further and provide and safer product. I don't think that the original Shark Guard 1.0 is unsafe, however, these upgrades do possess some significant safety features and durability and appearance solutions. The upgrades still allow the guard to function much the same way as the orginal.
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What has changed since the first Shark Guard 1.0?
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1: For starters, the clamp design has changed.
In effect I have replaced the original friction clamp design with one that has tabs that positively lock into 2 slots that are milled into the top of the shark splitter. When adjusted just a little above the stock thickness, this clamp can prevent the stock from lifting and starting a kickback. The older clamp design simply depended on the torque on the mounting knobs to attach it to the top of the splitter.
2: The splitter has changed with the addition or subtraction of 2 1/8" slots at the top that accept the tabs on the new clamp.
3: The sharktail mounting design has changed. Instead of the old slip on rear slots, it now has more of a hook on rear slot. Yes, its a sharktail hook design. You can't simply lift up and come forward to remove the Shark anymore. You now have to lift it and push back on the guard to remove it. You would not want have the guard raise up and have it come forward when you didn't want it to.
4: The shark guard itself has changed. With the newer hook design came an aluminum tail with the slots routed into it. This may or may not be safer, but it makes it easier to adjust slightly if you wanted to loosen or tighten the fit of the guard. In the event that the tail mounting area gets damaged, this portion can be replaced without replacing the entire guard or dealing with the problems associated with fabricating a lexan repair part. Drill out a few rivets, replace the part and pop in some new rivets. Good as new.
5: The lexan portion of the Shark Guard does not only depend on the chemical bond of the glue now. I drill and tap ½" polycarbonate rod between both sides and then these sides are held together with both solvent adhesive and stainless steel screws. Just extra insurance. These things are strong without the screws, but being handmade, I have no way of testing each joint.
6: More of the guard and clamp parts are closed off on the top which help with dust collection. This makes it a little safer for your eyes and lungs.
7: All of the aluminum is now powder coating protecting the guard and parts themselves from corrosion and abrasion.
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| In conclusion, let me just say that I feel that the Shark Guard 1.0 is a good system.
The Shark Guard 1.5 or 2.0 with the BigDog clamp upgrade is a better system.
The New Shark Guard 6.0 is the best system that I know how to make to date. These have came a long way in a relatively short period of time. My thanks to my customers and the members of BT3Central Forum who have helped to make this endeavor possible. |
I highly recommend these upgrades for owners of the Shark Guard 1.0 and 1.5. Upgrades to version 6.0 are available. Total or partial upgrades are also possible.
I apologize to you for not making your Shark with these safety features from the start.
The Shark Guard is my original design and it is only natural that it progress into a better
item as time goes by. These upgrades are time consuming if not laborious for me to make.
Sadly, they will not be cheap to aquire. I do however, have several options as well as colors
and styles available to help fit your particular needs. |
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| For some of these upgrades, you will need to be able to do a little work yourself. It really isn't a major undertaking to attach the new stuff, but I admit that it can be intimidating for someone that has never cut into aluminum or polycarbonate before. I will try to help guide you through the process as best as I can. The new steel splitters and 6.0 clamp are a far cry from the originals. I highly recommend at least the splitter and clamp whether you upgrade the tail or not. These are the kickback protection parts and are designed much better for the purpose. The 6.0 Splitter and clamp can be had as an upgrade for about $28 plus shipping. Colored splitters are no longer available, but the clamps can be any color you wish. |
Don't want to do this upgrade yourself?
| You can send me your Shark Guard 1.0 and your clamp and I will send you your Shark back with the new 6.0 powdercoated clamp, black oxide finished splitter, polycarbonate rods installed and sharktail attached. Simply mention this in the details section of the PayPal checkout form or send me an E-mail. |
Sharktail Upgrade Proceedure.
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If cutting your shark makes you very uncomfortable, you will be able to send it to me and I will do the upgrading for you.
This cut can be accomplished several ways. One way is to use your sliding miter table (SMT) on your BT. I have used a small 9" bandsaw, jigsaw, even a fine tooth backsaw to make nice cuts in this polycarbonate.
The Sharktail has a 7 degree angle when checked from the bottom and near 20 degrees from the top edge.
All of the shark parts are handmade and therefore hold no exact tolerances. The methods I use in milling, bending and glueing may vary about 1/16" or so from guard to guard. You will need to match up your sharktail as shown in this picture in order to approximate the cut line. You should also double check the angle of the new sharktail. It may not be exactly 7 degrees, but I do try to hold it close. Also, 7 dergrees on the SMT may vary so check the tail against a test cut such as a sacrificial base as seen below. I would make the cut just a shade bigger and sand to the proper fit with a belt sander or disc sander if this is available. Polycarbonate sands very easily. It doesn't melt like acrylic and it won't crack like it either. |
Setting up for the cut on a BT SMT!
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This image shows the SMT setup if you want to use this method. This method was easier to show and tell about the angles since everyone has a BT with a SMT.This is a scary method and I would rather suggest that you use a bandsaw, jigsaw or handsaw. You can clean up the cut with sandpaper.
I will advise that this method needs to have hold downs attached to the SMT fence to keep your hands away from the blade.
It is a relatively easy cut to make if you have it setup properly. I will also suggest that you make several passes, raising the blade a little bit each time. Use the blade that you have with the most carbide teeth. 60 teeth or better would be optimal. |
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Start out by lining up the new Sharktail with the rear portion of the shark. |
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Align the forward slot up with the same on the shark. You don't want the new Sharktail slot to be closer to the front than the old ones. Equal to or farther back on the new tail is best. This has to do with where the front of the guard sits in relation to the blade when fully raised. |
 | This image shows where to mark for the cut line. The flange on the sharktail will slip inside the the end of the guard after the cut. You will snug it as close as possible to the outside portion of the aluminum sharktail. |
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This part is optional, but I would use a piece of 1/4" plywood as a sacrificial base to test the cut first. Then use it to reduce any scratching and to support the shark at the cut. |
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Now you can check your mark on the shark to insure that you have enough clearance on the dust port. These port lengths will vary and some may be tilted to the rear a little. If you do not have clearance here, you can reduce the length of the port. This really should not be an issue on the 1.0 Sharks. The guard in this image is a half breed with parts from both styles. This means the dust port is a little farther back on this one than it should be on yours. |
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Simple methods can be used to cut a little length off the dust port to gain clearance for the tail cut. A handsaw may be the least intimidating. I made this cut with a little bandsaw. A jigsaw or sawsall world work also. |
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This is a shot made after the cut. You will notice that there is a sacrificial board used in the bottom of the shark. You want this board to be the same width as the guard opening on bottom. You will cut through this board when you make the cut. I Highly recommend the use of a hold down on the SMT fence. I didn't use one and the cut is simply unsafe. Use one of Jeff's T-nuts or a SMFence hold down to accomplish a clamp of some type. |
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Now you can clean up the shark at the cut with a small file or sharp knife. Just dull up he sharp edges. The sharktail should slip into and fit snuggly into the rear of the shark. You will notice that the mounting flange on the Sharktail is two parts. See the red arrow in the sketch on the left. This is an expansion or slip joint of sorts. The powdercoating may have one part stuck to the other. You may need to break this joint apart if it doesn't slip into the shark easily. I have used a utility knife to score the powder coating and then just use a padded clamp to snap the weld in the powder coating. |
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Once you slip the sharktail into the rear of the freshly cut shark, you need to fasten it in place. A tiny gap in the joints between the shark and tail are nothing to worry about. They can be sealed later if you felt it necessary.
The main thing is to rivet or screw the tail so that it is in line with the shark front to back. When I attach the tails, I run two straight edges down the sides of the shark an keep the tail centered up with these. You will need a pop rivet gun and a 1/8" drill bit to use the rivet method. (I supply the rivets). You can obtain self tapping screws that would tap into the aluminum from any hardware store. I may have these available with the kits. Check you alignment after you install the first pop-rivet. If all is well, proceed. If not, drill that pop-rivet out and start at a new location. Once the tail is on straight, you can redrill the first spot and install the pop-rivet again. Should work fine. Your tail portion should now be finished.
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Installing the Polycarbonate Rods.
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With your Sharktail package, you will find 3 polycarbonate rods and 6 stainless steel screws that should be attached to the shark to increase its strength by mechanical means. This may not be necessary, but it is very little work for an obviously stronger structure. It may also help with material feeding under the front of the Shark. The circles with the red x's in them are the locations for these rods on the Shark Guard 1.0. The only one that is really critical is the lower front one. Get the edge of this one flush with the lower edge on the shark. |
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A 3/16" drill bit should be used and you will need a counter sink bit. Some of you may have the bit sets like you see in this image. If the rods are a little long, just file or sand to fit. If they are too short, you can add a small washer to one side or the other. Installation of these rods will now complete the evolution of your 1.0 Shark Guard and bring it up to date with the safety features of a 2.0 Shark Guard. Refer to the link below for mounting instructions and some tips that may be useful. Thanks and always work safely. If you ever have any trouble with these Sharks or have any questions, please ask away. I do strive to answer each e-mail. |
Shark Splitter slot locations and Big Dog clamp tab dimensions
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Click the image and then you can print out the template at 100 DPI setting on your printer. |
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This image prints at 100 DPI also. You can use pop rivets or sheet metal screws to mount this plate to the bottom of the knob side or left side of the clamp. |
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This image prints at 100 DPI. You can use pop rivets or sheet metal screws to mount the other aluminum angles needed for mounting one of these to the front portion of the shark guard. |
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