Here is another home made version.? If you do a web search for "Overarm Blade Guard Gordon Sampson" you'll find a PDF of an article many years ago on Woodcentral.? (I wasn't sure if external links are allowed here so I didn't post a direct link.)
The ceiling mount was inspired by some photos posted by Sam Blasco on the MinMax forum in 2003. You cannot execute the?ceiling mount of you have 20 ft ceilings but for 8-10 ft it's no problem.
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In the photos below you will see that I executed the ceiling mount a bit different than Sam's and also provided left-to-right adjustability. When I am ripping, I can move the guard to the left to make more room for narrow cuts (use a push block!). This position also works good for edge trimming since more of the dust goes into the collector rather than out the side. Moving the guard to the right also gives me clearance for my miter guide.??I have a stepstool (3-step ladder) nearby to the saw. I stand on that, loosen the four knobs approx 1/2 turn, slide the guard into the new position and retighten. This takes about 30 seconds. The solution may not be what the pros want, but for this amateur it works just fine.
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I intended to use telescoping aluminum square tube to provide vertical adjustability but I was unable to find enough for both supports. So the front one uses the telescoping tubes while the rear one uses a wooden support and an aluminum tube.
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Overall I am satisfied - the guard does a great job of dust collection and keeps my hands away from the blade.
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JM
Downingtown, PA
